Rolling Contact Miter Gears
A zero-backlash bioinspired compliant mechanism for 90 degree small angle rotation transferal
Affiliation:
Northeastern University: RIVeR Lab
Role:
Time Range:
Project Lead, Sole Mechanical Design Engineer
2022
Skills:
Mechanical Design, CAD (Solidworks), Compliant Mechanisms, Rolling Contact Joints, Contact-aided motion, Rapid Prototyping, Simulation, Analysis, High Strain Systems, Complex Geometry, Technical Communication, Technical Writing
Background:
This was a solo passion project associated with my RIVeR Lab position. I was interested in compliant mechanisms and rolling contact joints, and I wanted to develop a spatial version of the mechanism for use in precision robotic wrists and other zero-backlash systems. I was interested in the way that compound rolling contact interfaces could produce complex motion in human wrists. I eventually developed a prototype for a miter-gear version of rolling contact joints that could transmit rotation 90 degrees for small angles while supporting itself using compliant tensile straps.
Images:
My Contributions:
• Discovered a new type of rolling contact joint for 90 degree rotation transmission
• Developed a 3D-printable version of the mechanism with tensionable straps
• Characterized the stiffness and properties of the mechanism using simulation
• Learned about complex spatial CAD techniques to support conical geometry, compliant strap wrapping, and 3D projection
Outcomes:
This project was presented at NERC 2022, where it received abundantly positive feedback. I had hoped to turn this project into a full publication, but I was pulled onto other time-consuming projects before I was able to accomplish this. I hope to revisit and refine this project in the future.