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A new open-source robot called ARTI has been designed that can conquer stairs with no problems at all.  The freshly public Ground Drone Project are... Ground Drone Project Launches Stair Climbing Robot

A new open-source robot called ARTI has been designed that can conquer stairs with no problems at all.  The freshly public Ground Drone Project are the guys behind this marvellous feat of engineering that has been in development for a couple of years now. The robot’s developers focused their minds on the problem of climbing stairs because it is difficult for robots to accomplish and a major obstruction to their usage, because a robot is only as useful as the obstacles it can overcome.

The ARTI Robot Can Negotiage Stairs With No Issues Whatsoever.

The ARTI Robot Can Negotiage Stairs With No Issues Whatsoever.

ARTI, as the robot has been affectionately named, is short for articulated mobile resonance apparatus. It is the first design that has been released by the project and is based on the founders’ patented articulation tech and treads design.  It is this which allows the robot to overcome stairs with relative effortlessness.

The robot is controlled using a simple remote that is very similar to a RC car remote.  ARTI is lightweight, and although it is not as indestructible as military tanks that the robot is based upon, it is durable enough to withstand a heavy stumble.

The boxes which house the electronics and connect the treads are mostly empty, but the Ground Drone Project founders have suggested they may be filled with sensors or whatever gear you need. It will be interesting to see what people actually do with ARTI when it begins making its way t the public later this year. The basic design is fairly simplistic and it is envisioned that it will be used as a platform rather than a finished product.

Because ARTI is exclusively open source, many of the parts, such as the motors that drive the tank treads, are available from off-the-shelf merchants. If you want to construct ARTI yourself, but don’t have a CNC machine or a 3D printer lying around, don’t worry because you can buy all of the custom-designed parts directly from the Ground Drone Project.

ABS versions of the parts are available for a cost of $339 whilst a premium aluminium version costs only $509. Both of these parts designs are available for pre-ordering now, and a Kickstarter project is all set to launch in a couple of months time.

According to the founders, you will be able to get the rest of what you need to construct your very own ARTI off the shelf for only $1200-$1300.

As always, if you would like to leave a sensible comment, then please do so in the comments section below.

[Image via: letsmakerobots]

SOURCE: http://gizmodo.com/awesome-stair-climbing-robot-conquers-obsticles-with-ta-1637600728