Hey there!
I’m thrilled to share my first progress report with all of you. 2 months ago, I was filled with excitement and stress, as I navigated the world of idea protection on an international scale. Beginning of May, I received some amazing advice and encouragement from fellow innovators, who believe in the power of open-source creativity. I’m now ready to share my passionate idea with the world freely, hoping to inspire and be inspired. If you haven’t seen the idea already, check out the pictures and links on my Home page. It describes the motivations and planned methods for the idea, and a bit about me.
I’ve got some fantastic news to share about the chassis for the kite robot. We’ve made significant improvements by repositioning the sensors. This removed certain design constraints, so I redesigned the chassis to take on minimal tension or compression loads. This means a more efficient, simple and robust design overall. Pretty cool, right?
The agenda:
First, it’s time to get my hands on some 2mm aluminum plate cutouts for the chassis, sit down in a workshop, and start iterating.
Second, I’m on the hunt for someone who’s a whiz at 3D printing. I need their expertise to model the turning-line wheel and its gears. Alternatively, I’m exploring the possibility of crafting a functional wheel using bent aluminum plates. This would also require someone who understands 3D to 2D CAD. I have only taught myself some 2D CAD. The key here is to create a super smooth surface on the wheel where the lines can wrap around effortlessly.
As drawn in the pictures above, we fix the ends of each turning line at two opposite points on the wheel. In a neutral steering position, both lines will wrap around the wheel twice, in opposite directions. But here’s the deal—we need to account for times when the tension inevitably decreases and the lines loosen around the wheel. It’s crucial to avoid any snags or entanglements that could mess with the steering trim. So, we’re aiming for lines that can slide smoothly on each other and the wheel until they wrap evenly again.
Third, I’ll need RC components pretty soon, like a transmitter, receiver, battery, and servos. Back in California, I’ve got components for a 1/8 scale electric RC truck I bashed and wrenched on back in high school. I’m going to see if I can convince a family member, who is visiting me in a few weeks, to bring the electrical system along. Perhaps the servo is strong enough, and I can use the motor for a depower system in a future prototype. For now, we will pull on a depower line manually from the ground, and lock it in place on the robot chassis using a constrictor clutch. If I can figure out a rotational position sensor that keeps track of the turning control wheel, then perhaps I can use the truck’s motor for turning control. Maybe the motor could connect to a worm gear for self-locking. Using this motor is probably overkill.
Finally, I need to keep my eye out for cheap used paragliders on the local markets.
I’m incredibly grateful for all the feedback and support I’ve received so far. You folks are amazing and have played a significant role in shaping the progress of this project.
Stay tuned for more updates and exciting developments.
Cheers,
Seth Carlson
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