Wait, Stewart Platforms Can Walk Now?!
A Stewart platform is a nifty kind of parallel robot that uses six linear actuators, with ball joints at each end, to move the top with six degrees of freedom. That’s really useful if, for example, you want a platform that you can actuate to always remain level. In most implementations, the base is fixed as a rigid body. But James Patten of JD Robotics reimagined the traditional Stewart platform, ditching the fixed base and using the linkages as legs for ambulation on the Stewy robot.
To understand how this works, first picture a standard Stewart platform. Then, imagine that linear actuation wasn’t an option. You could achieve similar motion with rotary motion if you mounted one end of each linkage to an arm (rotated by a servo motor, in this case). The result is pretty similar: you’re changing the distance between linkage points, forcing the platform to move...
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