STEM education transformation robot based on open source hardware

Abstract

The invention discloses an STEM education transformation robot based on open source hardware, and belongs to the field of intelligent robots, the robot is composed of a motion module, bus steering engines, a trunk, legs, arms and under-actuated bionic hands, and conversion from a human shape to a vehicle shape and then to an unmanned aerial vehicle shape is achieved through cooperative motion of the bus steering engines. According to the STEM education transformation robot based on the open source hardware, three transformation forms of a vehicle shape, a human shape and an unmanned aerial vehicle are integrated, multi-form switching and multifunctional integration are achieved, the teaching interestingness and the technical complexity are improved, and the purchase cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of intelligent robots, and in particular relates to a STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware. Background Art

[0002] STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) is an educational concept with science, technology, engineering and mathematics as the core, emphasizing interdisciplinary integration and practical application, aiming to cultivate students' ability to solve complex problems in real situations and reserve innovative talents for the future technology-driven society. With the development of science and technology, various electronic products and robots have become more and more popular in ordinary families, and STEM education has become the direction of global education reform.

[0003] Existing STEM educational robots generally have challenges such as single functions and high costs, which cannot fully meet the needs of advanced teaching, especially in terms of complex task execution and cross-domain task processing. These challenges limit the application and popularization of STEM educational robots in a wider range. Therefore, it is particularly important to develop a STEM educational robot that can overcome the above shortcomings and has the characteristics of multi-function, low cost, and easy maintenance. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware, which integrates three transformable forms: car shape, human shape and drone shape, realizes multi-form switching and multi-function integration, improves teaching interest and technical complexity, and reduces procurement costs.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware, including a shoulder part, a motion module is arranged on the upper side of the shoulder part, the lower side of the shoulder part is fixed on a bus servo, one end of the bus servo is connected to a short U-bracket bolt on the shoulder, the short U-bracket on the shoulder is connected to a trunk, the lower end of the trunk is connected to the legs, the other end of the bus servo is connected to a long U-bracket bolt on the shoulder, the other end of the long U-bracket on the shoulder is connected to an arm, and the lower end of the arm is connected to an under-actuated bionic hand.

[0006] Preferably, the motion module includes a ducted fan, which is fixed on the shoulder part, and the propeller of the ducted fan is covered with a duct on the outside. The motion module also includes a wheel assembly, which is composed of a wheel and a reduction motor, and the reduction motor is equipped with an encoder, and the wheel assembly is fixed on the shoulder part.

[0007] Preferably, the bus servos include a horizontal bus servo, a shoulder external bus servo, an upper arm bus servo, a lower arm bus servo, a waist bus servo, a crotch bus servo, an upper leg bus servo and a lower leg bus servo, and the above bus servos are linearly connected.

[0008] Preferably, the torso includes a torso part, the torso part is connected to a hip part, the waist bus servo is installed inside the hip part, a hip short U bracket is installed on the outside of the hip part, and the other end of the hip short U bracket is connected to the hip bus servo.

[0009] Preferably, the leg includes the upper leg bus servo, the upper end of the upper leg bus servo is connected to the hip bus servo via a hip cross, the lower end of the upper leg bus servo is connected to the lower leg bus servo via a leg connector, the lower leg bus servo is connected to the foot bus servo via an ankle cross bracket, a foot short U bracket is installed on the lower side of the foot bus servo, and the lower side of the foot short U bracket is connected to the foot part.

[0010] Preferably, the arm includes one end of a short shoulder external U bracket connected to the shoulder long U bracket, the other end of the short shoulder external U bracket is connected to the shoulder external bus servo, the shoulder external bus servo is connected to the upper arm bus servo through a shoulder cross bracket, the lower side of the upper arm bus servo is connected to the lower arm bus servo using a servo connector, and the lower side of the lower arm bus servo is connected to the wrist long U bracket.

[0011] Preferably, the under-actuated bionic hand includes a palm, a small reduction motor is installed inside the palm, the palm is connected to the fingers, the fingers include a first finger joint, a second finger joint and a third finger joint, one end of the third finger joint is connected to the palm pin, the other end of the third finger joint is connected to the second finger joint pin, and the second finger joint is connected to the first finger joint pin.

[0012] Preferably, shafts are provided inside the palm, inside the finger joints, and at the connection between the finger joints, spur gears are mounted on the shafts, and the spur gears are meshingly connected with each other.

[0013] Preferably, the wheel assembly is provided with 4 groups, 2 groups of which are provided on the shoulder part through the bracket part, and the other 2 groups are provided on the foot part through the bracket part.

[0014] Preferably, there are four ducted fans in total, two of which are fixed on the shoulder part, and the other two are fixed on the foot part.

[0015] Therefore, the present invention adopts the above-mentioned STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware. Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following significant beneficial effects:

[0016] (1) The present invention realizes the switching of three forms, namely, vehicle form, human form and drone form, through bus servo drive, and combines ducted fans to provide flight power, thus realizing the multifunctional integration of land movement and air flight, and enhancing the teaching interest and technical complexity;

[0017] (2) The present invention utilizes the Arduino Uno and Nano open source hardware platforms, which greatly reduces the technical threshold and cost;

[0018] (3) The design of the underactuated bionic hand of the present invention simplifies the grasping function and has the characteristics of low cost and easy maintenance, and is suitable for mechanical design teaching;

[0019] (4) The mechanical parts of the present invention are manufactured using 3D printing technology, which is convenient for students to print and upgrade and optimize, thus reducing the overall cost of the equipment;

[0020] (5) The present invention selects a ducted fan as the power device of the UAV, which improves the safety and enhances the stability of the UAV, and is suitable for use in an educational environment.

[0021] The technical solution of the present invention is further described in detail below through the accompanying drawings and embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 A front view of a humanoid shape of a STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware according to the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 An exploded diagram of a human form of a STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware according to the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of an under-actuated bionic hand of a STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware in the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 An exploded view of an underactuated bionic hand of a STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware according to the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 It is a rear view of an under-actuated bionic hand of a STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware according to the present invention;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a top view of a car-shaped STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware according to the present invention;

[0028] Figure 7 This is a top view of a drone-shaped STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware in the present invention.

[0029] Reference numerals

[0030] 1. Wheel; 2. Gear motor; 3. Ducted fan; 4. Shoulder parts; 5. Bracket parts; 6. Torso parts; 7. Hip parts; 8. Foot parts; 9. Underactuated bionic hand; 10. Shoulder short U bracket; 11. Horizontal bus servo; 12. Shoulder long U bracket; 13. Shoulder external short U bracket; 14. Shoulder external bus servo; 15. Shoulder cross bracket; 16. Upper arm bus servo; 17. Servo connector; 18. Lower arm bus servo; 19. Wrist Long U bracket; 20, waist bus servo; 21, hip bus servo; 22, small reduction motor; 23, palm; 24, first finger joint; 25, second finger joint; 26, third finger joint; 27, bevel gear; 28, spur gear; 29, hip cross bracket; 30, upper leg bus servo; 31, hip short U bracket; 32, leg connector; 33, lower leg bus servo; 34, ankle cross bracket; 35, foot short U bracket; 36, foot bus servo. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention. Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the present invention should be the common meaning understood by people with general skills in the field to which the present invention belongs.

[0032] Embodiment 1

[0033] like Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, a STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware of the present invention includes a wheel mechanism, a ducted fan 3, an underactuated bionic hand 9 and a bus servo. The wheel mechanism includes a wheel 1, which is connected to a reduction motor 2, and the reduction motor 2 provides power for the wheel 1. The reduction motor 2 is equipped with an encoder for collecting parameters such as the speed of the trolley and transmitting the data back to the Arduino Uno microcontroller for processing, so as to accurately control the rotation of the trolley. There are 4 groups of wheel mechanisms, wherein the wheel mechanism is fixed to the shoulder part 4 through the bracket part 5, and the left and right shoulders are symmetrically arranged; the wheel mechanism is fixed to the foot part 8 through the bracket part 5, and the left and right feet are symmetrically arranged. When the robot is in the trolley form, the driving function can be realized through the wheel mechanism.

[0034] There are four ducted fans 3, of which the ducted fans 3 located at the shoulders are fixed to the shoulder parts 4 through the bracket parts 5, and the left and right shoulders are symmetrically arranged; the ducted fans 3 located at the feet are fixed to the foot parts 8 through the bracket parts 5, and the left and right feet are symmetrically arranged. The ducted fans 3 are the power source of the robot in the drone form. In order to ensure the safety of students and improve flight stability, the ducted fan design is selected, that is, the duct is covered on the outside of the propeller to avoid the risk of the propeller being exposed to the outside, while enhancing the airflow stability and lift effect.

[0035] The shoulder part 4 is fixed on the horizontal bus servo 11, which is responsible for controlling the overall movement of the shoulder. The horizontal bus servo 11 is connected to the body part 6 through the shoulder short U bracket 10, and is responsible for completing the forward and backward movement of the humanoid robot shoulder. One end of the hip part 7 is connected to the body part 6, and the waist bus servo 20 is installed inside the hip part 7, which is responsible for completing the rotation of the upper body of the humanoid robot.

[0036] The horizontal bus servo 11 is connected to the shoulder long U bracket 12 through its output shaft. The shoulder long U bracket 12 rotates under the drive of the horizontal bus servo 11, thereby driving the arm to swing. One end of the shoulder external short U bracket 13 is connected to the shoulder long U bracket 12. The other end of the shoulder external short U bracket 13 is connected to the shoulder external bus servo 14 with a bolt. The shoulder external bus servo 14 enhances its stability and positioning accuracy through the shoulder external short U bracket 13. The shoulder external bus servo 14 is locked with the shoulder cross bracket 15 through a keyway to achieve stable and efficient force transmission so as to complete complex shoulder movements. The lower side of the shoulder cross bracket 15 is connected to the upper arm bus servo 16, and the upper arm bus servo 16 is connected to the lower arm bus servo 18 through a servo connector 17 to achieve forward and backward swinging of the forearm. The lower side of the lower arm bus servo 18 is connected to the wrist long U bracket 19, and the lower side of the wrist long U bracket 19 is connected to the palm 23 with a bolt.

[0037] like Figure 3-Figure 5As shown, the underactuated bionic hand 9 includes a palm 23, a small reduction motor 22 is installed inside the palm 23, and a spur gear 28 is installed on the output shaft of the small reduction motor 22. The palm 23 is connected to the fingers, and the fingers include a first finger joint 24, a second finger joint 25 and a third finger joint 26. One end of the third finger joint 26 is bolted to the palm 23, and the other end of the third finger joint 26 is bolted to the second finger joint 25, and the second finger joint 25 is bolted to the first finger joint 24. At the same time, shafts are provided inside the palm 23, inside the finger joints, and at the connection between the finger joints, and spur gears 28 are installed on the shafts, and the spur gears 28 are meshed and connected. The spur gear 28 on the output shaft of the small reduction motor 22 is meshed and connected with the spur gear 28 inside the palm 23. The small reduction motor 22 drives the spur gear 28 to rotate, and transmits the rotational motion from the palm 23 to the first finger joint 24 in sequence. Four fingers are connected to the palm 23 in the horizontal direction, and one finger is connected to the palm in the vertical direction. Bevel gears 27 are respectively installed at the connection points between the third finger joints 26 of the fingers and the palm 23 in the vertical direction, and the bevel gears 27 are meshed and connected with each other.

[0038] Specifically, the output shaft of the small reduction motor 22 starts to rotate, driving the spur gear 28 thereon to rotate. The spur gear 28 on the output shaft of the small reduction motor 22 meshes with the spur gear 28 inside the palm 23, causing the spur gear 28 inside the palm 23 to also start to rotate. The spur gear 28 drives the third finger joint 26 to bend around its axis. The third finger joint 26 drives the second finger joint 25 to bend around its axis through the spur gear 28 installed inside it. The second finger joint 25 drives the first finger joint 24 to bend around its axis through the spur gear 28 installed inside it, ultimately achieving the opening and closing action of the fingers.

[0039] A short crotch U bracket 31 is installed on the outside of the buttocks part 7, and the other end of the short crotch U bracket 31 is connected to the crotch bus servo 21 to achieve the connection between the legs and the trunk and the horizontal movement of the legs. One end of the crotch cross bracket 29 is connected to the crotch bus servo 21, and the other end of the crotch cross bracket 29 is connected to the upper leg bus servo 30 through an axis. The output shaft of the upper leg bus servo 30 is inserted into the corresponding hole on the crotch cross bracket 29, and is locked with a keyway to ensure synchronous rotation. The other end of the upper leg bus servo 30 is connected to the leg connector 32, and the output shaft of the lower leg bus servo 33 is inserted into the hole of the leg connector 32, and is locked with a keyway. The other end of the lower leg bus servo 33 is inserted into the hole on the ankle cross bracket 34 through the output shaft, and the ankle cross bracket 34 is connected to the short U bracket 35 of the foot. The short U bracket 35 of the foot and the foot bus servo 36 are connected together through an axis. The shaft passes through the hole of the foot part 8 and is connected to the foot bus servo 36.

[0040] The bus servos are the core power devices for the robot to complete various actions and transformations when in humanoid form. The bus servos include horizontal bus servos 11, shoulder external bus servos 14, upper arm bus servos 16, lower arm bus servos 18, waist bus servos 20, crotch bus servos 21, upper leg bus servos 30 and lower leg bus servos 33. These bus servos are connected in series through the same wire, and also have the functions of temperature detection, voltage monitoring and overload protection.

[0041] The 3D printed parts include shoulder parts 4, bracket parts 5, torso parts 6, hip parts 7, foot parts 8 and under-actuated bionic hands 9. All parts can be printed and optimized and upgraded by students themselves, which facilitates maintenance and reduces costs, while also exercising students' hands-on ability.

[0042] like Figure 6-Figure 7 As shown, the transformable robot realizes the transformation from humanoid to car and then to drone through the coordinated movement of each bus servo. For example, when the robot changes from humanoid to car, the robot changes from a standing posture to a lying posture. At this time, the horizontal bus servo 11 rotates inward, so that the wheel 1 on the shoulder contacts the ground, the upper leg bus servo 30 rotates inward, so that the thigh part is folded, and the lower leg bus servo 33 also rotates inward, so that the calf part is folded, and finally the leg changes from a straight state to a curled state to form a car. When the robot changes from humanoid to drone, the horizontal bus servo 11 rotates outward, so that the ducted fan 3 located at the shoulder faces upward, and the lower leg bus servo 33 rotates, so that the ducted fan 3 located at the foot faces upward, so as to ensure that the drone takes off.

[0043] The entire system uses Arduino Uno as the main control board and Arduino Nano as the remote control, which significantly reduces the development difficulty and cost. It is particularly suitable for STEM education applications in school or home environments.

[0044] Therefore, the present invention adopts the above-mentioned STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware, which integrates three transformation forms: car shape, human shape and drone shape, realizes multi-form switching and multi-function integration, improves teaching interest and technical complexity, and reduces procurement costs.

[0045] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify or replace the technical solution of the present invention with equivalents, and these modifications or equivalent replacements cannot cause the modified technical solution to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware, characterized in that: include: A shoulder part, wherein a motion module is arranged on the upper side of the shoulder part, and the lower side of the shoulder part is fixed on a bus servo, one end of the bus servo is connected to a short U-bracket bolt of the shoulder, the short U-bracket of the shoulder is connected to a trunk, the lower end of the trunk is connected to a leg, the other end of the bus servo is connected to a long U-bracket bolt of the shoulder, the other end of the long U-bracket of the shoulder is connected to an arm, and the lower end of the arm is connected to an under-actuated bionic hand.

2. A STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware according to claim 1, characterized in that: The motion module includes a ducted fan, which is fixed on the shoulder part. The propeller of the ducted fan is covered with a duct on the outside. The motion module also includes a wheel assembly, which is composed of a wheel and a reduction motor. The reduction motor is equipped with an encoder, and the wheel assembly is fixed on the shoulder part.

3. A STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bus servos include horizontal bus servos, shoulder external bus servos, upper arm bus servos, lower arm bus servos, waist bus servos, crotch bus servos, upper leg bus servos, lower leg bus servos and foot bus servos, and the above bus servos are linearly connected.

4. The STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware according to claim 3, characterized in that: The torso includes a torso part, the torso part is connected to a hip part, the waist bus servo is installed inside the hip part, a hip short U bracket is installed outside the hip part, and the other end of the hip short U bracket is connected to the hip bus servo.

5. The STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware according to claim 3, characterized in that: The leg includes the upper leg bus servo, the upper end of the upper leg bus servo is connected to the hip bus servo via a hip cross, the lower end of the upper leg bus servo is connected to the lower leg bus servo via a leg connector, the lower leg bus servo is connected to the foot bus servo via an ankle cross bracket, a foot short U bracket is installed on the lower side of the foot bus servo, and the lower side of the foot short U bracket is connected to the foot part.

6. The STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware according to claim 3, characterized in that: The arm includes a short U-bracket on the outside of the shoulder, one end of the short U-bracket on the outside of the shoulder is connected to the long U-bracket on the shoulder, the other end of the short U-bracket on the outside of the shoulder is connected to the external bus servo on the shoulder, the external bus servo on the shoulder is connected to the upper arm bus servo via a shoulder cross bracket, the lower side of the upper arm bus servo is connected to the lower arm bus servo using a servo connector, and the lower side of the lower arm bus servo is connected to the long U-bracket on the wrist.

7. The STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware according to claim 1, characterized in that: The under-actuated bionic hand includes a palm, a small reduction motor is installed inside the palm, the palm is connected to the fingers, the fingers include a first finger joint, a second finger joint and a third finger joint, one end of the third finger joint is connected to the palm bolt, the other end of the third finger joint is connected to the second finger joint bolt, and the second finger joint is connected to the first finger joint bolt.

8. The STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware according to claim 7, characterized in that: Axles are arranged inside the palm, inside the finger joints and at the connection between the finger joints. Spur gears are mounted on the axles, and the spur gears are meshed and connected with each other.

9. The STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware according to claim 5, characterized in that: The wheel assembly is provided with 4 groups, 2 of which are provided on the shoulder part through the bracket part, and the other 2 are provided on the foot part through the bracket part.

10. The STEM education transformable robot based on open source hardware according to claim 5, characterized in that: There are four ducted fans in total, two of which are fixed on the shoulder part, and the other two are fixed on the foot part.

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