Collaborate Disseminate
The convergence of mechanics and electronics in robotics brings with it a lot of challenges. Thanks to 3D printing and low cost components, it’s possible to quickly and easily experiment with a variety of robotics mechanism for various use cases. [Paul Gould] has been doing exactly this, and is giving …read more
Continue reading Ten Robot Mechanisms For Your Design Toolbox
As electric skateboards kits and components become more commonly available, you really need to do something different to make your custom board stand out. [Emiel] [The Practical Engineer] has managed to do this by building a half-track skateboard. (Video, embedded below.)
Except for the front trucks, fasteners and bearings, all …read more
The inlet and exhaust valve timing of a piston engine plays a large role in engine performance. Many modern automotive engines have some sort of variable valve timing, but the valves are still mechanically coupled together and to the crankshaft. This means that there is always a degree of performance …read more
Continue reading Hypercar Valve Technology On A Harbour Freight Engine
As more and more people spend their working hours behind a computer, bad posture and the accompanying back pain and back problems become a growing epidemic. To combat this in his own daily life, [ImageryEel] made PosturePack, a wearable Bluetooth-enabled posture sensor.
The PosturePack is designed to fit into …read more
Continue reading Sit Up Straight!: Open Source Bluetooth Posture Sensing
Being able to see, move, and exercise independently is something most of us take for granted. [Thomas Panek] was an avid runner before losing his sight due to a genetic condition, and had to rely on other humans and guide dogs to run again. After challenging attendants at a Google …read more
Over the last 2 years [Carl Bujega] has made a name for himself with his PCB motor designs. His latest adventure is to turn it into a stepper motor by adding position control with microstepping.
The NEMA stepper motors most of us know are synchronous stepper motors, while [Carl]’s design …read more
It’s usually the simple ideas that sprout bigger ones, and this was the case when we saw [gzumwalt]’s single-motor walking robot crawling up a fridge door with magnets on its feet. (Video, embedded below.)
The walking mechanism consists of an inner foot and two outer feet, connected by three sets …read more
Continue reading A Walking Rover Destined Explore Your Fridge Door
3D printing is an incredible tool for prototyping and development, but the properties of the materials can be a limiting factor for functional parts. [Sam Rogers] and colleagues at [AX Technologies] have been testing and developing a small liquid-fueled rocket engine and successfully used vortex cooling to protect a resin …read more
One of the major advantages of 3D printing is the ability to quickly test and then iterate on mechanical designs. [gzumwalt] does a lot of this, and has recently been working on various versions of a rigid chain mechanism. (Video, embedded below.)
A rigid-chain mechanism is one way of fitting …read more
Sometimes all that’s required to build something interesting is to put the same old pieces together differently. [Sayantan Pal] did this for the humble RGB LED matrix, creating an extra-thin version by recessing WS2812b NeoPixel LEDs inside a PCB.
The popular WS2812B is 1.6 mm in height, which happens to …read more