Sporto: A Robot for Self Awareness
INTERNAL MECHANISM DESIGN
1) Design Concept 1
2) Design Concept 2
3) Design Concept 3
4) Additional Components
Note: These are only initial concepts and are not drawn to scale.
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A central servo with a quarter turn of travel expands and contracts four arms, as shown below. These arms will have wider tips on them that will distribute the load to the body skin for a more natural-looking growth. Alternatively, a stiff material can be embedded into the body skin to acheive the same effect.
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Thin
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Neutral
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Fat
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The servo is mounted on a base as shown below. When the servo is actuated, a ring around it will "fatten" the robot in the front and back. The disadvantage to this is that there is no lateral growth. However, the advantage is that this design is much simpler and less likely to malfunction. This design will also necessitate a curved feature where the ring makes contact with the body skin to make the effect more natural.
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Thin
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Neutral
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Fat
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Besides Sporto's ability to expand and contract, it might be beneficial for it to be able to move in other ways. One example is to actuate Sporto's head. This concept allows the head to tilt on a central axis, which will allow it to look up and down, and nod. It will also give a little more freedom in showing emotion. Looking down could mean it is upset, and looking up could mean it is happy.
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Head Up
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Head Down
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Sensors will be added to enhance the experience. Some or all of the following will be included in the prototype: