Sure, we see hexapods all the time at [HAD], but moving around with four legs can be more tricky kinematics-wise. This Instructable shows you how to make one out of balsa wood.
Although one might not think of balsa to make their robot out of [vexedpheonix] explains that this was chosen because it’s extremely light and easy to work with. Since he was trying to keep costs down, the cheapest servos available were used. These weren’t all that powerful, so the lighter the body the better! According to the included bill of materials, he was able to keep the entire robot build under $100.
According to the article, the hardest part was making four copies of the same leg. We might suggest using a CNC router, but building one would obviously add a huge layer of complication to the project!
Thanks for the tip on this one [SteveT]! Be sure to check out the video of this little robot waving one of it’s legs or trying to walk after the break!
If you’d rather see a hexapod in action, why not check out this one!
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Glad to see that the writing on the introductions are back to normal. I was getting nervous.
Too subtle?
Always makes me smile and see prototyping in wood. To me this is the most obvious choice to use before spending time and money on fancy plastics or metal
If I was trying to make it walk I would have it move only one leg at a time. At least until you work out a more complex gait.
Consider adding some rubber feet to the legs.