Inchworm robot with muscle-wire

Simple two-legged inchworm-like robot. Muscle-wire (shape memory alloy) is used for actuating. Small bristles on legs are used for creating a difference of friction.

• Category

  Howto & Style

[bflk159]

very cool...I just purchase .008 inch flexinol (nitinol muscle wire) and the max compression of the material is 5% of the original length, while in your video the wire compresses way more than 5%.... I am thinking of changing materials after seeing your video and was wondering about the price, circuits set up and power source used to run the robot. thank you so much

[Peter Kaťuch]

5% is enough. I use flexinol 100 in this robot. All flexinols have same contraction. Flexinol is connected to the end of front leg, then is drawn around the middle pin (bolt) and the other side of flexinol is connected to the rear leg. Flexinol is long enough to make this motion. Between the legs you can see the spring for elongation of flexinol after deactivation.

There was a simple circuit with PIC12F675 for driving, but you can use NE555 for switching on/off or just buttons for manual control

[babot6]

this is amazing send me a link of a site with that kit

[Peter Kaťuch]

You can't buy this robot. It's my own design and I made it from pieces of PMMA. The actuator is from Jameco.

[slopedarmor]

....

only if you have patience  ;)

[Absurdity360]

It can't.

[NewAgeDirector]

Great video keep up the good work.

[Michaud12]

100 what? inches? im not sure what you mean by 100

[Michaud12]

do you have a wire from the sma in the front foot coming back around to the back to complete the circuit?

[Michaud12]

What voltage did you use? I noticed i need about 8 volts but i thought that seemed high

[Michaud12]

link on jameco?

[DjRefunction]

Why?



[tynmorrow]

Inchworm robot created. US Military: (CONVERT CONVERT!) Now an Inchworm with rocket launchers and machine guns :)

[agent2539]

butwill it blend??

[CineBoxStudio]

its simple! it would prabably be pretty easy to do without the "tail", yust a blinking-type circut would do

[Carlos Alberto Herrera]

if you push the wire more than 5% the life time will fall down a lot from 1000,000 herz to just 100,000 cicles of contractions.

Is better to coil the wire like a spring and put more material, of course like it is experimental is not necessary it resist so much.