flâneur — a map of the web's best reading

Build a Basic Turbot

jwgoerlich.solarbotics.net · 1,434 words · saved by 1 readers

The BEAM Turbot is a compelling machine. It displays a wide range of motions. Turbots tumble. Turbots can use its body as a rimless spoked wheel. It can even use a variety of simple bipedal gaits. All this functionality can be found in a package that is easy to build and requires little tweaking. Before we get started building a Turbot, let us discuss some basic terminology. Amphitrichous bacteria serve as the design metaphor for Turbots. These little single-celled creatures have two flagella, one on each end. The flagella act as whip-like propellers, and the bacteria rotate these in order to move about the environment. A flagellum is comprised of four main parts: 1. A long body called a filament. In bacteria, the filament is a hollow tube made of protein. In this tutorial, we will use a brass rod as the filament. Other ideas for Turbot filaments include coat hanger rods for fixed filaments and stranded wire for flexible ones. 2. A distal or end cap. This, too, is made of protein in ba

Build a Basic Turbot | Back to Tutorials | A Basic Turbot Tutorial The BEAM Turbot is a compelling machine. It displays a wide range of motions. Turbots tumble. Turbots can use its body as a rimless spoked wheel. It can even use a variety of simple bipedal gaits. All this functionality can be found in a package that is easy to build and requires little tweaking. Turbot Anatomy Before we get started building a Turbot, let us discuss some basic terminology. Amphitrichous bacteria serve as the design metaphor for Turbots. These little single-celled creatures have two flagella, one on each end. Th

Explore this link on the map →

related reading