Gyroscopic Hopping Rover

1
Gyroscopic Hopping Rover

• Team Progress Report 1
• 9/22/04

2
Benchmarking

• Other hopping (non-gyro) robots
• NASA Frogbot
• 25 feet with one jump
• Single actuator
• DARPA combusion hopper
• -80 feet with one jump

3
Benchmarking

• Bow-legged hopper
• Recovers 70 of energy
• Hopping gyro robots
• JPL Weeblebot
• Cant climb hills

4
What will the rover accomplish?

• Stable hopping sequences
• Straight(ish) line
• Up/down hill
• Commanded path
• Stair ascent/descent
• Self-standing
• All other size/weight/endurance reqs from 3 Sept
  presentation
• Fit in 10cm cube

5
Major obstacles so far

• How to stand
• How to determine orientation
• Physics- how does the top respond?

6
Standing/Self Righting

• CMG-style standing
• Gyro in correct position after standing?
• Apply torque to gyro without rotating rover?
• More passive-style righting
• Weeble concept
• Retractable leg and foot

7
Determining Orientation

• Needed information
• Angle of tilt
• Heading WRT ground
• Instruments available
• Small, lower power consumption
• Compass, Dual-axis accelerometer
• Durability? Reliability? Use on Mars?

8
Gyroscope toy to help intuition and validate
model

• Gyro - 175 with motor
• Gimbal - 55
• Runs 4-7 minutes, starting _at_ 15kRPM

9
Group Organization

• Main tasks and sub-groups
• Modeling - MATLAB simulation, visualizations,
• Chassis Geometry, material,
• Power - Solar, batteries,
• Gyro - Motor control, housing,
• Intelligence - Navigation CPU, Path Following,
• Hopping leg - Actuation, energy conservation,
• Communication - RF computer, remote control,
• External sensing - Angle of tilt, obstacles,
• Standing - Elbow?, gyro?, retract leg?
• SE - Global wiring, group organization,

10
Website Use

• Meeting organization
• Next meetings action points
• Last meetings minutes
• File sharing
• Simulations
• Drawings and diagrams
• Progress slide shows
• For outsiders
• Short abstract of project
• Progress reports

11
Schedule/Plan

• Next progress report
• Preliminary design
• No standing
• Intelligence/Object Avoidance
• DumbRover
• Official assignment of tasks/subgroups
• Long-term schedule
• Prototyping
• DumbRover assembly depending on part availability

12
fin