3D Printed Giant Robotic Jumping Spider

A Team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation in Germany 3D printed a really big robotic spider, the legs are 20 centimeters long each and the body adds another 20 cm, together it is about 0.6 meters...

It can jump and crawl with sophiosticated hydraulics like a real spider. The Body contains a control unit and multiple sensors. Its purpose is "an exploratory tool in environments that are too hazardous for humans."

The special aspect of this high-tech helper: not only very light, it also combines rigid and elastic shapes in a single component; with just a few production steps, it can also be produced at low cost. To date, designs such as the mobile robot have been generated using conventional mechanical-engineering technologies – a time-consuming and costly undertaking. Researchers at IPA, on the other hand, rely on generative production technologies, and specifically on selective laser sintering (SLS) of plastics, a 3-D printing process. In this process, step by step thin layers of a fine polyamide powder are applied one at a time and melted in place with the aid of a laser beam. This way, complex geometries, inner structures and lightweight components can be produced – with structures optimized much as if produced by Nature herself. The experts at IPA have a great deal of latitude in the design of their mobile robot; the leg modules, for instance, can be designed with infinitely variable load-bearing characteristics.
“We can use SLS to produce one or even several legs in a single operation; this minimizes assembly effort, saves materials and reduces the time it takes to build a robot. With the modular approach, individual parts can be quickly swapped as well. Our robot is so cheap to produce that it can be discarded after being used just once – like a disposable rubber glove,“ Becker points out. A prototype of the robot can be seen at the EuroMold 2011 trade fair in Frankfurt, at the joint stand of the Fraunhofer-Gemeinschaft (Hall 11, Stand C66), from November 29 through December 2.

 Original Article:
http://www.fraunhofer.de/en/press/research-news/2011/november/high-tech-spider.html