Creating a Robot to Tie a Knot with Lego Mindstorm :: Robotics

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