Author Topic: Inchworm motion based rover  (Read 6821 times)

Offline vikram_gupta11

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Inchworm motion based rover
« on: 10/17/2019 01:49 pm »
The presented idea is regarding aROVER which is based on inchworm motion. It will move like an INCHWORM using its telescopic arm and suction system. The rover will get energy from solar cells.

There are two parts to this rover, a front and a back part. Both parts will be connected to each other. Each part will have a motor, a wheel and a suction system. At the time of motion the rear part will stick to the surface and the front part will move forward using its telescopic arm. After getting a certain distance, the front part suction system will work to hold the rover and the rear part will move. In this way this rover will move.
If the terrain has no atmosphere then we can use twisted arm system to move the rover arms.
Salient features:
(1) It will travel a long distance in a short period of time due to its telescopic arm.
(2) It can cross any hurdle very easily due to telescopic arm and INCHWORM motion
(3) It can move on an inclined surface very easily.
(4) It will be a lightweight, low cost, long life rover.
(5) It can move in any direction.

There are many more possibilities in it as it can solve many problems regarding rovers on extreme terrain.

Offline ChrisWilson68

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Re: Inchworm motion based rover
« Reply #1 on: 10/18/2019 08:34 am »
Salient features:
(1) It will travel a long distance in a short period of time due to its telescopic arm.
(2) It can cross any hurdle very easily due to telescopic arm and INCHWORM motion
(3) It can move on an inclined surface very easily.
(4) It will be a lightweight, low cost, long life rover.
(5) It can move in any direction.

I don't believe any of those is actually any more true in your inchworm rover idea than for a conventional wheeled rover with the wheels directly driven by motors.

Wheeled rovers actually work quite well.  Suction cups really only work well on polished surfaces.  And driving wheels with a motor works better for motion than an inchworm system.  That's why you see so many wheeled vehicles on the surface of the Earth and so few inchworm vehicles.


Offline vikram_gupta11

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Re: Inchworm motion based rover
« Reply #2 on: 10/18/2019 08:49 am »
Inchworm motion can solve many problems.
It can solved problems regarding inclined surface, potholes,moving any direction,can move at 360° angle,move faster than conventional rover,more stability.
Wheel based rover cannot tackle the problem of inclined surface.
Just think it is a perfect rover for extreme terrain surface.
Both arm can move even in any direction making any angle.
The complete solution.

Offline ChrisWilson68

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Re: Inchworm motion based rover
« Reply #3 on: 10/18/2019 03:20 pm »
Inchworm motion can solve many problems.
It can solved problems regarding inclined surface, potholes,moving any direction,can move at 360° angle,move faster than conventional rover,more stability.
Wheel based rover cannot tackle the problem of inclined surface.
Just think it is a perfect rover for extreme terrain surface.
Both arm can move even in any direction making any angle.
The complete solution.

I understand what you are saying.  I just think you are wrong.

That's why you don't see all-terrain vehicles on Earth built like an inchworm.  You see them built with wheels.

Wheeled rovers sent to planets can generally move any wheel either direction.  That lets them do zero-radius turns and go in any direction.  And wheeled vehicles can go much, much faster than any inchworm-style vehicle.

Inclined surfaces are the only area where some sort of non-wheeled vehicle might have any sort of advantage.  But wheeled vehicles specifically made to handle inclines can handle them pretty well.  At some point, for steep inclines some sort of walking vehicle can do better.  But those tend to be much more complex and difficult.  And then you wouldn't want the kind of simple single-joint inchworm mechanism you propose.  In that case, you'd want a multi-legged vehicle more like an insect or mammal.  There's been a lot of research into such systems.  The fact that every rover ever built and actually sent to another planet so far should tell you something: that wheeled vehicles are actually very good choices and that all the alternatives have disadvantages that outweigh any advantages.

Offline vikram_gupta11

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Re: Inchworm motion based rover
« Reply #4 on: 10/18/2019 03:32 pm »
Can you provide me a video or link that some  research has been  done on inchworm motion and telescopic arm based rover.
It will move faster than wheel based rover.
The main point is that even it can move on desert surface or chances of sand trapping is nil for this mechanism.
Telescopic arm based rover is far far better than wheel based rover.
It can work even in high speed wind conditions due to its stability.
You just tell me only a single extreme terrain surface problem which it cannot solve.

Offline ChrisWilson68

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Re: Inchworm motion based rover
« Reply #5 on: 10/18/2019 03:38 pm »
Can you provide me a video or link that some  research has been  done on inchworm motion and telescopic arm based rover.
It will move faster than wheel based rover.
The main point is that even it can move on desert surface or chances of sand trapping is nil for this mechanism.
Telescopic arm based rover is far far better than wheel based rover.
It can work even in high speed wind conditions due to its stability.
You just tell me only a single extreme terrain surface problem which it cannot solve.

If you think the way everyone else does things and has done things for decades is wrong and you have a new idea you think is better, that's fine.  I'm open to hearing evidence of why your idea is better than the way it's been done.  Many people on this forum are open to it.

But you must understand that the burden of evidence is on you.  And it's a high burden.  You must provide compelling enough evidence that we say, yes, you are right and all those thousands of engineers who did it other ways are just wrong, they should have used an inchworm mechanism.

Just claiming you know better than all the engineers with decades of experience without providing any evidence yourself and instead demanding anyone who doubts you must provide evidence won't help you convince anyone of anything.

So, please provide your evidence.

Offline vikram_gupta11

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Re: Inchworm motion based rover
« Reply #6 on: 10/18/2019 03:51 pm »
I don't have any evidence but it is based on my intuition and common sense.
And sometimes common sense works better .

Offline Phil Stooke

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Re: Inchworm motion based rover
« Reply #7 on: 10/18/2019 04:09 pm »
Build a working rover and test it.  Then you have something to demonstrate.

Offline Coastal Ron

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Re: Inchworm motion based rover
« Reply #8 on: 10/18/2019 04:14 pm »
I don't have any evidence but it is based on my intuition and common sense.
And sometimes common sense works better .

And sometimes common sense is wrong.

If you think you are right then build one - that is the only way to know for sure. And it's pretty cheap to build things. In fact you might be able to build it using LEGOs or other existing construction sets.

Then come back and give us your results...
If we don't continuously lower the cost to access space, how are we ever going to afford to expand humanity out into space?

Offline Wicky

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Re: Inchworm motion based rover
« Reply #9 on: 10/18/2019 11:51 pm »
Hyderabad, India > LEGO Robotics https://www.meetup.com/LEGO-Robotics/


Offline aceshigh

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Re: Inchworm motion based rover
« Reply #10 on: 10/19/2019 04:41 pm »
I don't have any evidence but it is based on my intuition and common sense.
And sometimes common sense works better .

these are usually the reasons Flat Earthers give to assert the world is not spherical and that it is in the center of the universe.

And western philosophy, although went to great lenghts in many aspects, failed in several aspects because of lack of experiment and trusting intuition and common sense. One of the reasons Aristotle's geocentric model lasted until the 16th century.

Offline Lar

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Re: Inchworm motion based rover
« Reply #11 on: 10/19/2019 09:46 pm »
If the OP comes up with a model and wants to post it, they should PM me and I'll unlock this thread.
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