SES-V1 Legged Robots

Lynxmotion was one of the first companies to commercialize hexapod and biped robots intended for the hobbyist and educational markets. These versatile kits are not toys – they use advanced inverse kinematics and provide the hardware needed for legged experimentation. Most frames are made out of durable aluminum brackets, and all frames use quality high quality Hitec servo motors. Not only are more complete kits available, but body and leg assemblies can be purchased to “mix and match” to your preferred hexapod design.

Most designs are based around the Lynxmotion Servo Erector Set (SES) V1 modular robot construction system and the selection of hexapod bodies includes fully symmetric round frames for omnidirectional motion, as well as unique designs like the Phoenix, T-hex and A-Pod. Each leg has between two to four degrees of freedom (DoF) and actuation at each joint is accomplished using durable and high quality Hitec RC servo motors. Brackets are made from durable aluminum, and plastic parts are black polycarbonate. All but a few hexapods use both an SSC-32U RC servo controller paired with the programmable, Arduino-compatible BotBoarduino microcontroller. The community-developed Phoenix sample code provides an excellent starting point for multi-legged robot experimentation, and is meant to use the versatile wireless PS2 controller (available separately). 

One example of a quadrapod designed using the SES v1 system is the SQ3 (Symmetric Quad 3Dof) which is a 12 degree of freedom (DoF) quadruped robot with a symmetric body design. The robot’s symmetry and three DoF legs make this a very unique quadruped walker allowing it to walk in any direction. This research level robot is perfect for college robotics labs and individuals looking to get started with experimenting with more complex legged robots. 

Lynxmotion’s Bipedal Robotic Articulating Transport, or “BRAT” is an inexpensive and simple six servo biped walking robot intended for bipedal development. Using only three degrees of freedom (DOF) per leg the robot can walk forward or backwards, turn in place and get up after a fall. It can even do Robo-One style acrobatic moves. The BRAT combo kits include almost everything needed to make an operational robot (battery and handheld remote sold separately). More complex bipedal designs can be created as well using the SES V1 system, of which the Scout and Pete are excellent examples. Lynxmotion’s Pete is a 22 degree of freedom humanoid with arms and hands. The Scout robot is a “Mech-like” walking robot with six degrees of freedom per leg. Partial Pete and Scout kits were created due to demand, though no sample code is available