Foot Design Ideas Meeting (07/15/2003)

Moto's biology summary presentation for McGill? visit: http://www-cdr.stanford.edu/~motohat/presentation/montrealideation01.ppt

Also see the robot foot design webpage: http://www-cdr.stanford.edu/~wil/robotFeet.html

Categorization and characterization of Biological Inspiration

Non-biological uses of claws -crampons, ice axes, power line workers

Idea generation

JonathanClark

• Fractal sized claw ends (omni-directional spikes)
• Bear claw (if central sticky pad slips, bear claw snaps shut)
• Graduated claw size for various rough terrain
• Breakable blades; as blades get dull they break away to expose new blade
• Helical claw (corkscrew)

MiguelPiedrahita

• Spring aided impact to engage claw, replacement claw storage on each footstep: "Nail gun approach"
• Drill into surface

KevinHufford

• Claw matrix on compliant substrate
• Grasping surface (hydraulic multi-lumen actuator or a series of links with interior cable); elastic retraction

SangbaeKim

• Compliant substrate for gecko hair to be a sort of "memory foam" (i.e. not strong elastic springback, generally holds shape it is pressed into; like space-age mattress or foam ear plugs)

WillP

• Compliant air bladder with small mounted barbs (SDM version of "cat claw")

• Dry Adhesion tripod (compliant tripod, then local compliance on each toe)

SeanBailey

• While looking at cockroaches, noted redistributed direction of leg forces
• Cockroach foot: actuated tarsus w/ claws; springy pads farther up (similar to cockroach euplantulae)
• While playing with Will's prototype of springy foot:
  • PASSIVE engagement scraped away the substrate (claws leave grooves as they slide along surface), leaving smaller surface anomalies to grab onto
  • ACTIVE engagement left the surface as is; leaving larger surface anomalies to grab onto; a potential argument for active engagement?

MotohideHatanaka

• Hydraulic reservoir to provide compliance for vertical-sliding claws
• Inter-connecting crank mechanisms between two feet with active engaging claws
• Longitudinal body split for hugging

DanielSantos

• Foot-pinch vs. body pinch
• Self-sharpening layered claw (harder central material, softer material wears away gradually)
• Claw array: unidirectional claw matrix vs. individual compliance of claws at various angles (radial array) to provide stability and to engage surface anomalies not lying along the climbing direction
• Cutter technology: rake angles for end mills (angles affect if cutter bites into material or bounces away)

AMcClung (Trey)

• Claw for pushing
• Bladder with some adhesion, radially arrayed claws that extend if it slips

-- KevinHufford? - 15 Jul 2003

• longitudinally split body to hug surface to climb (moto):
  

• alternating feet (moto):
  

• passive sprung clawed foot (dan):
  

• pinch wall with opposed claws (dan):
  

• hinged claw (dan):
  

• foot with toes that have individual compliance (dan):
  

• claw array (dan):
  

• bladder with radial claws (Trey):
  

• Self-sharpening layered claw (harder center) (Dan):
  

• Claw for pushing (Trey):
  

• graspingClaw.jpg:
  

• Cutter technology: rake angles for end mills (dan):
  

• plant back of foot and then engage surface w/ toe (jonathan):
  

• Compliant substrate for gecko hair (Sangbae):
  

• active/passive claw matrix:
  

• claw with graduated sizes of claws (jonathan):
  

• bear trap with sticky tongue? (jonathan):
  

• briar/velcro type attachment (jonathan):
  

• claws w/ fluid reservoir to equalize pressure (sea:
  

• plant back of foot & engage surface w/ toe (sean):
  

• radially sprung toes (sean):
  

• drill into wall to gain foot holds (miguel):
  

• passive and active claw engagement (moto+?):
  

• complant pad with small barbs on edges (will):