Paper Robot Development
2012
Engineering, Design
The idea was to build a robot entirely out of newspaper (except for motors and electronics) without using adhesive. This was a creative exercise, just to see if it could be done.
- Paper Robot Development
- An ongoing project to build a robot entirely out of newspaper, except for motors and electronics, without using adhesive. This is a creative exercise, just to see if it can be done.
It was motivated by the need to give mechanical engineering students a greater challenge during collaborative projects like SMU's Freshman Design course, where M.E., C.S. and E.E. majors must work together on teams to build robots that complete pre-defined tasks. 
This is "Rosebud," the latest prototype. See Paper Robot Design for the design spec.
To make a paper wheel, first add water to shredded newspaper and mash to a pulp.
Add optional food coloring.
Toothpaste cap and nozzle serve as molds.
Place toothpaste nozzle in the center of a larger cap (in this case, the plastic cap to a toothpick jar). This will be the mold for a paper wheel.
Add newspaper pulp to the wheel mold and pack down tight.
Carefully dry the wheel with a hairdryer. Do not leave unattended.
Remove wheel from the mold. Continue drying exposed wheel with hairdryer until rock-hard (it should basically feel and behave like wood).
Carefully unscrew the toothpaste nozzle from the paper wheel.
You are left with a threaded paper wheel.
Next we are going to encase the axle of small motor in hardened pulp so it will screw into the paper wheel.
You will need the toothpaste cap and some homemade rubber spacers.
Place the spacers around the axle as shown.
Cover the axle-end of the motor with toothpaste cap. It should cover the small spacer and be snug against the large spacer. Then secure with duct tape.
Carefully fill toothpaste cap with pulp and pack down tight. Be sure to completely surround the axle of the motor.
Dry with hair dryer, same as wheel.
Carefully unscrew toothpaste cap (mold) from around the hardened pulp (cast). It should be rock-hard like the wheel. You are left with a threaded motor axle.
Now, carefully screw paper axle(s) into back of paper wheel(s). The fit should be snug and the wheels should not wobble.
The "modular units" that make up the frame of the paper robot are made as shown. Rubber bands and rolled-up paper tubes (wrapped here with blue tape) are used to hold a damp strip of folded newspaper in place so it will become rigid and hold its shape after drying with a hairdryer.
Once again, "Rosebud," the latest prototype after assembly. See Paper Robot Design for more info on assembling the paper robot.
-
The idea was to build a robot entirely out of newspaper (except for motors and electronics) without using adhesive. This was a creative exercise, just to see if it could be done.Engineering, Design2012 -
Over spring break (2011) I participated in an Immersion Design Experience (IDE) through the Innovation Gymnasium at SMU. The goal was to program a handful of robots to coordinate their actions using swarm algorithms and GPS data.Engineering, Design2012 -
An ongoing personal project to create a wrist-based sensor that captures fine-grained gestural movements of a person's hand and fingers (think "Minority Report"). The goal is to keep the sensor simple and inexpensive by making up the difference in the software. Everything will ultimately be open-sourced. The sensor is mounted on a Slap Bracelet, an Arduino microcontroller board translates the analog tendon-pressure signals into digital output, and the output is visualized on a Mac using a library developed by "Plusea" from the High-Low Tech group at MIT Media Lab.Engineering, Design2012 -
The evolution of the leaderboard I designed for the Challenge App. The Photoshop comps (color images) were created by Jacob Morse. Alas, we never had time to complete the "leaderbot" mascot, shown at the end.Design2012 -
A lesson in how to ruin a plasma cutter. Made during some down time at the Innovation Gymnasium at SMU. The mustang is SMU's mascot; it's supposed to look like he's running through water... or something like that...Design2012 -
These are some questions I've asked myself while reading the research of others.Engineering2012
