Discussion Hexa² - Hexacopterpod Project

[CSpaced]

We've seen multicopters rolling around on wheels, but I think this is the first time we've seen one walk! Mad Lab Industries have combined a walking hexapod with a flying hexacopter! Check it out below:

What do you get when you cross a hexacopter with a hexapod? A hexacopterpod? Hexapodcopter? Hexahexapopter? Whatever it’s called, it’s pretty cool and it comes courtesy of a couple of some industrious lads at Mad Lab Industries. After first attempting to get a quadrocopter and hexapod to mate by throwing them in a closet and cranking the Barry White, the team finally found success with a more engineering-based approach.

After receiving a PhantomX Hexapod kit from Trossen Robotics, the Mad Lab team set to the task of giving it the gift of flight. The first step was performing a bit of weight reduction surgery on the hexapod, which involved the laborious task of replacing its original ABS plates with carbon fiber – which also added a liberal dose of ominous cool.

Although the carbon fiber conversion cut the unit’s weight significantly, it was still hefty enough for the team to decide upon a six-rotor setup rather than four to increase the stability of the unit in the air. A Hoverfly Pro flight controller, six E-Flite Power 15 motors and six E-Flite 40-amp ESC (Electronic Speed Controls) were also used.

The result is a hexapod/hexacopter hybrid that can scuttle along the ground like an insect, or take to the air – like a flying insect. The merging isn’t complete with the hexacopter and hexapod components controlled separately, however, control of both machines via a single remote may be coming in the future. The team also has plans for a catch & release mechanism that would allow the hexapod and hexacopter to detach and reattach on the fly.

The Mad labs team, Don Miller, Jason Penick, and Jason Williams, (with some help from Trossen Robotics’ Andrew Alter), started the project on a whim and are yet to decide upon an official name for their creation. They’re open to suggestions, but if development continues, it might not be too long before us lowly humans start referring to it as “Master.”

In the wake of interest they’ve received, the team is also considering releasing the unit, either as a kit or fully assembled. The main sticking point is a price that will appeal to consumers. With neither hexapod kits nor hexacopters being cheap, the team anticipates a fully assembled unit that is ready to go out of the box would cost somewhere in the region of US$5,500.

Being a small start-up company in the first year of operation, Penick told us that Mad Labs is understandably hesitant to bet on all the current internet interest translating into actual sales – particularly at such a price point. To test the waters and help decide if it’s worth the time and money pursuing a release, the team are planning to launch a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter in the future.

Walking Quadcopter, or Flying Hexapod? (1 min 1 sec)

Here we have combined a quadcopter (actually a hexcopter) with a Hexapod. Both machines are fully functional, and currently controlled seperatly. You are able to walk around, and talk off, land and continue walking. You are able to operate the hexapods legs during flight as well.

Overall Weight W/Batteries: 10.8 LBS

The Hexapod is a modified PhantomX kit from Trossen Robotics.
http://www.trossenrobotics.com/phantomx-ax-hexapod.aspx

MLI: Hexcopter Meets Hexapod, Part 2 (3 min 19 sec)

Here is some more video of the Hexapod/Hexcopter in action.

We show off the Movement of the legs, Walking around and taking off while walking, Landing while walking, and by user request PICKING STUFF UP WITH THE LEGS!

For more details on the project check out our website at
http://MadLabIndustries.com

[CSpaced]

Pics..

[Bigugly]

Im gonna have nightmares now

[CSpaced]

It's coming to get you....

[novemberalpha]

Before even I read the 1st para thing that struck me was awesome now we can have a raptor quad to swoop & grab. Nightmares nah probably to others missin on the quad boom.

Advise: its better buy user pc programable gyros rather than the tripple axis gyros that come with some of these kits got a gaui 330sx but was never able to get it stablize but the moment I installed 3 gyros from older helis boom its stable as bench.

[novemberalpha]

This can be a great product for the armed forces !

[flyalan]

Too cool!

Alan