FRC Harmonic Drive

grabcad

I've been itching to tackle a project I've had on my mind for quite some time now - building an FRC robot with a Harmonic Drive that's actually feasible. My design boasts a gear reduction of 125:1 and uses a GT2 3mm pitch timing belt instead of the usual flex spine, which offers a ton of flexibility when it comes to swapping out belts for different sizes. In theory, this setup would have virtually zero backlash due to its Harmonic Drive nature. One potential drawback is that it's not back drivable, but that could be either a pro or con depending on how you look at it. Of course, there are some trade-offs with this design. The biggest con is the time and precision required to machine all the complex parts needed - it's no easy feat! Additionally, finding a 25-tooth GT2 belt might prove to be quite the challenge since they're not typically stocked in most places. If you're curious about how Harmonic Drives work, I highly recommend checking out this video. It does an amazing job of breaking down the core mechanics and explaining them in a way that's easy to grasp! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QidXf9pFYo) So what do you think? Got any feedback or questions about my design? I'm all ears - well, maybe not literally, but you get the point!