meet the citizens behind the scenes say hello
how Coily, the lamp comes alive
A continuum robot, disguised as a lamp
1. Coily had to feel alive.
2. Coily had to break free from the form of a conventional lamp entirely.
Most lamps have one orientation, one purpose, one place. We wanted Coily to be different. It could place on a desk or mount on a wall, a desk buddy or a friend in the corner of the room. You decide.
That led us to the concept of a "lamp creature": a form that isn't fixed, that can move freely on its own structure. Something that feels less like an appliance and more like a presence.
As for the "head" and "tail" movements, we looked into continuum robotics, a field defined by fluid, organic, organism-like movement.
While standard robots rely on jointed articulation and stiff links, continuum robots move through continuous "flow" rather than fixed joints. These jointless structures typically use a flexible central backbone, often a high-tech material like Nitinol, supported by external spacer disks that guide actuation tendons.
After experimenting with different materials, we found that using clear PVC tubing as the central backbone, reinforced by external compression springs and 3D-printed spacer disks, was the easiest way to achieve the fluid, organic and organism-like movement we were looking for.
While standard robots rely on jointed articulation and stiff links, continuum robots move through continuous "flow" rather than fixed joints. These jointless structures typically use a flexible central backbone, often a high-tech material like Nitinol, supported by external spacer disks that guide actuation tendons.
After experimenting with different materials, we found that using clear PVC tubing as the central backbone, reinforced by external compression springs and 3D-printed spacer disks, was the easiest way to achieve the fluid, organic and organism-like movement we were looking for.
3D-printed body with fishing lines and wiring routed through
The fishing lines (actuation tendons) run outside the tubing, through the holes in the spacer disks, spaced 90 degrees apart in a circle. In its idle state, all four lines are held under tension. When one line is pulled, the opposite line is released, causing the central backbone to bend.
Instead of pulling the fishing lines with a hand,
more details coming soon...
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