4 ms·

Twisted String Actuators: Surprisingly Simple, Cheap, and High Gear Ratio

• chii 12y ago
  how similar is this to the string actuated spider here? http://www.tested.com/art/makers/467630-tested-show-jamie-hynemans-racing-spiders-project/ http://www.tested.com/art/makers/467630-tested-show-jamie-hy...
  • tinco 12y ago
    Not at all, the string actuated spider just uses strings because they're flexible (i.e. they can make linear actuation go around a corner aided by a pully).
• michaelt 12y ago
  We spent a fair bit of time evaluating twisted string actuators to build low-cost robots. Unfortunately, [...] their lifecycle is measured in the many thousands instead of millions -- despite our best efforts at material engineering. I'd be interested to hear more about the materials they tried and what the failures typically were.
• unwind 12y ago
  I avoided clicking this title for hours, thinking it was something to do with the Twisted framework. Using "actuator" about software is uncommon of course, but considering other terms in use in Twisted ("deferred" as a noun, "errback", "reactor" pattern) it didn't surprise me.