Brabeast Electric

thingiverse

I was fascinated by the idea of creating a machine similar to one of Theo Jansen's Strandbeest machines, so I started researching and soon came across a design called Brabeast on Thingiverse. I decided to work on printing and building it, but the traditional wind-driven fan mechanism didn't seem promising due to its fine tolerances, which would be difficult to achieve with 3D printed parts. Additionally, I knew that it would require a hurricane-like wind speed to make the machine walk. I therefore opted to create an electric motor-driven Brabeast instead. The final result is essentially a combination of the original Brabeast by Gyrobot and the oversized crank sections from Vivifyer, with some minor modifications to improve fitment between parts. I added three new components: motor mounts on each end of the Brabeast and a cargo deck to carry small items like the battery compartment. To ensure the Brabeast walks slowly and produces enough torque, I used geared motors with a 10rpm output shaft. I chose 3-volt motors to reduce battery size and potentially run the device off a small solar panel. Putting one motor on each end of the Brabeast solved two problems: it provided sufficient torque to turn the crankshaft and allowed for better balance, preventing the machine from falling over. Here are the components I used: * Motor and battery compartment: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DN67MMH * Geared motors with 10rpm output shaft: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003YD8NPO So far, I've made a six-segment version of the Brabeast, which works perfectly. To make it walk faster, you can use geared motors with higher RPM ratings. Applying some lubrication to the joints also improves its performance. To 3D print the Brabeast, start by printing one segment at a time. Each segment requires two prints of "PLATE_LEG_SECTION_more compact" and one print of "CRANK_SHAFT_and_ARM_Dave". Use the "BRABEAST_LEG_SECTION" file to help assemble each segment, then use the "BRABEAST" file to combine them into a single Brabeast. Secure the cranks with superglue, being careful not to get glue on other parts of the mechanism. Mounting the motors requires drilling holes in the crank ends for the motor shafts. Use epoxy to secure the shafts and attach the motors to the motor mounts using M3 or similar screws. The cargo deck simply attaches to the motor mounts with superglue. The files also include a drill adapter so you can connect the Brabeast to a drill motor for testing and wear-in purposes. With some practice, the legs can move very quickly! If your print bed is too small, you can use the Split function in free Slic3r software to split up the "PLATE_LEG_SECTION" and other parts into separate prints. You may also want to scale the leg pins to 85% of their normal length for a tighter fit. Drilling out the holes of the crossbeam might be necessary as well. I won't be continuing development on this walker design, so you'll need to make any changes or modifications yourself using OpenSCAD. I've included the OpenSCAD files for the motor mounts, cargo deck, and cranks in case you need to modify them for different motors or components. Currently, I'm working on a 200% scale version of this Brabeast design, which has tighter tolerances, larger motors, and a battery compartment. Once it's complete, I'll post it here on Thingiverse.