Long ago I figured out how to build digital incremental transmissions. What are they? Imagine a sausage-shaped structure with the outside being many narrow reels of piano wire, with electrical and computer connections on the end. Under computer control, each of the rings can be independently controlled to rotate a specific distance playing one strand out while reeling another strand in, pull a specific amount, or execute a long coordinated sequence of moves. Further, this is a true infinitely-variable transmission, so that if you command a ring to turn REALLY slowly, you can exert nearly limitless force, or at least enough to destroy the structure. Hence, obvious software safeguards are needed. Lowering a weight recovers the energy to use elsewhere, or return out the supply lines. In short, a complete android musculature could be build this way, and take only a tiny amount of space - MUCH less than in our bodies, or with motors as is now the case. Little heat would be generated because this system is fundamentally efficient.
Nearly all of the components are cut from flat metal stock, akin to mechanical clock parts, only with much beefier shapes. Hence, it is both cheap and strong. Think horsepower, available from any strand. The strand pairs would be hooded up to be flexor and extensor muscles for the many joints, etc. I haven't actually built it because I haven't (yet) found a customer who wanted it badly m enough to pay the development costs and then wait a year for it. However, this would sure make be an enabling system for people who want to build REAL robots. Does anyone here have ANY idea what to do with this, other than putting it back on the shelf and waiting another decade? Steve ------------------------------------------- agi Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/ Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=8660244&id_secret=8660244-6e7fb59c Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
