Gravity: Digital 5A RelayPrice: $2.95
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AX-18 Arbotix Starter KitPrice: $239.95
When we take one of our PhantomX Hexapods out for a walk, we almost always get the question ‘Can it go up stairs?’. Our normal response is ‘Nope!’. But it looks like Youtube user AndrewHumphries is working on that problem!
Check out this video of the Hexapod climbing stairs. The hexapod doesn’t move very quickly and needs a helping hand at the end, but it’s always fun to see what tasks our robots are up to.
You can see more videos of AndrewHumphries’s Hexapod in action here
Forum Moderator KevinO just released photos and a video of his newest creation – Golem: the DYNAMIXEL MX-64 based Hexapod.
KevinO wanted to learn ROS and to further that goal he built a custom robotic development platform. Golem is 76.2 cm in diameter and weighs in at 7.3 kg. The body plates are custom CNCed T6 Aluminum plates. Golem’s brain is an Intel NUC D54250 and has a gyroscope, accelerator, and compass attached for positional/orientation awareness. Right now KevinO controls the robot manually via a Playstation 3 controller over Bluetooth. An entire deck of the robot is dedicated to the massive 6000mAh LiPo battery.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! KevinO has plans for Golem, including adding a camera system mounted on the MX-28T turret and using the Intel Nuc’s 4th Gen i5 processor to do some amazing things with vision tracking. If his previous ‘bot Charlotte is any indication, we’re in for a real treat.
We’re excited to see what KevinO will do with his Golem, but until then this gait test video will just have to sate our appetites.
Tonight’s episode of Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman is titled ‘ARE ROBOTS THE FUTURE OF HUMAN EVOLUTION?’ – and guess who is making a guest appearance? That’s right, one of our PhantomX Hexapods! We know we’re looking forward to hearing Morgan Freeman’s silky smooth voice narrating over our hexapod, we hope you are too! Tune in tonight, Wednesday July 10th at 10pm to see our hexapod. From the Science channel website:
From our smartphones to our vacuum cleaners to our cars, we have robots that live and work beside us. We are designing these everyday objects to think for themselves giving them the power to learn to move on their own. Is it possible that these new life forms evolve to be smarter and more capable than humans or will we choose to merge with the machines, combining the best of our world with the best of theirs?
Well Zenta and Kurt Eckhardt are at it again, this time porting the Lynxmotion Phoenix code to our very own PhantomX Hexapod! Running the Phoenix code, our Hexapod’s movements are smooth as silk while it scuttles across the floor in an incredible life-like fashion. Just check out these videos to see it in action.
The code for putting the Phoenix code on your Hexapod is available here. Keep in mind that this is a work in progress and may require some hardware modification of your Hexapod, so proceed at your own risk.
WARNING: This post might make you think twice before you spin a globe violently or kick that unassuming ball down the street.
Our own TRC Member Zenta has posted an amazing video of his MorpHex Robot. The dream for this project was to ceate a spherical hexapod that can…
By looking at the video, we’d say that the dream is a reality.
In hexapod mode, the MorpHex elegantly traverses terrain – then, very subtly, it begins to constrict its size until it’s ready to transform. In sphere mode the MorpHex can roll, stop and even dance around. And while there are a million things to love about the MorpHex, the fact that the body was constructed out of a earth globe is the cherry on top.
Zenta has entered the MorpHex into the Boca Bearing 2012 Innovation Competition and could win a $10,000 grant to further develop the MorpHex. We know who we’re voting for! Maybe one day we’ll see a whole army of MorpHexes rolling down the street!
For more history, pictures and general information about the MorpHex, check out the MorpHex section on Zenta’s Website
I’ll let Xan, the author of the code and fellow Phoenix collaborator, explain away:
The major changes in 2.0 are fixed point calculations to lower the cycle time.
Separate files to easy change remotes or hexapod settings. This will allow the user to simply add the correct remote file and hexapod file to adapt the code for different hardware without having to hack in to the core.
Single leg control to directly control one of the legs. This can be used with or withouth balance mode.
GP Player support. This allows the user to play sequences that are stored inside the SSC. This will need the current GP firmware for the SSC and a bi-directional connection between the BAP and SSC.
Here’s a full list of the new features:
;NEW IN V2.0
; – Moved to fixed point calculations
; – Inverted BodyRotX and BodyRotZ direction
; – Added deadzone for switching gaits
; – Added GP Player
; – SSC version check to enable/disable GP player
; – Controls changed, Check contol file for more information
; – Added separate files for control and configuration functions
; – Solved bug at turn-off sequence
; – Solved bug about legs beeing lift at small travelvalues in 4 steps tripod gait
; – Solved bug about body translate results in rotate when balance is on (Kåre)
; – Sequence for wave gait changed (Kåre)
; – Improved ATan2 function for IK (Kåre)
; – Added option to turn on/off eyes (leds)
; – Moving legs to init position improved
; – Using Indexed values for legs
; – Added single leg controlThe software will be uploaded to my Project page.
Lynxmotion will also update the phoenix tutorial. This will include a link to the software as well. I’m sure they will notify us when the work is done.
Xan
And here’s a rather lengthy video demonstrating the new Phoenix code in action!
We’ve been a bit quiet on the blog front as we are getting ready for Robogames 2009 in a little over a week and are furiously working away to finish up projects for demonstration. Our video production crew has been keeping busy also, and just finished up some new demonstration videos for the Phoenix Hexapod, showcasing its numerous features. This Hexapod continues to be one of our most popular sellers, definitely check it out!
We posted a few weeks ago about TRC member Zenta’s new creation, the A-Pod Hexapod. Zenta, who created the infamous Phoenix Hexapod, is seriously one of the most talented roboticists we have seen and we’re glad to call him a much valued member of our Community!
He has made some serious progress with his latest A-Pod, and rather than gab away at how awesome it is, check out the video and prepare to be amazed.
TRC Member Zenta has once again amazed us all with a new hexapod robot
Inspired by insects, this time Zenta decided to mix things up a bit. Dubbed A-pod, this hexapod is fully custom built much like the original Phoenix hexapod. Time and time again Zenta never fails to impress, we can’t wait for the videos of it creeping around in its own lifelike way!
To see the full writeup including more pictures and to watch the progression A-pod, check out Zenta’s thread in the TRC.
Trossen Robotics is proud to be the first in the United States to offer the new Micromagic Hexapod!
The MSR-H01 MicroMagic Systems Hexapod is a 3 DOF hexapod kit consisting of 26 precision laser cut 5053 aluminum body and leg components. Developed by special effects and animatronics guru Matt Denton of MicroMagic Systems, this hexapod’s fluid, natural movements are truly a sight to behold. Using a custom built HexEngine on board, all of the leg movements are coordinated and gaits are generated dynamically through an advanced Inverse Kinem hexatics engine.
While pictures are a testament to the slick aesthetic design of this hexapod, seeing it move is really what makes the ‘bot!