Quadrupedal Robot

Gadgetry - Project Description:

"This year’s project theme is Home Automation devices. What would make your daily life easier in this new work-from-home world? Developing an end system that addresses this question.

Your project does not need to have a large fabrication or advanced programming component but will require some physical building and some level of autonomous decision making (however simple that it may be)."

My Design:

My design was to create a quadrupedal robot that could act as a robotic pet to address the loneliness that quarantine can cause. My robot was constructed mainly of cardboard and servo motors that controlled the legs. The design has an enclosure to hold the Arduino on the top of the robot and access to the inside of the body where the battery pack and excess wires are stored. The feet of the robot are 3D printed to help with stability and withstand any dragging or catching on the floor that might occur.

The robot was able to crouch down and stand back up without wobbling or tipping. It was also able to walk in a pre-programmed straight line. It did not take in any input from the surrounding environment. The robot also housed a buzzer to allow for it to give out a chirping sound. I intentionally made the design to allow me to have additional add-ons and goals if they were budget and time permitting or if I wanted to further the robot later on after the course.

Due to the course being online, we were restricted to the materials we could find at home as well as a $120 budget to buy parts like motors, Arduinos, and sensors. I had limited access to a 3D printer as well.