Creating a Robot to Tie a Knot with Lego Mindstorm

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Abstract

The point of building this robot was to have it

successfully complete and tie a knot. The original

idea was to have the robot tie knots creating a

bracelet. Unfortunately, the process of tying a knot

alone was too much work to try and move on to an entire

bracelet. I had neither the time nor the insight to

build a flexible and usable 'arm.' I tested and

modified a design from the Lego Mindstorms book, but

found that I could neither open nor close the hand. I

continued to further modify the design to be able to

grab and let go of string but the result was extremely

bulky. Also I could not find a plausible and spaceconstrained

way to attach the gears to each of the

'fingers.' The conclusion that I drew was not that the

project was impossible but that it needed more time and

research.

Background

The idea for a robot that could neatly and

efficiently create a knotted bracelet became a reality

after my own experiences of personal pain and triumphs

over its creational process. Although the design is

merely knotting in a line some people have neither the

patience or ability to complete such a simple

masterpiece. This is when the idea for a bracelet

making robot was first manifested. It is being brought

to life for all those who can't or don't want to make

one themselves, hence, a robot to do it for them!

Unfortunately, two weeks is not enough to make a

full blown bracelet making robot. Instead my attempt

will be to make a robot that can successfully tie a

knot around a string. Which with more time would

eventually lead to an entire knotted bracelet. The

textile industry has prospered greatly since the age of

industry and invention. Cotton, silk, and various other

materials are processed and transformed into beautiful

fabrics and cloths which soon become clothes and

accessories. The flying shuttle was brought to

factories in 1733 by the inventor John Kay, improving

looms to enable weavers to get their work done even

faster. Soon after there came the spinning jenny, and

the water frame which became the first powered machine.

To be or Knot to be? 3

The inventions kept spewing forth until at last the

modern textile machine was born. Most of these are run

by computer with nowhere near the machinery. This

minimizes injury and ups the efficiency of production.

While my robot won't be the next big factory

design, it will make a simple but overly complicated

knot for a robot. In future years at COSMOS in the

robotics cluster, perhaps someone will see my design

and continue it, until it completely finishes an entire

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