Animations of linkage movement.

Monitory Deploy

TV deployment linkage

Mikhail Zhuk generated this animation of Jerome Choe’s concept for a six-bar linkage that rotates a 70in TV monitor down from the ceiling around a virtual pivot positioned down from the ceiling and in front of the wall. We hope to build a physical prototype. (UCI Robotics and Automation Lab)

Deployable Arch

Deployable archway

This animation of Jerome Choe’s concept for a spherical archway was generated by Mikhail Zhuk. Spherical rhombus elements form a foldable structure. (UCI Robotics and Automation Lab)

Shelter Deployment

Stackable fold-up emergency shelter

Mikhail Zhuk animated this design concept for an eight-bar linkage to deploy a collapsible emergency structure. A physical prototype is under development. (UCI Robotics and Automation Lab)

Jansen and Klann Legs

Comparison of Klann and Jansen leg linkages

Joseph Klann provided a useful comparison of the leg designs for the Mondo Spider and Theo Jansen’s Strandbeest at this (archived) link: http://www.mechanicalspider.com/comparison.html.

Here is an excellent web page about the Klann and Jansen leg mechanisms, as well as other leg designs: Dog Feather Designs.

This article compares the leg designs:  Mechanical Spider Using Klann Mechanism

This is a youtube video prepared by William Thielicke that illustrates the two leg mechanisms.

Linkage for an RV deployable top

Linkage for an RV deployable top

This design concept is an 8-bar linkage developed by Minshan Tsai and GimSong Soh for my advanced mechanisms class lifts the top of a recreational vehicle to create a second story, UCI Robotics and Automation Lab. It is on YouTube.

Dishwasher linkage

Dishwasher linkage

This linkage to lift the lower rack in a dishwasher was developed by Marshall Meek in my advanced mechanisms course (UCI Robotics and Automation Lab) It is accessible on YouTube.

Ten-bar Drive

10-bar drive linkage

This 10-bar linkage is designed to drive a scissors movement in order to actuate a deployable structure. It was presented at the 2009 ReMar Conference in London. (UCI Robotics and Automation Lab)

Spherical Deployment

Spherical deployable linkage assembly

This assembly of spherical rhombus linkages expands to enclose a volume.  It was designed by Jerome Choe to explore the construction of complex articulated systems. (UCI Robotics and Automation Lab)

Brock Engineering’s mechanism home page

Fred Klingener has generated a number of interesting mechanism animations.  My favorite is the Peaucellier straight line mechanism.  You will find a table of 16 or so animations at his site:

http://www.brockeng.com/mechanism/index.htm

Brock Institute Logo

Brock Institute Logo

Bennett Linkage

Linkage animations on synthetica

This link connects to a web-page with a number of linkage animations. There are several planar four-bar linkages, several spherical four-bar linkages, and an example of a spatial four-bar linkage called a Bennett linkage that is shown below. This page also includes a number of spherical linkage animations generated by students some years ago. (UCI Robotics and Automation Lab)

http://synthetica.eng.uci.edu/Linkages.html

This animation was generated by HaiJun Su using POV-Ray. It is a Bennett linkage designed to guide the coupler linkage through three specified task positions: