Quote:
Originally Posted by =Martin=Taylor=
Legs aren't practical.
In battlebots they give a 100% weight bonus* for walking, and it still isn't worth it. 
However, they are awesome, and I'm all for cool stuff.
The main problem is that we don't have enough powerful motors in the kit to make an effective omni-directional walking machine. Which means, that instead of "legs" what we really need to build are linkages (which can turn with regular tank style steering).
I've tossed around a mechanical spider linkage DT, but have never gotten around to designing it.
Why build it? Because you'd be famous instantly! Everyone at champs would come and see it!
If my team had more machining skills I'd gladly sacrifice winning for fame 
*I've suggested FIRST adopt the same bonus in the "design the game threads" |
The Klann linkage is good if you need to climb-over things such as steep inclines like this year, or vertical walls, like '04, however it doesn't provide the most stable platform and you would have to be careful to make sure the oscillations don't move your bumpers out of the bumper zone.
A Jansen mechanism would keep the platform much more level, if engineered properly, and uses the same number of legs and motors as Klann. Also, slopes aren't a huge deal for them either, the mechanism was originally used for kinetic sculptures that ran on beaches, which are sloped, While Jansen mechanisms may not be able to take on this years bumps, I believe the ramps from '03 would be fine with the proper foot design.