Yay! It also happened just in time for the Hackaday prize, so I might flesh it out and post there. Might is always a very operative word. One of the things that makes this much more mighty than musty is that I’ve already got on a couple issues, one that reduces the viability for the specific application, one that affects all applications, and one that affects all applications, but the specific.
- Since the initial robot these would be mounted on required only two wheels, with the third/fourth point of contact being the broom head, we’ve now added two wheels, and (a minimum*) of four motors (two drive and to elevators).
- Rise and run (I forget the fact term they use, it’s not slope though I think) of American standard stairs is steep enough that I need more elevating than the length of the robot. That means I need to go either with a crossed pattern of the pinioned rods getting me a bit more elevating, and I honestly don’t know if this will work but I do know it just added complexity, or a wider robot and having the rods turn out across the robot rather than along it, with either four elevating motors or much more build complexity.
- The initial concept requires the broom head to act as the chin I so typically will use while climbing. Finger tips, chin, elbow, elbow, rib cage, dead fish flop. This isn’t a game killer, but it means that any robot would require an anchor like a broom head or rubber foot. Oh yeah, and going backwards has the same requirement or a literally reversed maneuver, as in rear first down the stairs.
But other than that, I think it’s a wicked idea. I should at least do up some drawings. It’s also be a great one to be an overly complex project to use as training for how to do multiple moving parts in Fusion 360, to get free up with my own lack of knowledge and overall act as a counter intuitive example of far-of-failure.
By the power of metal skull, the failure is mine!
Of the cuff, it’s potentially a new slogan concept. I don’t like the metal thang. Also, I’m not sure if that’s still too on the nose for comfort. I’m pretty sure I don’t want to get worked over by some silly trademark case. Oh well, it was a fun one liner while it lasted. Now it’s a fun one strike-througher
