robotmatrix.org

 Introduction

• Objective: This amusing animatronic is very instructive since it requires symmetric relative moves of its servos to stay upright. When properly choreographed the strider turns right and left as it strides in place, doing slow dips or fast gallops. The robot can also pitch itself onto its face and then, again using symmetric servo moves, stand on its head and kick its feet.
• Parts:
  • Robix Rascal Robot Kit/Construction Set
  • Movable "doll eyes", if desired, available at craft stores for about three dollars for a bag full. Or you can use masking tape and markers to create eyes.
• To learn: If you have two joints in series and in the same plane, like the upper and lower joints on one of the strider legs, and you move them by equal amounts (angles) in opposite directions, then the second servo moves parallel to itself.

 Step 1: Assemble and build the Strider Robot Body and Muscle

 Step 2: Fingers Robot Teaching and Macro Programming

Users typically program a few different kinds of "strides", they then put them together in a performance lasting a minute or so.

One example of the "stride" macro is: servo 1 (right lower) moves by 1200 while servo 3 (right upper) moves by -1200. And the bottom of the right lower servo stays flat to the ground. The two right servos moved by equal amounts in opposite directions. The same is true of the left leg, so the feet slide flat on the table.