This caterpillar track is the first step towards designing and building a printable mobile robot. My finished robot will have four of these modules, but many other designs are possible. A single caterpillar can function on its own as a simple robot that can move forwards and backwards; two modules can be joined together to form a tank-like machine, etc.
This thing is designed to work with a Futaba 3003 servo (modified for continuous rotation) and uses O-rings to make up the transmission and the caterpillar itself.
Transmission O-ring: 3mm thickness, 60mm diameter
Caterpillar O-rings: 3mm thickness, 124mm diameter
This O-ring system was chosen because it was easier to prototype, but it has evident drawbacks. In future revisions I will change it to a "solid" rubber track.
Note that the pictures of the printed robot at the bottom of the page are missing the reinforcement parts. I will upload new pictures as soon as I modify it!
Video of the robot in action!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efXHjjU-yYg (Simple test)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVgXtljqaAQ (Highest inclination: 36º)
Update! (17/4/2011)
Uploaded an HD artistic rendition of the UniTrack created by my brother Hasier Goitia. Expect more images and videos after the Easter Break!
| BackFrame.stl | 517.3KB | |
| BackWheel.stl | 4.5MB | |
| BottomReinforcement.stl | 204.0KB | |
| caterpillar.scad | 11.2KB | |
| FrontFrame.stl | 516.2KB | |
| FrontWheel.stl | 3.7MB | |
| Reinforcement.stl | 204.2KB | |
| ServoWheel.stl | 912.0KB |
