Project: Gyrosphero

thingiverse

This project showcases the fundamental capabilities of a gyroscope. A gyroscope is essentially a spinning wheel or disc where the axis of rotation is free to assume any orientation by itself. When rotating, the orientation of the axis remains unaffected by tilting or rotation of the mounting, due to the conservation of angular momentum. As a result, gyroscopes are useful for measuring or maintaining orientation. The rotor of this gyroscope was designed and built with Sphero. How I Created This This gyroscope consists of three rings as gimbal and holder. These rings can be printed in one piece. Each ring is a subtraction of two spheres. Dimensions were calculated specifically for Sphero, which is used as the gyroscope rotor. Project: Gyrosphero - A Gyroscope Powered by Sphero Overview & Background By completing this project, you can observe and practice the principle of the gyroscope. Within mechanical systems or devices, a conventional gyroscope is a mechanism comprising a rotor mounted to spin about one axis. The journals of the rotor are attached to an inner gimbal or ring; the inner gimbal is mounted for oscillation in an outer gimbal, resulting in two gimbals in total. The outer gimbal or ring, which serves as the gyroscope frame, is mounted so that it can pivot about an axis within its own plane. This axis is determined by the support. The outer gimbal has one degree of rotational freedom and its axis has none. The next inner gimbal is attached to the gyroscope frame (outer gimbal) so that it can pivot about an axis in its own plane, which is always perpendicular to the pivotal axis of the gyroscope frame. The axle of the spinning wheel defines the spin axis. The rotor is mounted to spin about an axis that is always perpendicular to the axis of the inner gimbal. So, the rotor has three degrees of rotational freedom and its axis has two. The wheel responds to a force applied about the input axis by a reaction force about the output axis. The behavior of a gyroscope can be most easily understood by considering the front wheel of a bicycle. If the wheel is tilted away from the vertical so that the top of the wheel moves to the left, the forward rim of the wheel also turns to the left. In other words, rotation on one axis of the turning wheel produces rotation of the third axis. A gyroscope in operation. Note the freedom of rotation in all three axes. The rotor will maintain its spin axis direction regardless of the orientation of the outer frame. Objectives * Basic physical principles * Principle of the gyroscope * Using a gyroscope * Designing a simple machine Audiences The principle of the gyroscope is typically part of the curriculum in secondary schools for 13-year-old students. Complex use of the gyroscope and designing your own gyroscope can be a task suitable for older students. Subjects * Physics * Geometry * Engineering Skills Learned By designing your own gyroscope, you will learn how to design simple machines and practically demonstrate the principle of the gyroscope. Lesson 1. Design your own gyroscope or prepare this design for 3D printing. 2. Print all parts of the gyroscope, each part can be in a different color. 3. Install Sphero into the smallest ring. 4. Control Sphero as a rotor by App. Duration * Designing: 5-10 hours * Printing: 5 hours Preparation This project does not require any special preparations. Videos https://youtu.be/ghqxlEDFjOo https://youtu.be/xvQ4Oucdgas