©CSIRO
Weaver is the ultimate all-terrain hexapod. Developed by the Robotics and Autonomous Systems Group at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
(CSIRO) in Australia, this robot features five joints on each leg, creating 30 degrees of freedom. This amount of actuation allows the hexapod to have higher levels of proprioception than would be possible with a more simplistic design. Proprioception is the sense of the relative position of one’s own parts of the body and strength of effort being employed in movement. Exteroceptive sensing allows Weaver to self-stabilize in real-time without the need for a prior profile of the terrain.
As shown in the video, Weaver has the ability to adapt to and traverse different terrain styles seamlessly. Weaver is also able to maintain static stability on inclines of up to 50°.
Weaver can also be equipped with stereo vision which is used to determine the most appropriate gait for the terrain that it is encountering. You can see a demonstration of the stereo vision that guides the gait parameter selection in the video below.
This technology and research could have many applications ranging from environmental research, exploratory missions, search and rescue and much more.
Hexapod robots are one of the coolest robots to build! Inspired to build your own hexapod but do not know where to start? Check out our 3D-printed Arduino Hexapod tutorials:
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How To: Arduino Hexapod PART 1- Mechanics and Wiring The tutorial walks you through how to build your own Arduino hexapod, or Ardupod, by 3D printing all the parts and using only 12 servos to control the robot. |
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Arduino Hexapod PART 2: Programming The 2nd part of the Arduino Hexapod series explores inverse kinematics to program the Ardupod from Part 1. |
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Arduino Hexapod PART 3: Remote Control You can also control the ArduPod wirelessly using HC-05 Bluetooth. You can also use a Processing app so you don’t have to use written commands for every movement of the ArduPod. |
