Soft Robotic Quadruped - First Draft

These files are designed to make a simple soft robotic quadruped. The process may seem complex, but it's pretty easy once you have a handle on the basics. Essentially the goal is to get a robot you design in CAD popped out into the real world as a seamless silicone part, ready to be piloted with air pressure. The way this shakes out is to use molding to get waxes that form the interior air channels, and print shells to form the exterior surface. I've been using powder printing over at http://viridis3d.com (they've been excellent research partners) to achieve this, but it should work equally well using FDM as long as you acetone smooth it and check for cracks.

This prototype didn't function as planned, but the next revision (due out late April) should correct the design oversights.

For more details check http://bit.ly/softrobots and for detailed notes on this particular robot, see the post at http://har.ms/blog/print-your-own-robot-part-8/