01 Background

RBE2001: Unified Robotics I: Actuation at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (2013). This course covered actuation systems including DC motors, stepper motors, servos, and pneumatics. We built a nuclear fuel rod handling robot with Bluetooth capability, featuring H-bridge motor drivers, a suspension system, and a gripper arm for precise rod insertion.

02 Photos

Photos from the robot build and testing process.

Initial Component Testing

H-Bridge Motor Driver on Breadboard

Suspension System we implemented on our Final Project. This allows us to fine-tune the center wheel's contact with the surface.

Suspension System for Center Wheel

Omni-Directional Center Wheel

Initial AutoCAD Model

Dimensioning various components to ensure the laser cutter properly cuts the panels at the right sizes.

Dimensioning for Laser Cutter

Laser Cutting 1/4" Acrylic Panels

Robot Chassis starting to take shape. Vertical posts are put in place for the structural Acrylic on top.

Robot Chassis Taking Shape

Acrylic on top of the robot, Battery Zip Ties mounted to the robot, Sprockets and Chains fitted onto top column.

Acrylic Top, Sprockets, and Chains

Removing the Acrylic Panel to Service the Chassis of the Robot. The Stepper Motor - Sprocket System can be seen here.

Servicing the Chassis — Stepper System

Rotating Arm Mechanical Assembly

Testing Electrical Connections

Top View of the wiring all cleaned up and the chassis. There are 4 Conductive Sensors on the ends for the field.

Wiring Cleaned Up with Field Sensors

I'm always meticulous about wiring, so I created this ribbon cable with equal lengths of wire for our LCD Panel. This will provide feedback when testing / debugging.

Custom Ribbon Cable for LCD Panel

As more and more functionality is being added to the board, such as optional components like Bluetooth, we are using nearly every row of the breadboard.

Breadboard Nearly Full

Robot Reunited with Gripper Arm

Lowest Reach of the Robotic Arm

LCD, Capacitive Sensor, and Gripper Servo

Robotic Arm at Mid-Height

Robot Arm Parallel to Play Field

Final Adjustments Before Presenting

Removing 1 more link from the Vex Chain to tension the stepper motor. This gives us less jitter and noise in our movement.

Tensioning the Vex Chain

Robot Arm horizontal to the play field inserting a nuclear fuel rod into the recepticle.

Inserting a Fuel Rod into Receptacle