12 - Walking Dog Motion Mechanism

In this project, the team aimed to replicate the running and walking behaviors of a four-legged canine and showcase the mechanisms behind it. Unlike previous designs done in this course, the goal was to control the full motion of the robot with minimal actuators to both minimize cost and complexity whilst maintaining the natural position profile. However, due to time constraints and scheduling conflicts, the project's goals were reduced, resulting in each leg having an independent actuator and a focus on only the walking motion profile of a canine, since it later became apparent that running would require a completely different motion profile.

In the end, the team used an eight-link mechanism inspired by the Theo Jansen mechanism to successfully recreate the motion profile of a walking canine to the best of the team’s abilities.

Contents:

Project Proposal

Kinematic Analysis

Prototype

Final Prototype and Demonstration

Concluding Thoughts

Poster