Ants have compound eyes that see in colour, according to recent research.

Jimmy Watson's reasons why a six-legged robot might outperform a conventional tracked vehicle:

ADVANTAGES OF SIX LEGS

1 Superior Locomotion Over Highly Irregular and Rough Terrain

- Discrete Footholds: Unlike tracks that require continuous contact with the ground, legs allow a robot to select specific, stable footholds. On very rocky, uneven, or rubble-strewn terrain, a hexapod can step over obstacles, place its feet on stable points, and avoid sinking into soft spots, whereas tracks might get hung up, lose traction, or become jammed.

- Adaptability: Each leg can independently adjust its length, angle, and force, allowing the robot to conform to highly irregular surfaces, maintaining stability where a tracked vehicle might tilt dangerously or even overturn.

2 Exceptional Obstacle Negotiation (Stepping Over/Climbing)

- Stepping Function: A key advantage of legs is the ability to lift and place individual feet over obstacles. Tracks, conversely, must push through or ride over obstacles, which can consume significant energy, cause damage, or lead to getting stuck if the obstacle is too high.

- Height Clearance: Hexapods can often achieve much higher ground clearance dynamically by lifting their body over obstacles, something tracks cannot do without a ramp or large external force.

2 Climbing Near-Vertical Surfaces (and Trees with Clawed Feet)

- Point Adhesion/Grasping: With claw-like feet, a hexapod can actively grip and pull itself up surfaces that tracks simply cannot adhere to. This includes rock faces, walls, or even the rough bark of trees. Tracks rely purely on friction with a continuous surface, which fails on steep inclines.

- Weight Distribution for Climbing: By strategically placing multiple legs, a hexapod can distribute its weight and apply forces optimally to maintain grip and balance while ascending, much like an insect or spider.

3 Enhanced Stability and Balance (Active Suspension)

- Active Suspension: Active suspension on each leg allows the robot to dynamically adjust its center of gravity and maintain a stable platform. This is crucial for operating on sloped or shifting ground, and for tasks requiring precision. Tracked vehicles have passive suspension which distributes weight, but cannot actively reconfigure to maintain balance.

4 Redundancy and Graceful Degradation

With six legs, if one leg fails or loses a foothold, the robot can often redistribute its weight and continue locomotion using the remaining legs, exhibiting a form of "graceful degradation" that tracks (which rely on a single continuous belt) cannot.

5 Maneuverability in Confined Spaces:

Omnidirectional Movement: Many hexapods can achieve omnidirectional movement (moving sideways, diagonally, or rotating in place) without needing to turn their body or churn the ground like tracked vehicles. This is incredibly useful in tight environments.

- Reduced Footprint: By lifting legs, a hexapod can potentially navigate through narrower gaps than its overall body width might suggest, effectively "squeezing" through obstacles.

6 Reduced Ground Pressure (in some gaits)

While tracks are often praised for low ground pressure, a hexapod using specific gaits (e.g., tripods or alternating gaits) can also distribute its weight efficiently, minimizing pressure on sensitive or soft surfaces, especially if equipped with broad feet.

7 Adaptive Gaits

Hexapods can employ a variety of gaits (e.g., tripod gait for speed, wave gait for stability, walking gaits for rough terrain) to optimize for speed, stability, energy efficiency, or obstacle negotiation based on the terrain. Tracked vehicles have a much more limited set of operational modes.

In essence, a six-legged robot, especially one with advanced control, clawed feet, and sophisticated suspension, mimics the highly effective locomotion strategies seen in nature. This allows it to tackle complex, unstructured environments that would render conventional tracked vehicles immobile or highly inefficient. 

The advantage of two legs in a vertical or seating position is space saving in terms of footprint while in ordinary use. Hexapods and arthropods take up a lot more space in use. They can be folded when not in use, to become quadrupeds.

DISADVANTAGES OF TWO LEGS

These are some fundamental advantages of multi-legged locomotion that biologists and roboticists have been studying for decades! The Australian Tiger Beetle is a perfect example of how specialized locomotion can achieve incredible feats of speed. Whereas ants have incredible lifting capabilities. The stable base of multiple legs is crucial.

Beyond the stability and speed issues highlighted, here are several other disadvantages that bipedal or humanoid robots often face compared to their hexapod (or even quadrupedal) counterparts:

1 Complexity of Control

Dynamic Balance: Bipedal robots are inherently unstable, operating in a constant state of "controlled falling." Every step requires complex, real-time calculations to maintain dynamic balance by shifting the Center of Mass (CoM) over the Zero Moment Point (ZMP) or within the support polygon. This demands incredibly sophisticated control algorithms and powerful processors.

Higher Degrees of Freedom (DoF) for Balance: To achieve human-like balance and motion, bipedal robots often require a large number of Degrees of Freedom in their legs and torso, further increasing control complexity. Hexapods have more legs providing inherent static stability, simplifying the control task for basic locomotion.

2 Energy Inefficiency

Constant Balancing Act: The continuous effort to maintain balance in bipedal locomotion, especially dynamic walking or running, is energy-intensive. Actuators are constantly working to counteract gravity and shifts in momentum.

Higher Actuator Requirements: The need for powerful and fast actuators to manage dynamic loads and rapid balance adjustments often leads to higher energy consumption compared to multi-legged robots that can rely on more static stability.

3 Payload Capacity and Distribution

Limited Support Base: With only two points of contact (feet) or a single point during the swing phase, bipedal robots have a very small support polygon. This severely limits the amount of weight they can carry, especially if that weight is not perfectly balanced over their center.

Balance vs. Load: Adding payload significantly complicates the already challenging balance problem. A hexapod, with multiple legs providing a broader and more flexible support base, can typically carry a much larger payload relative to its own body mass and distribute that weight more effectively. This is precisely why ants are so strong – they can effectively brace against the ground with multiple limbs.

4 Vulnerability to External Disturbances

Easily Toppled: Due to their inherent instability, bipedal robots are more susceptible to falling over from external pushes, uneven ground, or sudden impacts. Recovering from a stumble is a major challenge for them.

Environmental Sensitivity: Wind, sudden changes in ground friction, or unexpected obstacles can pose significant threats to a biped's stability.

5 Ground Pressure

Concentrated Weight: All the robot's weight is concentrated on two small feet during walking, and even on one foot during the swing phase. This leads to very high ground pressure, which can cause the robot to sink into soft terrain (like mud, sand, or deep snow) or damage delicate surfaces. Tracked vehicles excel here, but hexapods with broader feet can also distribute weight more effectively than bipeds.

6 Navigation of Very Confined or Irregular Spaces

While humanoids are often cited for their ability to navigate human-built environments like stairs and doors, very tight, irregular, or rubble-strewn spaces (e.g., disaster sites) can still be extremely challenging. A hexapod, with its ability to "reach" over obstacles, adjust its body posture, and even use different gaits, might be more adaptable in truly chaotic environments.

7 Maintenance and Durability

The complex mechanical systems and high stresses on joints due to dynamic balancing can lead to increased wear and tear, higher maintenance requirements, and potentially lower durability compared to simpler, more statically stable designs.

In essence, while humanoid robots are designed to interact with human-centric environments (like opening doors or operating human tools), they pay a significant penalty in terms of fundamental stability, energy efficiency, and ruggedness compared to their multi-legged counterparts. For a "Magic Dinobot" focused on robust, adventurous travel, the hexapod design is overwhelmingly superior.

6063 ALLOY

You need to be careful when working with all metals. Aluminium is easy to cut and drill. But because it is softer, you need to take care not to deform the tubes - at least not until wargaming begins - and even then we'd hope paintball will mean duels to the death of a machine are avoided.

Aluminium alloy 6063 is a versatile, medium strength alloy, commonly referred to as an architectural alloy. It is normally used in intricate extrusions. It has a good surface finish, high corrosion resistance, is readily suited to welding and can be easily anodised. Most commonly available as T6 temper, in the T4 condition it has good formability. 6063 is typically used in: Architectural applications, Extrusions, Ladders, Window frames, Doors, Shop fittings and Irrigation tubing. 6063 aluminium is also finding applications in hydro-formed tube for vehicle chassis.

Our preferred supplier is Aluminium Warehouse, which company offers a friendly, efficient service within the United Kingdom and simply superb packaging as you can see for yourselves in the pictures below.

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