Rapid prototyping of robotic structures on a centimeter scale

This work deals with the rapid prototyping of complete centimeter-sized robotic systems using a 'kit of parts' approach. This kit of parts would contain all the needed components to assemble a fully autonomous system including robot structure parts, actuators, power and control electronics, a power supply, software for the electronics, sensors, and any necessary wiring. The proposed construction scheme is based upon using parallel mechanisms with flexure joints as the kind of robotic structure to be modularized. Issues related to the design of the two basic parts of these mechanisms (flexures and rigid elements), including material choices and kinematic and force analysis, are presented in detail. The work then describes the semi-automated assembly of kit parts using interchangeable pallets and the Ortho-tweezers as an assembly tool for reliable handling of micron to millimeter sized parts. Examples such as a one DOF wrist demonstrate how the 2D forms of several classic parallel linkages can be fabricated and folded into a final 3D structure. An important contribution is the integration of a robust wiring scheme into this 2D assembly process. Some of the procedures described above, integrated with other available technologies, are finally used to prototype a fully autonomous robotic system---a lightweight (3g) six-legged centimeter-sized crawling robot.