MANTIS GIANT ROBOT HEXAPOD

Robots give humans super powers, super speed, endurance, accuracy and longevity - now all we need is artificial intelligence.

Matt Denton and his robot machine: Mantis

APRIL 17 2013 WINCHESTER HAMPSHIRE UK

After several years of development, Matt Denton reveals his giant six-legged all-terrain robotic creature, thought to be one of the world's biggest all-terrain operational hexapods. Note here that an American team are building Stompy, which may be slightly larger - time will tell.

The Mantis weighs 1,900kg, stands 2.8m high and has 2.2 litre turbo diesel engine which gives a top speed of just one mile as hour. So it's hardly speed that drives Matt to excel, though there are robot designs capable of high speeds, such as the Sectasaur special effects robot - which is theoretically capable of speeds of up the twenty miles an hour.

Matt's beastie can be controlled manually from the cockpit or remotely using WiFi, but the object of the build was obviously to allow human to drive and be transported - albeit in leisurely fashion. The Mantis can move objects using its 'feet' and tuck its legs in for ease of transport, which to our minds rather defeats the object of effective six legged transportation.

Matt is a technology enthusiast from Hampshire, who shares with many other inquisitive engineers, the inspiration that nature has provided in insect locomotion. This giant six-legged robot does not look much like the praying mantis after which is takes its name. It looks and moves more like truncated arachnid. If if had been larger, it could have earned the name Tarantula - but that's another story.

It took Matt four years to assemble the machine, which he describes as his ‘very expensive toy’ that cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to make. The construction is though, not just a plaything where the designer is hoping it may be used for mining or marine projects in the future. Talking of marine robots, he should take a look at the latest robot ship, where his undoubted skill in robot hydraulics would compliment the team of companies and university professors developing the autonomous computer guidance to make an unmanned world circumnavigation possible. But that's also another story.

The Mantis robot is typically manually operated by a driver sitting inside the glass cabin. The Mantis can at this stage only manage 5km on a 20-litre (4.5-gallon) diesel tank. Matt said:

"It’s not about miles to the gallon, it’s about gallons to the mile, it wasn’t built to be efficient and fast. It was built to look cool and insect-like and fun."

The project, which over-ran by three years, received positive feedback after the spider like machine was taken to a music festival on the Isle of Wight. ‘It’s an entertainment vehicle,’ Mr Denton added. "But I hope it will inspire people."

KINETICA MUSEUM ND3

During September and October 2006 micromagic systems renovated and installed one of Dante Leonelli's neon dome kinetic art pieces from the late 60's at Kinetica Museum, London. This involved sourcing electronics to fade the internal and external tubes, and design and build of the internal tube structure, with neon tubes made by Mike Amiet of 6666 ltd. Although a departure from the norm, it has become clear that kinetic art uses many of the skills that have been used for animatronics and robotics, and we hope to work further with the kinetica museum and the artists in the future.

Micromagic systems was founded in 1999 to supply animatronic, robotic and puppet control systems and services to the film and television industry. Most recent projects include "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban". You can see Matt's projects listed below.

Matt was born in Southampton in March 1973, he has lived in the south of England most of his life. He became interested in electronics while at school. When he left school, he started a four year certified apprenticeship with Marconi Defense Systems. During this time he studied Electronics and Computer Engineering and obtained an ONC and HNC in these subjects.
 
He was very interested in special effects and animatronics, having been inspired at a young age by films such as Star Wars and Labyrinth, and decided towards the end of his apprenticeship that he would like to work in the film and TV industry. Having no knowledge of the industry, Matt decided to write to TV companies whose names he found in industry magazines. Needless to say, all he received were rejections, informing him that TV companies were not the place to find this kind of work and he almost gave up at this point.

After about the 10th letter of rejection he decided to do the correct thing and go to University! So he started a BEng course in electronics and computers at Portsmouth University. He was offered a place in the second year due to already having covered most of the first year topics in previous studies, but chose to start in year one partly so he could be with friends. If Matt had started in the second year, he could have obtained a degree in just two years, but he dropped out after the first year, partially from boredom, but mostly because he spent the summer working for an FX company and decided that this was the way forward.

Micromagic Systems 
Suite 213
80 High Street
Winchester
Hampshire
SO23 9AT UK

Voice mail: 020 8816 8832 
Overseas : +44 20 8816 8832

APRIL 22 2013

A six-legged, 1,900kg all-terrain walking robot has been created by a designer in Hampshire. Matt Denton, from Winchester, believes that his six-legged ‘Mantis’ is the biggest, all-terrain operational hexapod robot in the world. It is powered by a 2.2 litre turbo diesel engine and stands 2.8 metres high.

Mr Denton, who is founder and chief designer of Micromagic Systems – a company that supplies animatronic, robotic and CGI control systems and services to the film and television industry – can pilot the robot manually while sitting in the cockpit.

Alternatively, he can control it remotely using WiFi. Mr Denton says the Mantis is available now for private hire, custom commissions, events, and sponsorship.

The machine, which is surprisingly manoeuvrable, can also tackle uneven surfaces by adapting to terrain using six-axis ‘body attitude control’, automatically level itself for the comfort of the pilot, and manipulate large objects with its 'feet'.

Footage posted on YouTube shows it tucking its legs into its body for ease of storage on the back of a vehicle trailer. It also shows the ‘Mantis’ moving a trailer around with one of its ‘feet’.

Matt is quoted as saying:

"It started as an idea back in 2007. We secured private funding in 2009 to start the project and - after three years of design, build and testing - the robot made a first successful test drive in the summer of 2012 at Bestival UK." 

"It's been called an instant design classic and an inspiring engineering project for the next generation."

"This is definitely the largest hexapod we have built so far," 

"This walking machine started as an idea back in 2007, we secured private funding in 2009 to start the project and - after three years of design, build and testing - the robot made a first successful test drive in the summer of 2012 at Bestival UK. It's been called an instant design classic and an inspiring engineering project for the next generation."

MATT'S CV

MANTIS FACTS 

It is the largest, all-terrain operational hexapod robot in the world.
It weighs 1,900kg and stands 2.8 metres high.
It is powered by a 2.2 litre turbo diesel engine.
It can be piloted from the cockpit or remotely using Wi-Fi.
It can tackle uneven surfaces using six-axis 'body attitude control'.
Can automatically level itself for pilot comfort.
Can move large objects with its feet.

http://www.micromagicsystems.com/

http://www.hexapodrobot.com/index.html

http://www.kinetica-museum.org/

LINKS TO OTHER ROBOT ANT PROJECTS

This subject has received a lot of attention from other engineers:-

A-Pod is an ant inspired hexapod robot with a 2 DOF abdomen (tail), a 3 DOF head with large mandibles. 6 legs with 3 DOF each. Total 25 servos. This video demonstrates body movement and mandible control. The designer still has to make some mechanical improvements to the legs (explaining the small amount of walking). The robot is remotely controlled with a custom 2,4 GHz RC transmitter. The Basic Atom Pro 28 is/are used as the main micro-controller(s). 

Visit www.basicmicro.com  for more info about the BAP28.

FireAnt is based on Zenta's A-POD and made from all aluminum anodized brackets. The kit includes the new digital HV220 robotic servos with position and force feedback. This gives FireAnt life like movement and the ability to sense its environment. It can sense the force the pincher's are applying with no additional sensors. It can also feel when a leg is touching something in both down and forward directions for autonomous terrain adaptation.

http://www.orionrobotics.com/FireAnt-Hexapod-Robot_p_248.html

Kondo Robot announced a new, low cost, hexapod robot design with surprising flexibility, performance, and customizability. The robots unique leg design incorporates springs and linkages only requiring two servos per leg while improving the hexapod's ability to deal with uneven terrain and obstacles. The robots base frames can be easily fabricated or modified by builders to realize custom configurations. For more information visit Robots Dreams at:

http://www.robots-dreams.com

A small autonomous agile robot with an on-board neurologically-based control system. Developed by engineering professor Roger Quinn and his team at Case Western Reserve University. Video presented at IEEE IROS 2009. Read more robot news at:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/projecthexapod/stompy-the-giant-rideable-walking-robot

https://www.facebook.com/ProjectHexapod

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/04/18/mantis-the-six-legged-robot

www.dailymail.co.uk/Beware-Mantis-Giant-legged-terrain-robotic-creature-revealed

http://metro.co.uk/2013/04/22/hampshire-designer-builds-giant-mantis-shaped-robot

http://metro.co.uk/2013/04/22/hampshire-designer-builds-giant-mantis-shaped-robot-3662022/
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/04/18/mantis-the-six-legged-robot_n_3106944.html

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