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Motivation:
An Environmentally Friendly Robot Controller
By building a “puppet”, a hand-held controller of a larger robot, we hope to allow a work person to effectively control a rescue robot that could clear or search rubble. Tentacle-like robots are difficult to control algorithmically. The GlussCon, a telepresence controller, could open up new possibilities such as agricultural robots that are more environmentally friendly than tractors.
Story:
A Controller for a Walking Robot
After building a prototype of the 7-tet Tetrobot, the project team attempted to algorithmically develop a gait for walking, but struggled with this tedious task. It made more sense to build a simulacrum – a puppet that could be manipulated by hand, much as the Jaegers in Pacific Rim are controlled by their pilots – only smaller.
Final Controller Results
With help from Joshua Hannan and Evan Bartilson, the team designed and constructed a very messy controller that worked well enough that a child could use it! A new volunteer at the time, Avinash Baskaran, helped the team improve on the messy, initial prototype. Their goal was to let a pilot move the 7-Tet tetrobot over a 4×4 obstacle by the end of the summer.
Related Open-Source Projects
If interested in learning more about our other projects, check the following pages for updates and volunteer opportunities:
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