The Marching Illini
PHASE TWO: WALKING AUTOMATA COMPETITION
The automaton was integrated with a motor-driven walking robot with the goal of creating a fully functional system that will carry and operate the automaton. The walker and automaton toy is thematically linked. At the end of the semester, there was an automata competition, where teams competed for edutainment (education + entertainment), creativity, speed, and reliability.
OBJECTIVE
Design, prototype and test walkers that can rapidly negotiate rough terrain in Bardeen Quad (or Armory in case of inclement weather) as shown in Figure 1. The walkers should be: 1) stable, self-contained; with a geared motor and batteries to drive it. (The automaton must be driven by the same motor.) 2) able to walk, run, or leap across a flat concrete surface, flat rubber surface or grass using legs or feet, within an arc of circular track. Wheels, treads or rotating spoke are allowed but not required. However, wheels may only be used as support, and cannot be connected to the drive mechanism. 3) aesthetically and mechanically integrated with the automata created in Part 1 of the project.
FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS
The vehicle must travel over a line 15 m from the starting point in 140 seconds or less. The vehicle must be fully autonomous, with no external control. Through good design, they must be able to stay within a 60º radial sector (as shown in Figure 1) while operating open loop (no feedback control). You must convert the hand-cranked automata to operate off the same motor used to drive the walker. This may require refinement of materials components and gearing to operate automata at a “natural” speed compared with the walker. Your combination of walker and automaton should still thrill, amaze, amuse, and educate the viewer. There will be significant bonuses for creativity and aesthetics.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
The base of the vehicle should have a base area not exceeding 30 × 18 cm. The walker must have at least three points of contact with the ground, of which at least two contacts must be mechanical legs. Wheels may be used, but only for support, not to drive the machine. The walker should be optimized for rapid movement and stability, whilst considering the chosen theme. It is recommended to make the mechanism light and using as few components as possible. The final walker (and automaton) should not have load-bearing elements constructed using tape, adhesives, Legos (or similar construction elements), or cardboard. (These items are however allowed for initial prototyping). The use of set screws secured with thread glue is allowed and recommended. The vehicle should be constructed from rapid prototyping materials, using any available tools found at the Innovation Studio or hand tools. Machining components or using external campus resources can only be undertaken by the explicit permission of the instructor. It is fine to incorporate used or scrap material (wire, wood, tin cans), but all found items should be included in the budget. The external appearance of the walker and automaton should be inspired by the chosen theme. Classmates will grade on the success in imitating human (and other) movement in the theme. Remember, the final project must thrill, amaze, amuse, and educate!
Photos on this page were taken by faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on May 2nd, 2018.