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In lugnet.technic, Ross Crawford wrote:
> In lugnet.technic, Brian H. Nielsen wrote:
> > I've had this wind-up mechanical spider for so long that I no longer
> > remembered what it was called. I've always been fascinated with how it
> > moved and wanted to recreate it with LEGO.
> >
> > It's been a fun project, and many challenges were overcome in order
> > to achieve the final result. The leg support geometry went through
> > numerous iterations, as did the gear train that drives the legs.
> >
> > After I completed the LEGO version I did some searching to determine
> > what the original, made by in Japan by TOMY, was called. I quickly
> > found out it is a Spider Zoid, made back in the early 1980's.
> >
> > The finished LEGO version reminds me of the Star Wars AT-AT
> > walkers, perhaps the Spider Zoid was their fore-runner.
> >
> > So now I present for your inspection an 8 legged motorized LEGO
> > Spider Zoid! Be sure to check out the MPEG near the end showing it
> > walking.
> >
> > Here's the original Spider Zoid by TOMY:
> >
> > http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=428789
> >
> > Here is my LEGO version watching over it's little brother:
> >
> > http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=428790
>
> That's really neat Brian!
Thanks, I'm really happy with it.
> Now if it could only turn corners....
Actually, its path curves slightly to the left. The body's center of gravity
needed to be kept near the leg driver attachment points to minimize its momentum
of rotation both forward and to the sides. As it is, the COG could stand to be
closer to the right-hand side -- which is where the lower leg support stucture
is driven from.
Minimizing the flex of the legs, the leg support structures, and their
drivers was crucial to help resist the twisting forces present when the legs are
under the weight load of the body. For aesthetic reasons I couldn't bring
myself to add a stiffening rod or half-beam between the outer and inner vertical
portions of the legs.
Brian
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: spider walker
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| (...) Now if it could only turn corners.... BTW, those Brickshelf URLs (with ?i=xxx) are not available until after moderation either - you need to link one level deeper, like you did with the MPG URL. Regards ROSCO (21 years ago, 16-Jun-03, to lugnet.technic, lugnet.build, lugnet.starwars)
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