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BigArm IV: 4 d.o.f and console
I tried to build a powerful and flexible industrial robotic arm with 4 degrees of freedom over a month ago but ran into problems: gear slipping and weight issues. I needed several more 40-tooth and 8-tooth gears and finally I was able to buy them and make this project.

Four degrees of freedom means one motor for each, two bricks and a lot of weight and stress on the gears.

Hand: It's geared at 1:5 for optimal power and can open up more than 5" and close to next to nothing.

Wrist: Also geared at 1:5 to handle the weight of a heavy object in the hand. It can turn more that 90 degrees each direction.

Arm (pitch): The 8-tooth to 40-tooth gearing provides the needed torque and power and a large surface to attach the counterweight at one end and the wrist/hand assemby at the other. The arm can raise 11" from floor level to bottom of gripper.

Arm (yaw): The 8" tall arm can turn more than 180 degrees in each direction. The 5" square turntable base provides a stable surface and is geared at 1:60 so it is slow but very powerful.

BigArm IV was designed to let an operator pick up and place building blocks. Each motor is controled by a touch sensor or the enter button. The sensors are not acting as simple on/off switches. The motors will run as long as the sensor is pressed and stop when its not pressed. More details of the programming in the Console section below and, if you would like to learn how use this technique, please download the programs and read the code.

The video is on a separate post because of space limitations. It shows the arm picking up a block and then setting it down squarely to show the usefulness of the wrist. Without a wrist you can't put a block down level with the floor.

Below are close-up pictures and comments on each of the motor functions, the counterweight and the console.

Posted by:

 snabeli

Created:

 28 February 2010

Rate:

 

Tags:(?):

 roboticarm, console, gripper, counterweight, turntable, gears, industrial, arm, video

Hand

The important thing about the hand is the gearing. The 40-tooth gears provide optimal torque and a large surface to attach the grippers. You can make stypes of grippers, these are designed to handle all sizes and weights of blocks.

Wrist

The wrist is very simple: just an 8-tooth gear attached to a 40-tooth gear which is then attached to the hand. But it is very important. It provides the flexibility to pick the right angle for the hand so that you can set things down squarely.

Arm pitch (up and down)

Yet another pair of 8-tooth and 40-tooth gears. The wrist is attached to the inside of the 40-tooth gears. The counterweight is attached to the outside.

Arm yaw (left and right)

The turntable and worm gear assembly gives a gear ratio of 1:56 meaning it is slow but powerful enough to handle the weight of the entire arm, counterweight and load with ease.

Counterweight

The brick has two separate functions: it is heavy enough to provide the needed ballast to offset the weight of the wrist/hand and load, and it runs the hand. Its not obvious, but the hand is operated by the topmost touch sensor on the other brick but is cable to this brick.

Operator Console

Because there are 4 motors there are 2 bricks. The brick on the arm controls the hand, the console brick controls the wrist and arm pitch and yaw. For the wrist and arm you have a choice of modes selected by the arrow keys: left for hand/wrist down and arm left. right for hand/wrist up and arm right. The screens show exactly what sensor does what. The middle touch sensor controls the wrist, the bottom touch sensor controls the pitch of the arm and the end button controls the yaw. The top touch sensor controls the hand. But because that is actually controlled by the other brick. the mode can't apply. Instead, the direction of the motor alternated. The first time you press the top sensor the hand closes. Next it opens and so forth. In all cases, the particular motor runs as long as the sensor is pressed and stops when its no longer pressed. Please look at the program to see how this is done. It's a very useful and powerful technique.

Comments

10 most recent comments out of 15  [VIEW ALL]
  • snabeli

  • To make an intelligent comment about how the user operates the arm, you need to download the programs and read them. If you can understand the code you can learn something useful.

  • Posted 1199 days and 18 hours ago


  • BigThor

  • Very nice work with the gears and really great programming. So many people with a complex project like this just say the magic word bluetooth but they don't understand how it could work. This does and does it well. I saw the video too! Looks like u had to shoot it and operate the camera at the same time. Not easy!

  • Posted 1199 days and 18 hours ago


  • snabeli

  • norama, I have only 3 touch sensors not 4 so i used the enter button for the yaw. I also don't have bluetooth on my computer so I always program in NXT-G. Have never felt the need for bluetooth, but maybe someday a project will actually require it. Don't know.

  • Posted 1198 days and 17 hours ago


  • BigThor

  • Hey, just saw you won an Honorable Mention in the Robotic Arm Challenge. Good on you!

  • Posted 1197 days and 9 hours ago


  • snabeli

  • Thanks BigThor! I just saw the results are in and I am pleased to get the recognition. I thought midstormguy1 totally deserved first place in the industrial arm category. His was really great.

  • Posted 1194 days and 20 hours ago


  • legosupergeek

  • snabeli,
    I understand the program,
    its just that the screen's images could be a little clearer

  • Posted 1190 days and 16 hours ago


  • legosupergeek

  • if you told me which motors went to what I could make a new GUI (graphical user interface)

  • Posted 1183 days and 19 hours ago


  • jacco0

  • I like that you can control it with the touch sensors

  • Posted 1045 days and 19 hours ago


  • minifig2222

  • it doesn't connect via bluetooth?

  • Posted 928 days and 19 hours ago


  • somevalidusername

  • awesome! could you add a video? and how do you get a black nxt?

  • Posted 324 days and 13 hours ago


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