I would like to build a robotic base to push a snowplow, mow the lawn, and have an ability to mount other tools.

To test out a few ideas, I decided to build a cheap testbed to see what works as I envision, and what does not.

The development of the robot proceeds the posts by quite a bit. It could be that Webmaster is not my thing, but the files do eventually get posted. Version 1.0 was posted on Instructables, though it has improved since then.

6-13-11

Lately I have been working on the cutter mechanism. Actually I tried several mechanisms and decided that the simplest should be the one to attempt to bring to fruition first for testing. Simpler is always better, right?

This cutter uses cutterbar like one that has been used to harvest grain and grass crops for decades. Though I never personally operated one of these machines (except for the similar hedge trimmer), I did spend my whole life in the vicinity of them. It is a simple machine, I understood it inside and out, until I went to build one. After a few discussions with ranchers and farmers, as well as a few google patent searches to view drawings, I am more enlightened.

My first prototype of this has the Tamyia motor (that came with the tracks) spinning a crank connected to the "piston" of the cutbar via a connecting rod and two bearings salvaged from old hard disk drives. I seem to have lost my connecting rod between my lasersaw, and my workbench (dinning room table). I need to design and cut a comb that will keep fingers out of the mechanism before I crank it up anyway, so I'll just cut them together.

I really do want to have this thing cutting grass before it is time to go back to working on the snowplow attachment.

I'll try to source some bearings (I bet VBX bearings has them)so I can make enough copies for a swarm, and so others can also try their hand at it.

Next for the website: Post some pictures of the mechanism (even though I know it will change).

Next for the bot: cut some grass