All Terrain Forklift

Hello, I currently go to Scripps Ranch High School, and in this Instructable, I will be showing the process by which I developed a forklift which can operate in rugged environments. This would be crucial in asteroid mining and space in general, where the rugged terrain poses a challenge for moving supplies. Lets get started!

Fusion 360

In order to create a design that would work in rugged environments, I looked to nature for ideas. Since nature has been evolving insects and animals for billions of years, the strategies it creates for moving around the rugged terrain of the earth would be applicable to the rugged terrain of space. After looking through many animals and insects which are able to carry objects, I found the scarab beetle. With 2 large mandibles, It would be the perfect design to model a forklift after.

In order to create the main body design, I used sketches and modeling tools. I used the basic shape of the Scarab Beetle, but also added a control seat for the operator, and a place for an engine and exhaust pipe. I also created boxes which is where the legs and fork lift would attach.

In order to create a leg for the forklift, I looked to other robot projects that use legs. I found that the legs of a robot dog greatly resemble one of a beetle. The leg is able to move its hip and knee, which allows for great range of motion, as well as the capability to deal with uneven surfaces. Furthermore, since the motors which control the hip are stationary, the motors can be very large, and can produce a lot of force. Since the robots primary objective is to move objects, this is very important.

To model the forklift, I started with the mast which is the part that the forks slide on, then added the forks. A key aspect of forklifts is their ability to carry standardized loads. Because they only carry loads which have holes at a certain distance apart, as well as parallel to each other, this means that the lifters cannot rotate, instead they must be translated. This is very different than the mandibles of the beetle, because the mandibles are able to rotate and bend, but not translate.

If asteroid mining becomes feasible, moving materials will be one of the most basic and important tasks. This is why it would be very important to create a forklift that would be able to move over the rugged terrain of the asteroid, but also able to carry heavy loads. I think that a forklift with a leg design would be the best option, as it offers to best capability to handle rugged terrain, while also being very stable and maneuverable.