Legged robots span all sorts of shapes and sizes. From the paradigm-setting quadrupeds built from a pit-crew of grad students to the Kickstarter canines that are sure to entertain your junior hackers, the entry point is far and wide. Not one to simply watch from the sidelines, though, [Oracid] wanted to get in on the quadruped-building fun and take us all with him. The result is 5BQE2, a spry budget quadruped that can pronk around the patio at a proper 1 meter-per-second clip.
Without a tether, weight becomes a premium for getting such a creature to move around at a respectable rate. Part of what makes that possible is [Oracid’s] lightweight legs. Designing the legs around a five-bar linkage tucks the otherwise-heavy actuators out of the leg and into the body, resulting in a limb that’s capable of faster movement. What’s more, 5BQE2 is made from the LEGO plastic building bricks of our heydays. And with a full bill-of-materials, we’re just about ready to head over to our parents’ garage and dust off those parts for a second life.
For some action shots of 5BQE2, have a look at the video after the break. And since no set would be complete without the building instructions, stay tuned through the full video to walk through the assembly process step-by-step.
Here at Hackaday, we’re certainly no stranger to walking automatons, but not all robots use their legs for walking. For a trip down memory lane, have a look at [Carl Bugeja’s] buzzing Vibro-bots and UC Berkeley’s leaping Salto.
Now that is clever! Very cool Lego creation.
Pronk, a perfectly cromulent word.
@Ren said: “Pronk, a perfectly cromulent word.”
Except that it’s not Cromulent at all [1][2]; plus the subject in this use-case is not even Pronky to begin with.
1. Pronk @ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.
To leap or bound high in the air with the legs straight and the back arched, as do certain animals, especially the springbok.
https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=Pronk
2. Pronk @ Collins Dictionary of British English.
Noun: A display leap performed by springbok and other antelope.
Verb (intransitive): (Of springbok and other antelope) to jump clear of the ground with an arched back and straight legs, often several times in a row.
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/pronk
Wow! I stand corrected (I think).
Accept my humble apology.
So, do Pronghorns pronk?
B^)
@Ren said: “So, do Pronghorns pronk? B^)”
I think Pronghorns are certainly Prongy [1], and they are also very fast [2], but I’ve never seen Pronghorns Pronking before. But that’s not to say Pronghorns can’t Pronk, it’s just to say that they are not Pronky, at least not like Springboks which are very Pronky [3], as well as Prongy.
1. Prong
Noun: One of the pointed tines of a fork. Any pointed, projecting part, as of an antler. A branch of a stream. Jewelry: A tapering metal projection, usually heavier than a claw, rising from the base of a jewelry setting and used to hold a stone in position as needed.
Verb (used with object): To pierce or stab with or as if with a prong. To supply with prongs.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/prong
2. The Pronghorn Antelope: Fastest Land Animal in the World! (4K) [06:11]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZih5P5PnBc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZih5P5PnBc
3. Springbok Pronking [02:58]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMIiB9DnRXg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMIiB9DnRXg
B^)
Thanks!
Pronking also known as stotting.
I’m imagining disguising this as a small table. Then invite guests over. They place their drinks on it, everything seems to be going normal then the table starts to walk away. Someone could be hiding to remote control it. I would start yelling at it, bad table, stay! and it would go back to where it belongs. I’d pretend this was a totally normal occurrence while the guests freak out. Well, that’s what I would do anyway. Cool project!
Build your own chairdog.