Auto Hexa is an open-source modular 18-DOF hexapod robot designed for walking, computer vision, and future autonomous robotics. It uses the CHICA hexapod as an initial mechanical foundation while developing our own electronics, motion-control system, and ROS 2 architecture around a Neardi Pi 3-3576 SBC.
DEVLOG 02- First Leg
Am gonna Compress Devlog 02 and 03 cause i made alot of progress and each of them deserve separate sections of Dev log hence here DEVLOGS 02-03 will be written,
I built my First complete 3DOF Hexapod leg in FreeCAD with 3 servos, coxa, femur, tibia, tip and the smaller parts.
My first coxa joint went wrong HORRIBLY, so the servo model rotated instead of the part which was connected the servo head, Then I troubleshooted for a bit trying not to loose my mind in the “PROCESS”
Then I fixed my Joint refrences and got the movement working.
I also learnt how to use fixed/revolute joints and work with STL parts,
After wayy to much clicking the First Leg was done.
DEVLOG 03- Six legs, finally
After getting the first CHICA leg working, the next goal was to finish the full six-leg assembly and get it moving in FreeCAD.
I saved the completed leg as a subassembly so i didnt have to build the same thing six times, lol.
I inserted the leg into the main assesmbly and repeated it until all 6 legs were there
THE MOST SATISFYING PART: Simulation
At first, The joints were moving so cursed like i was hikey crashing out sfm, The main problem was the rotation formulation in the revolutes of the joints i selected.
After testing the formulas and adjusting the joint motion, I finally got the legs moving in a controlled way.
What I learnt:
Finally, i have a complete 18-dof CHICA Assembly moving in FreeCAD.
DEVLOG 01 - Laying the foundations
Am starting Auto-Hexa, a long-term Project to build a modular, Autonomous, and upgradeable hexapod robot.
Before designing my own robot, I decided to study CHICA FROM MakeYourPet to understand how a 18-DOF hexapod is actually built.
My first mistake was mixing up chica and chipo parts, so i simplified things and decided to use chica only as my mechanical reference. lol
i also started learning FreeCAD, which came with its own learning curve, STL files were a pain in the asss to assemble, i flipping spent 1hours mapping and selecting the 484848 of triangles try to assemble the parts omg, until i discovered STEP FILES lol.
Then i began assembling the first leg. I initially misunderstood how the coxa connects, and my first revolute joint didnt move because i was changing the wrong setting. After figuring out the correct joint rotation, I finally got the servo moving around the servo shaft!!!!!,
THE FEELING I GOT OMG, THE SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT I FELT WAS ON ANOTHER LEVEL!!
ok so What I learned:
