The First Biotronics Lego Walker

The various stages in the making of the self-conscious Biotronics Lego Walker.

Stage 1: The Simulation of the Lawsin Linkage:

The project was conceptualized first using the Lawsin Linkage, a double cantilever truss system with connecting elements (links) that form triangular frames. It is a structural mechanism that was developed by Joey Lawsin in 1988 to simulate the walking cadence of his biotronics animals. The project design fulfills the following requirements:

1. It must carry out a walking cadence fluidly like an actual living animal's gait.
2. It can conquer any type of terrain obstacles from carpet floors to seabeds.
3. It can move in different directions with various range of actuated motion or R.O.A.M.
4. Its structure elements must be guided by nature's mathematics.
5. It can be integrated with the arduino platform for micro-consciousness programming.

Stage 2: The Mechanism and Design : 

Then, the project was put together by combining the various stages of the process:
Phase 1: The Lawsin Linkage
Phase 2: The Led Indicator Sketch
Phase 3: The MicroServo Sketch
Phase 4: The Ultrasonic Sensor Sketch
Phase 5: The Piezo Speaker Sketch
Phase 6: The Stepper Motor Sketch
Phase 7: The Biotronic Lego Walker Sketch

Stage 3: The Homotronics Side:  

Afterwards, the body of the project was put into various experimental tests:

Stage 4: The Neurotronics Side :

 Then, the brain of the project was added next:

Stage 5: The Proof of Concept :  

Finally, even without a dual H-bridge motor driver, the proof of concept was delivered into actual physical reality using the Arduino microcontroller as the "brain"(neurotronics) and lego's gears and beams as the "body" (homotronics).

Phase 1: Lawsin Linkage

Phase 2: Led Indicator

Phase 3: Microservo SG9

Phase 4: Ultrasonic HC-05

Phase 5: Speaker

Phase 6: Stepper Motor   

  

Phase 7: Dual H-Bridge (coming soon)    

Phase 8: The First Biotronics

 

Automata are objects that are relatively self-operating once they have been set in motion. They often imitate natural phenomena, both in form and in movement. They are direct representations of animals and plants or kinetic aspects of nature. Clocks, jaquemarts or jacks, snuff boxes, androids, cyborgs, and robots are examples of automatons. According to Lawsin, Automata can be classified into four groups:

1. Mechanization - craftmanship and hand-cranking
2. Automation - mechanics and sensors
3. Computerization - technology and programming
4. Materialization -  inverse matrix and self-scriptioning

The Four Marks of a Materialized / Self-conscious Biotronic:

• It can transcodify information to physicals.
• It can transform physicals into actions or movements.
• It can transfer motions into mechanical, repetitive, or autonomous actions.
• It can translate the mechanical persona (feeling, thinking, behaving) into a learned instinct "conscious being".