Planetary Gearbox
Back-drivable gearbox for proprioceptive applications
WHAT
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Designed and prototyped a single-stage planetary gearbox as part of developing a proprioceptive actuator for a quadruped robot
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Selected machine elements (bearings, bushings, pins, gears) and fasteners based on static force calculations
HOW
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Designed assembly parametrically in SOLIDWORKS, to allow for different configurations of gear ratios
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Calculated required output torque by solving dynamical equations of motion of quadrupedal robot
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Prototyped gearbox using rapid prototyping (FDM 3D Printing)
RESULTS
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Gearbox had a maximum output torque of 14 N-m with a 6:1 reduction
THE CHALLENGE
Iterating through various available actuators to ensure maximum output torque while keeping the gear ratio under 10 was a challenging task. A ratio < 10 was required to ensure proprioception, i.e., the robot leg would be backdrivable and hence “feel’ the ground.
