Good Morning from my Robotics Lab! This is Shadow_8472, and today, I am following up on last week\u2019s post, covering my brief corrispondance with Artimus Robotics. Let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I first approached Artimus through their site\u2019s Contact Us page [1], where I provided some details about my project \u2013 a quadrupedal robot system aimed at hobbyists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sticker Shock<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next day, I received an email from Andrew Morton representing Artimus. \u201cOur actuators start at $2,995 and it is another $1,995 for the rest of the kit (kit total starts at $4,990) [2].\u201d He then directed me to the Application Assistant where I could provide more details about my application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ouch. I thought HASEL actuators were supposed to be made from relatively low-cost materials. But yeah, I understand: they have the research to pay for, they\u2019re making everything to order, and it\u2019s going to be more durable than something I assemble at home; and that\u2019s just the costs I know about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lower Speccs<\/p>\n\n\n\n
HASEL actuators reportedly compare relatively well to human skeletal muscle on several metrics [3]. I don\u2019t need that level of performance. I\u2019m also looking at potentially several dozen tiny muscles that only need a few pounds of pulling force. While it would be nice to see my robot galloping, jumping, and dancing, I\u2019ll settle for standing up and walking around obsticles. Getting up and down stairs will be a luxury to strive for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In all reality, I won\u2019t need my eventual full strength actuators (I\u2019m just going to call them muscles or artificial muscles for the remainder of this post) the moment I have my first fully assembled prototype \u2013 certanly not until I have the kinematics worked out. On the other hand, it\u2019s not a bad idea to buy what you\u2019ll need near the end with the idea that you\u2019re not blowing money on as much intermediary equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I went ahead and went through the Application Assistant. The form asked several important questions. What motion does my proposed actuator make? How much, hard, and fast does it move? How long should it last? What kind of space will it be installed in? How presicely controlled does it need to be? Will it need to be self-sensing? What are the most important characteristics you\u2019re controlling for [1]? I answered as best I could, but I found myself leaving the form mostly blank or full of \u201cTBD.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I came to the last page where it asks for an overall description. I will also take this moment to note that I did not retain a copy of my exact wording, and none was ever echoed back to me. (If there\u2019s one complaint I have with my experience, that would be it). I found myself weaving in most of the information I had put in different note fields, so I compiled it here and tidyed up on the other pages. I also expressed my concern at the up front cost, asking if they offered something like a junior developer\u2019s kit for small scale projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hi [Shadow],
Thank you for providing the application details. Do you have a force or stroke specification for the actuators? These are the primary specs used to size an actuator. No problem if you don't have those yet as you're welcome to purchase a standard actuator development kit for preliminary testing to better understand the technology and your needs. I think that is the best path given the complexity of your project.\u00a0
We don't have any lower-budget actuators, just our standard actuators that start at $2995 or $4990 for the development kit. Please let me know if you would like a formal quote.
Thank you,
Andrew Morton [1]<\/pre>\n\n\n\nAt this point, I was coming to terms with the realization that Artimus will be out of my price range until I\u2019m much deeper into prototyping. Even then, I may have a tough time keeping my unnofficial $5,000 goal unless the price comes down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My reply ballparked my figures: a 20 inch robot, muscles ranging 1-4 inches long, 5-10 pounds of pulling force each, and the whole unit anywhere between 5-20 pounds [4]. Total guesswork on my part. But the focus was more on how my pockets weren\u2019t that deep. I thanked Andrew for his time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I still hope to work with Artimus in the future, even if it\u2019s for my scaled up version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Andrew got back to me in a third and final email, probably saving face as much as I was. As I suspected, they\u2019re oriented around industrial clients right now, and smaller clients will be served well once economy of scale kicks in [1].<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Takeaway<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Going forward, it looks like homemade muscles will dominate my development process until I\u2019m ready for something professionally assembled; my first prototypes may very well end up being powered by pneumatics. They won\u2019t be untethered, but at least I can find the figures I need and get back in touch with Artimus when I\u2019m ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Final Question<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What artificial muscle technology would you recommend as an analogue for HASEL?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Works Cited<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[1] Artimus Robotics.<\/em> Accessed: June 29, 2021. Available: https:\/\/www.artimusrobotics.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[2] A. Morton. \u201cArtimus Robotics Actuators\u201d Personal emails (June 30-July 2, 2021).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[3] P. Rothemund, N. Kellaris, S. Mitchell, E. Acome, and C. Keplinger \u201cHASEL Arti\ufb01cial Muscles for a New Generation of Lifelike Robots\u2014Recent Progress and Future Opportunities\u201d Nov. 2020 Advanced Materials<\/em> vol. 33, issue 19, May 13, 2021 Available: https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1002\/adma.202003375<\/a>. [Accessed: June 6, 2021]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[4] S. 8472. \u201cRe: Artimus Robotics Actuators\u201d Personal email (July 1, 2021)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Good Morning from my Robotics Lab! This is Shadow_8472, and today, I am following up on last week\u2019s post, covering my brief corrispondance with Artimus Robotics. Let\u2019s get started! I first approached Artimus through their site\u2019s Contact Us page [1], where I provided some details about my project \u2013 a quadrupedal robot system aimed at … <\/p>\n