

Twisted String Actuators: Surprisingly Simple, Cheap, and High Gear Ratio - beambot
http://www.hizook.com/blog/2015/01/13/twisted-string-actuators-surprisingly-simple-cheap-and-high-gear-ratio

======
unwind
I avoided clicking this title for hours, thinking it was something to do with
the Twisted framework.

Using "actuator" about software is uncommon of course, but considering other
terms in use in Twisted ("deferred" as a noun, "errback", "reactor" pattern)
it didn't surprise me.

------
michaelt

      We spent a fair bit of time evaluating twisted string 
      actuators to build low-cost robots. Unfortunately, [...]
      their lifecycle is measured in the many thousands instead 
      of millions -- despite our best efforts at material 
      engineering.
    

I'd be interested to hear more about the materials they tried and what the
failures typically were.

------
chii
how similar is this to the string actuated spider here?
[http://www.tested.com/art/makers/467630-tested-show-jamie-
hy...](http://www.tested.com/art/makers/467630-tested-show-jamie-hynemans-
racing-spiders-project/)

~~~
tinco
Not at all, the string actuated spider just uses strings because they're
flexible (i.e. they can make linear actuation go around a corner aided by a
pully).

