Dimension and Weight Specs of Hexy

Hexy Questions, Problems and Suggestions
#1

Hello,

   this is my first post here and I'm looking for some help and information for Hexy. I was wondering what the exact Dimensions and Weight Specs for Hexy are. I'm planning on using it for some undergraduate research coordinating with an autonomous quad-copter robot via blue-tooth or wireless. I have a list of features I would like to add and wondering if they are possible to add as well. It's my first experience into using Audrino's but I have worked on a underwater ROV for an NASA competition with my Robotics Club. I need to have my exact design specs for the robots included with my proposal so I need to know the information for Hexy in order to make it. I also realize that I may need to buy a bigger Audrino that can handle all the additional stuff I want to add to it.

Features:

  • Three or four finger claw Manipulation.
    My guess is additional 6-8 Servos depending upon height of Hexy, I was trying to eye ball screen shots of it but none are really good. If it’s small, I can probably reduce the amount of servo’s needed to get the claw to pick up small objects from the ground.
  • Sensor in the back so it can tell how much space is behind it in order to backup if need be.
  • I am hoping that perhaps I could code it in C++ since I know that very well and not Python.
  • Small Video Camera (2 Servos)
  • Able to transmit video to a Nexus 7 or Smartphone so I can see what it’s doing.
    My thoughts are to get a Raspberry Pi equipped with Bluetooth or wireless to act as a mini relay station for the video feed nearby. Since there is many DIY projects that have you turning a Raspberry Pi into a Web Server.

These are just things I would like to add and I’m not daunted by the programming challenge this presents as this research grant is for one year till next spring. It seems like the Hexapod weighs somewhere around 1lb to 2lb from the pictures I have goggled. But… I need exact starting weight for Hexy. Any help with the information I need would be awesome. If you have thoughts on my feature list, I don’t mind hearing suggestions or opinions. Yeah it’s ambitious and probably will be scaled back a bit.

#2

Weight depends on batteries used, etc but it weighs about ~1kg empty, with 1lb payload at full batteries. More if you use metal gear servos. It can handle the extra servos fine (up to 32, it only uses 19).

I’d highly recommend wifi over bluetooth for video, too.

#3

Hello waltfeld,

i already coded an assembler routine for moving the feeds of hexy. You can control that routine by using normal c code and you can control all the 32 servo outputs of the board. If you are interested in it, just let me know.

Greetings, Arcanix

#4

I would also be interested in this.

#5

[quote=“roboalchemist”]Weight depends on batteries used, etc but it weighs about ~1kg empty, with 1lb payload at full batteries. More if you use metal gear servos. It can handle the extra servos fine (up to 32, it only uses 19).

I’d highly recommend wifi over bluetooth for video, too.[/quote]

Thanks for the ballpark estimates. I just need something a rough base to make sure that I’m semi-accurate at least. Just to be sure I understand correctly, your saying it’s just under 1lb empty and 1lb with batteries? (Obviously without my additions).

Yeah my thoughts are to go with WiFi as well. It shouldn’t be a hard thing to do. How wide and the height from bottom of the base plate to the ground is it? Just need a ballpark estimate. More precise the better but ballpark measurements are fine.

[quote=“Arcanix”]Hello waltfeld,

i already coded an assembler routine for moving the feeds of hexy. You can control that routine by using normal c code and you can control all the 32 servo outputs of the board. If you are interested in it, just let me know.

Greetings, Arcanix[/quote]

I would be greatly interested and much appreciated. :slight_smile: Considering I will still need to code a fair amount on my own for the Quadra Copter, reducing the coding amount is awesome.

#6

The kit weight is just he weight of the parts in the box, minus batteries. I can give a better weight tomorrow when I’m in the office.

The height from the bottom to the ground varies with how high you’re walking the legs with. You can have it walk squatting, or walking on its ‘tippie-toes’ if you want. I’ll take measurements for both tomorrow.

#7

[quote=“roboalchemist”]The kit weight is just he weight of the parts in the box, minus batteries. I can give a better weight tomorrow when I’m in the office.

The height from the bottom to the ground varies with how high you’re walking the legs with. You can have it walk squatting, or walking on its ‘tippie-toes’ if you want. I’ll take measurements for both tomorrow.[/quote]

Thanks that would be awesome. :slight_smile:

#8

Okay, sorry for the delay, but turns out hexy is 2lbs assembled. Height is 3-4 inches when walking/standing.