Taylor
Design & Manufacturing
My team's design objective was to design, manufacture, and test an amphibious device capable of swimming in water and climbing up an incline with obstacles. Each part of the course had to be completed within thirty seconds. The project was intended to incorporate bio-inspired aspects in order to gain an appreciation for how design inspiration can be drawn from nature.
The highlight of our device’s design was the employment of four paddle wheels for propulsion. These wheels successfully allowed our robot, Taylor, to both swim in the water and climb up the ramp effectively and in a timely manner. After researching possible geometries for paddle wheels, we decided to use whegs which are a combination of wheels and legs. Using this geometry added “feet” at right angles to the end of each paddle to help Taylor traverse the course. Taylor’s whegs were useful in paddling through the water as well as pulling itself up the ramp, especially when it encountered the obstacles. A chain and sprocket allowed our robot to drive both axles, making the design a four-wheel drive, and a laser-cut acrylic chassis provided a sturdy and precise vessel for our mechanical and electrical components. Our robot worked extremely well, both in the water and on land. It finished the water course in 3.9 seconds and climbed the ramp in 6.5 seconds -- well under the time limit.
