Spiny
This project consisted on creating and prototyping spiny hands for a climbing robot (Robosimian) created by JPL. The mechanism allows spines to grip onto and conform to a surface, thus allowing the robot to climb rocky surfaces!
The spines are pneumatically ejected outwards with an air pump with a pressure that can easily be adjusted. The air also prevents spines from getting stuck.
Processes:
3D printing, Milling, Urethane and Silicone Casting
Materials: Formlabs Tough Resin, Steel Spines, Urethane, Silicone
Published in:
AW. Ruotolo, F. S. Roig and M. R. Cutkosky, "Load-Sharing in Soft and Spiny Paws for a Large Climbing Robot," in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 1439-1446, April 2019.
doi: 10.1109/LRA.2019.2897002