Large-Scale TrotBot
Some more media of our bamboo TrotBot demo at the maker faire can be found here, and you can find an overview of our version 1 wooden scale up here.
Also, if anyone else is crazy enough to attempt scaling up TrotBot, then you probably should build it in a 12 leg version. You would need to add feet, so maybe consider adding shaped feet, or shock-absorbing feet to smooth TrotBot's gait between foot transitions, perhaps like the feet used by the Mondo Spider in the video below. Also, notice how Mondo's feet look like they were designed to slide, which helps to smooth Klann's speed, and also makes tank-style turning feasible for large mechanical walkers - at least on smooth terrain.
Also, if anyone else is crazy enough to attempt scaling up TrotBot, then you probably should build it in a 12 leg version. You would need to add feet, so maybe consider adding shaped feet, or shock-absorbing feet to smooth TrotBot's gait between foot transitions, perhaps like the feet used by the Mondo Spider in the video below. Also, notice how Mondo's feet look like they were designed to slide, which helps to smooth Klann's speed, and also makes tank-style turning feasible for large mechanical walkers - at least on smooth terrain.
We have a few ideas that may allow TrotBot to be scaled up in an 8 leg version which utilize the below heel as well as retractable toes, but we haven't tested them at large scale yet. Plus, the heels and toes are harder to add at large scale than at LEGO scale. For example, the below heel connection to the foreleg works well at LEGO scale with its high strength-to-weight ratios (where the section of length 2.55 connects above the section of length 2.64), but our 450 pound wooden TrotBot put a lot of stress on the leg at that joint, and we had to reinforce it with a truss.
Below are the bar lengths of the large-scale TrotBot we are building out of bamboo. The two images have the same bar lengths, but show them at different points in the crank's rotation. Please note that the triangle's bottom right angle highlighted in pink is not 90 degrees, but is 109.475 degrees.
Below are the bar lengths of the large-scale TrotBot we are building out of bamboo. The two images have the same bar lengths, but show them at different points in the crank's rotation. Please note that the triangle's bottom right angle highlighted in pink is not 90 degrees, but is 109.475 degrees.
