Initial Knot Motion
The knot our group chose to test was called the Ribbon knot. It was the simplest in terms of complexity and performance. The two robot arms could perform this motion without actually having to exchange shoe laces like in the regular shoelace tying knot. The motion was first tested with a group member's hand to see if it was feasible with two robotic arms. A top and front view were filmed.
Testing Video 1
This first video shows the very first working version of our robot mechanism. The arms are able to move and calibrate on their own. However, the grippers and full support assembly still aren't fully anchored and functional. During this video, our group is testing the range of motion required for the robot to grasp the shoelace. There still is no main box to house all of the electronics components.
Testing Video 2
This is a video of old faithful performing one of the knots on the shoe is tested. At this stage, the aluminum extrusion assembly has already been designed, machined, and assembled. The center box has already been laser cut and also assembled. The electrical components are now housed in the box and the Y-axis moves back and forth until reaching their respective end-stops.
Testing Video 3
This is the final video of our fully functional shoe tying robot. It shows the motion is much more fluid with the robotic arms reinforced. The wiring has also been fixed up in order to not interfere with the gripper motion.