Project Hexapod

Project Hexapod is a 6-legged, 8000 lb walking robot in Cambridge. I joined this group of engineers to keep this amazing robot alive. I get to practice my prototyping, design and fabricating skills. The robot is mostly functioning in that it can stand up and walk around, but new issues are always popping up. We are also always looking for ways to improve the robot, so it can do cooler things!

​

One project we are working on is improving the robot's ankle design. The robot's ankle rolls over on uneven platforms. The first design we prototyped was a suspended leg design. The design involves a larger outer cylindrical tube with a base plate welded on the bottom and a smaller cylindrical tube welded onto the leg of the robot. Steel cables approximately 5 inches long would stretch from the top holes of the larger cylinder to the bottom holes of the smaller cylinder. There is a spring in the smaller cylinder connected to the base plate such that the position of the small cylinder stays in a normal position when the cables are not in tension. The design allows for the small cylinder to swivel around 45 degrees, so the robot’s leg can land on uneven platforms without running the risk of rolling its ankle.   

​

I also took this project to my Mechanics of Solids class to evaluate the tensions in the cables. I wanted to see how the tensions would change as the angle fo the ground changed. I made sure the design would not fail by making design changes and testing it with FEA and mathematical model.