Final Project
PROJECT OVERVIEW
As described in my Week 1 report, I would like to make a centaur-like wearable for assisted walking, using a Jansen or adjacent mechanism. Upon sketching out the design for this project, I identified a few primary features I would like to include:
- Natural gait – this is the most important part of the design, and where the Jansen mechanism comes in. It allows for a relatively natural gait compared to most other walking devices powered by a rotational motor. I need to ensure that the structure is able to balance and walk on only two pairs of legs (unlike the more robust Strandbeests), as well as be able to hold itself properly when my weight is applied to the front of the centaur.
- Autonomous walking from the wearable – it should be able to drive itself forward so that my legs (controlling the front half of the centaur) don’t have to do all the work of moving this mechanism. There should also be a component for sensing my gait so that the entire mechanism stops driving itself when I intend to stop.
MILESTONES
The main milestones (at the time of planning at Week 5) would be as follows:
| TIMELINE | TO-DO |
|---|---|
| Week 5: Electronics Design | Design PCBs for gait sensing & driving the horse’s walking motion |
| Week 6: Electronics Production | Manufacture the PCBs from Week 5 |
| Week 7: Computer-Controlled Machining | Manufacture life-size design for centaur walker for preliminary testing |