
MiniRHex: a surprisingly capable six-whegged robot - Down_n_Out
https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/robotics-hardware/minirhex-makes-wigglylegged-unstoppability-tiny-and-affordable
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mrfredward
If anyone want to build a hexapod with legs instead of whegs, check out:
[http://vorpalrobotics.com/wiki/index.php/Vorpal_The_Hexapod](http://vorpalrobotics.com/wiki/index.php/Vorpal_The_Hexapod)

It's 3d printed and the design is fully open, but you can buy a full kit for
under $200 if you don't want to buy and print everything yourself.

Disclosure: One of my relatives did a lot of the design.

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cr0sh
I like this kit, but the price really jumps when you go "full kit" \- but it's
still cheaper than just about any other 6-legged robot kit.

That said, one of the nice things about whegs vs. legs is that you get almost
all the benefits of legs, with a much simpler (and lower cost - in theory, if
you don't go with Robotis servos, etc) design. Basically the whole "80% of the
functionality for 20% of the cost" idea...

But the Vorpal is cuter...heh.

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dbcurtis
The ability to get over obstacles is very impressive. If you have ever watched
a RoboMagellan
[http://robogames.net/rules/magellan.php](http://robogames.net/rules/magellan.php)
competition, you will have seen _many_ robots fail to do what MiniRHex can do.

The odometry has to suck, though. The rest of your nav stack had better be
able to compensate.

Overall, very performant. It gives me the itch to go out and build one.

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cr0sh
Kinda late on this, but I found something similar recently, that was also
inspired by the original RHex:

[http://robotsquare.com/2013/07/17/zebro-
light/](http://robotsquare.com/2013/07/17/zebro-light/)

I can't recall where or how I found it (there's a good chance it was mentioned
here on HN)...

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EdwardCoffin
I feel like there should be a [sic] after 'whegged', because I assumed it was
a careless typo.

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ape4
Googling for that word gives quite a few hits. whegged = wheeled leg.

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robotresearcher
wheg = wheeled leg

whegged = wheeled legged

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gfiorav
So it begins

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lsc
I, for one, welcome...

But, seriously, I think just aesthetically, these whegged robots are a lot
less creepy than robots with articulated legs; a lot less robot like.

