[comp.robotics] Mobile robot systems for education and research

nagle@well.sf.ca.us (John Nagle) (05/25/90)

      Cybermation does make a nice "Syncro-Drive" (tm) robot.  They offer
a video of their robot, which is a heavy, solid machine.  Their video shows
it towing a truck.  Their "Synchro-Drive" is done with bevel gears and 
concentric shafts; no wimpy belts like the RWI guys.  They also offer some
useful electronics, such as two-way radio links, megahertz-frequency
high-resolution ultrasonic rangefinders, and battery chargers.

      Expensive, but looks like it would hold up well.

					John Nagle

mikec@wheaties.ai.mit.edu (Mike E. Ciholas) (05/25/90)

In article <18152@well.sf.ca.us> nagle@well.sf.ca.us (John Nagle) writes:
>      Cybermation does make a nice "Syncro-Drive" (tm) robot.  They offer
>a video of their robot, which is a heavy, solid machine.  Their video shows
>it towing a truck.

How many people want to have something that can tow a truck in their lab?
How about something you can pick up and doesn't remove walls?  Or maybe
carrying some sensors and computers isn't enough?  I suggest Case, or maybe
John Deere for heavier equipment...

>Their "Synchro-Drive" is done with bevel gears and 
>concentric shafts; no wimpy belts like the RWI guys.

We researched this very heavily.  The belts give very little backlash, are
inexpensive to provide and service, and don't require lubrication.  Sometimes
brute force engineering doesn't apply.  We have never had any failures of the
belts in service.  The only mechanical failure we have had involves foreign
object damage to a bevel gear on a wheel fork.

>[other comments about options deleted]
>      Expensive, but looks like it would hold up well.
>					John Nagle

RWI's base, inexpensive, but it does hold up well...

Mike Ciholas

email:  mikec@ai.mit.edu
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