Robotics Progress · 3:32am Feb 10th, 2017
Alright, so I've begun work on the Chrysalis robot. I'm planning to have it be able to fly and walk, though flying's going to be difficult unless I make the thing less than about 5 pounds total. Ornithopters are weird like that.
After searching around for a suitably light but strong substance, I came across fiberglass. Normally I don't like fiberglass, because it's sticky, irritating, can cause lung cancer, and is just about impossible to wash out. However, I managed to make two pieces of a limb.
Speaking of the limbs, I've switched over to nitinol as the preferred method of bending the limbs and neck. It doesn't take a whole lot of current, is very strong even in wire form, and doesn't require nearly as much calculation as an equivalent bimetallic strip would.
Finally, I'm making an ultra-HD model of Queen Chrysalis for printing purposes! Sorry about the low resolution of the picture, I promise it's much better-looking in Sketchup. : /
I might turn this into a 3D-printed figure later, if I can work out a suitably cool pose...
I for one welcome our robotic Chryssie overlords.