Our BIGGEST project yet! (SPIDER MECH!)

*FAQ: Such a huge project makes it impossible to cover everything in one video, so here's a bit more information about why we did things the way we did!*
- The biggest challenge in this project was integrating and tuning our system, because big hydraulics, heavy frames, and tons of sensors have a lot of variability that needs to be checked. We used an open-source hexapod library to control how it walks, which has been used on much smaller hexarobots, and works great. Once the mechanical system is more reliable, it will be able to walk easily.
- A lot of people asked why we didn't make a scale model, and the answer is quite simple. When you get to multi-ton mechs, scale models provide almost no benefit, because you can't build a scale model the same way you have to build a giant steel machine. A toy version using motors wouldn't teach us anything. And if we built a 1/4 or 1/2 scale version, the cost would almost be the same as the full-size megahex -- because all the components required cost approximately the same, small or large (valves, sensors, even hydraulic cylinders don't change -too- much in size).
- This leads into another common fallacy when it comes to science fiction -- Movies like Transformers, or Pacific Rim... simply aren't possible. Doesn't matter how far technology advances, when you get to literal skyscraper sized robots... there's not any materials on earth strong enough to withstand the forces of such a big mech! Everyone's familiar with the common saying "The Bigger They Are, The Harder They Fall". And that really sums it up. Why is it you can drop a cat from a few stories up and it's fine, but it's certain death for humans? Because force multiplies with mass.
- Why flat feet? We had planned on designing different feet attachments for it (you can see the holes in the plates for mounting), but for the base foot, we went with a large flat foot with rubber pads on the bottom, as the initial goal is just walking on flat ground. Having a big flat foot helps ensure the foot remains parallel to the frame, and the leg perpendicular to the ground. A pointy or rounded foot would increase the risk of the robot "twisting it's ankle" which is the weakest link in the excavators. They aren't designed for angular forces.
- Why didn't we do more FEA calculations? FEA calculations are great, but sometimes are just theoretical for best-case scenarios. For the excavators, we didn't design or manufacture them, which makes them an unknown variable that makes it really hard to calculate things for!
- Are we going to revisit it? *yes* but it might be a while. We want at the very minimum for it to be able to stand up on display, and walk one leg at a time (the slowest, but most stable hexapod gait)

Don't typically do donations like this. I just wanna say thank for taking on this ride.

It's insane how you can build something like this. Major props to everyone at Hacksmith Industries :)

GIANT ENEMY SPIDER **spitting bars**

The world needs more engineers like you, you serve as an example for young people in this society.

I am studying Robotics and I am blown away by how far you were able to get with this thing. I was implementing a closed loop walking algorithm for Hexapod as part of my thesis and I know how hard it is in simulation let alone irl. You have my biggest respect. I hope people will see how much time and love is needed for things around us to work robustly. Thank you for what you are doing.

The sheer amount of dedication, resilience, and tenacity this took was remarkable. It's always painful when the idea in your head takes longer than anticipated. But have to say, the result is one of a kind. Your team pretty much did the impossible! I love the result, or at least the result that was temporary!

I also like how you guys controlled it like senator Armstrong controlling the metal gear he had

Full scale Metal Gear Excelsus, when?

I'm so here for projects like this. Seeing the engineering work, the pride when it was working, the enthusiasm and effort. Yes, it was expensive, and I'm hoping beyond hope that, in the balance, it doesn't leave you in the red.

The fact that this started out as 6 excavators is absolutely mind blowing. I have no words for how cool this is!

you guys are incredible for even attempting this and genuienly blown away at the insane amount of work! you guys should be proud!

mad respect not just releasing the first 3 parts of this video to try to gain revenue, but to make a great video show-placing the ups and downs of what something like this takes. Big resepect.

The fact that it curled up like an actual spider when something went t!ts up is super cool and creepy

You guys are really doing what nobody else could conceive of accomplishing. The existence of this channel is a huge inspiration for people wanting to get into engineering!

Y'all get mad props for attempting that. Keep it up guys. & happy new year 🎉

Hugely inspirational, and an amazing amount of grit and effort to make the impossible possible. Its always interesting to watch this and see what different decisions on parts or configuration could be to improve outcomes, but really impressive the amount of engineering and troubleshooting. Thank you for sharing!!

The level of ambition and ingenuity is off the charts on this one boys. You successfully made a Giant freakin' walking spider-mech prototype! It's mega frustrating when budget and labour constraints inhibit a passion project like this, but your team must have gained a ton of valuable data on things to avoid in the future.

I actually really like the fact that you're ok with showing how a project failed, because not only is it a very interesting story on its own, but it also gives us a great look at what working on stuff like this is really like. The fact that no project is guaranteed success makes the ones that do succeed all the more impressive.

I watched some armored core videos and now yt served me this, what a perfect recommendation 10/10 awesome project

The fact that y'all got as far as y'all did on this project is honestly amazing. Good job and great video. I'm subscribing.

As an engineering student myself it was really awesome seeing you guys highlight not just the successes, but the learning opportunities too! I loved having Bogdan walk us through the thought process and emotions at each step, as it gives us a very valuable insight into what truly goes into these videos. Personally this is probably my favourite video you guys have done, kudos to everyone involved! I hope you do more of these mini documentary-style videos instead of the flashier reaction-based videos, so long as they're fun for you guys to produce as well :-)
Small side note, seeing you guys just dragging it back and forth on the concrete like that made me laugh as much as it made me grimace 😂

The level of endurance you guys have for these big projects, and the sheer amount of programming and engineering is amazing to see! Too bad this didn’t work out, but I can’t wait to see what you all having coming up next!

This is just so incredibly complex... I can't believe what a smart and talented group you guys are! You need to work for NASA!!

GIANT ENEMY SPIDER

This thing is insane, don't know how you kept this a secret for a year and a bit

Our society needs engineers like this

The amount of effort this must take is unreal. I dont think I would have the determination to finish it.
Also this looks like something straight out of mad max.

I believe that in order for the machine to move naturally and smoothly...we must return to nature and place sensors on the spider’s feet while walking in order to measure the movement of its limbs compared to its abdomen and measure the rise and fall between the legs to discover the correct matrix for the correct walk.

I am genuinely so proud of Bogdan in being able to sit here and walk us through his project knowing he has to give in in the end. It’s an extreme showing of his strength of character.

We learn the most from our failures. The fact that it was able to walk and turn is a feat of engineering that you guys should be proud of. You figured out how to make it move steadily, adjusted things as needed and over-all made a very solid platform. We won't be seeing mechs anytime soon, but taking little steps like this are a great way forward.
As much as I would love to see you guys make a working 6-legged mech, don't kill yourselves over it. Do what you can and keep testing. Isn't that the entire point of the Scientific Method?

This and your Bucky arm design has inspired me to start studying robotics and biotech to try to create some amazing things thank you

Incredibly impressive! I wish i had the means to donate, but I hope to in the future. Folks like you bring applicable innovation to the public when so much is hoarded for the military only. I love all your content! Keep your chin up! I enjoyed this thoroughly and look forward to more great projects. Long live Hacksmith!

This is what Boston Dynamics has been perfecting over the past three decades since 1992, so it's not as easy to make as it is to imagine. Awesome work, lesson learned, and cool mech!

Let's be honest. When I first saw the little thumbnail and read the title, I was sure it was some kind of CGI showcase. But no, you guys actually built a huge spider mech and walked with it. My words can't describe how blown away I am. Crazy good work!

Just by watching the video and seeing how it works, there are a few changes I would have made. The first is the transportation - by dragging the legs, it would have added more stress to the frame than was needed. If the femur was raised vertical and the other segments folded in, then it could have been rolled out much easier. The second thing is the feet. Rather than have them digging into the ground like that, I would have allowed them to articulate / rotate using heavy duty springs (Side effect would have been added stability). The final thing would have been to watch high FPS videos and motion capture data for spiders moving and use that mocap data to "animate" the walking.

"My grandpa made that suggestion...like 6 months ago".
There is something so cool about that comment. Love the enthusiasm with these young guys, and the old timer still has excellent ideas. Very cool!

Mechs on a large scale like this are insanely impressive.

Holy CRAP! That was a hell of a Journey you guys went on to build this thing, and while it's unfortunate that you ultimately had to scrap it; thank you for making this video and showing us what it takes to be an engineer. I'm looking forward to your future projects!

This is amasing!
Hi dudes, you and your project is some beyond, I'm shocked. Even though my specialty is far from robots, your efforts taught me a lot, thank you!
Good luck in your new projects!

정말 대단하시네요.. 제발 좋은곳에 사용 됬으면 좋겠어요.

I can't believe how much effort and ressources went into this video when I remember Jame's garage. This isn't much but I'll feel like I contributed to help keep making these projects possible for you guys! Amazing work!

Thanks for pushing boundaries and keeping the inner child alive. Love you guys and keep going!

Perhaps this is the most expensive, useless, but at the same time the most grandiose construction that I have seen on KRplus. Mega cool project. And everyone has failures. This is the only way to gain experience. You guys are cool

It would be great if, one day, you revived this project and get it to walk without breaking after a few steps. Good work!

The amount of failures you guys pushed through is EXACTLY why I love this channel! Keep it up!

Taking "a giant enemy spider" to a whole new level.

'Be careful 621. That's a C-Spider."

I’ll be honest, this was really cool. Was it complicated? Yes. Was it difficult? Yes. But what this shows me is that the idea is possible and actually feasible in the future when technology advances a bit more so keep up the good work

That's honestly one of the coolest things I've seen on KRplus. You guys created something truly amazing and even though it's not complete, maybe a few years down the line it will be possible. Great job guys!

That's quite a display of engineering, work ethics and tenacity right there (and a some craziness too) Hats off to the team!

Side Bar - I spent a lot of time in Canada while growing up in Michigan, The accents really take me back. Great channel

This is something youd see an evil villain make as a boss fight

This thing is INSANE

I mean... the collective engineering work that went into this is insane. The project is an amazing fusion of different disciplines, and really is a fantastic case study in appreciating just how incredibly complex so much of the machinery we take for granted in the modern world is.
Thank you for the incredible work on this, and you should all be incredibly proud of what you accomplished.

I have a new appreciation for the carantula on hill climb

You guys are super smart! You did a great job.

As an engineering student (that has a control theory exam in 2 days), I couldn't ask for a better motivation boost than this video. Being familiar with the subject gives perspective on the immense complexity and scale of this project it truly is insane! So much respect for the team!

Y'all this thing is a childhood dream come to life! I cannot imagine how much time the team combined sunk into this project, but I think it's totally worth it. At the very least, you can show it off as a non-moving statue in (or near) the showroom.
Do we think it's time to revisit the spy car series?

Buen video resumen, oye ... En definitiva estuvieron muy cerca de conseguirlo, así que ánimos con sus futuros proyectos!

LOVE THIS! Been following you guys for a while and this is like the coolest. I'm thinking maybe redesigning the feet would give it a lot better grip and keep it from sliding around as much? Since metal and flat surface usually makes for really poor grip

Your team did an incredible job with this. It's amazing to see a KRplus team go at these major projects that seem so advanced, that you'd only expect major government-funded corporations throwing millions of dollars to develop. Very well done

I am really saddened that this project was put to rest even if it had the real potential of becoming something so much bigger... But I suppose I shouldn't request too much. The fact that the Megahex project carried out this far to begin with is a miracle of its own, and the fact that ya'll cared this much about your passion project that you were working on it despite it making you loose money, to the point that it almost pushed you to bankruptcy... That's wholesome, man! An inspiration to all the aspiring engineers or any other artists at that matter, and a textbook definition of ''Step by step goes a long way.''

I'm hoping people continue this technology. Its coolness factor is off the charts.

"What? They Have a Metal Gear?"

I am a retired engineer from one of the major automobile companies. I spent an equal amount of time in product testing and software design over a 30-year period. There is NO better way to learn than through application. No book will ever teach you all that you learned by doing this project. I have a BSEE and that got me into a company and started with the basics, but it wasn't until I was in the field that my real education started. I can not begin to tell you how amazed I am that you got as far as you did. There are SO many variables to consider. You guys are absolutely amazing and exactly what engineering is about. Do NOT be disappointed in the fact that the frame didn't stand up to durability testing (which is what you ultimately did when trying to figure out how to get it to function). All of those who worked on this project represent who we need driving to a better and more interesting life. Keep up the great work!!

The patience, ingenuity, and problem solving involving is nothing short of inspiring.

you need to do more projects like this!

Well done! The data: invaluable! Lighter limbs would improve a lot: that's a ton of moving mass!

This looks like something straight out of Scrap Mechanic! The commitment and perseverance you guys have for your projects, and for us the audience is truly unreal

To be honest, as an engineer I watched this from the beginning to the end since the video format was quite good, and another reason to support you on a project like this one since I know how hard it could be.

Wow...this is...badass. Well done, you guys. So fun.

a quick thought - whould a circular frame around the cockpit with weighted balls in it that adjusts for the overall balance increase the stability of the machine? ofc it needs to be calibrated and adjusted by the input of the controller to relieve some pressure on the legs.

Awesome video. I would love to see a detailed breakdown of the software side of this project. This was obviously a huge undertaking to export the model from Solidworks (URDF?), to then manage the joint locations so you could get the nice real-time graphics in RViz and feedback to help config your PID controllers. Awesome job all around, really showed how difficult integration of robotics systems can be.

Hopefully way down the line this project can be revisited. But this is definitely a lesson in asking and understanding the important questions before beginning building. Shear stress during turns was definitely something that was majorly underestimated!
Don’t let this failure take away from what you built and how close you came to success! We’re all proud of how far this team has come and how ambitious they remain!

You guys were literally on the cusp of success. Do not give up!

*Collective consciousness starts playing* METALGEAR EXELSUS!

As a mechanical engineer, working on a project like this would have to be my ultimate dream!

Thanks for full sending the craziest builds around, stay strong and carry on! This was EPIC!!!!

I'm half way through and I'm just thinking how much I'd love to be programming something like this walking motion as a fan of programming (my day job) and geometry. Moving the foot in a straight line means moving all 4 hydraulics of the leg as well as the pivoting of the femur at varying speeds depending on their individual positions. Oh the fun of doing that!

I am such a big fan
Been watching you guys make for 5 years

huge props to the editors on this! the editing is clean AF, could legitimately be a tv show. or even better!

Love your guys' videos. Been watching for years, and I've seen all the ups and downs and changes to the channel. Really impressed with everything you all have been able to do.

Without a doubt, these projects mark a mark in the history of civilization. Congratulations! 🐾👏👏👏👏👏

Absolutely bonkers, and I hope this video has done well enough to recoup at least some of the crazy costs!

What’s also super impressive is that they had the patience and confidence to keep this project quiet for a year an a half

This will be my very first donation to anyone ever on any platform, but feel like this is the right time to show my thanks in your time of need as a thank you for inspiring me to pursue a career in engineering. Thanks Hacksmith!!!

you guys are very creative this spider robot is very important during the flood

Amazing persistent creative move! Superb :)

Good work team. Showing what you have done and the journey is all part of the learning. Loved to be brought along for the journey, appreciate it.

i cant believe how far this channel has come. i've been a sub for nearly 6 years now and i remember when strapping jets to james's arms was a crazy thing to see. now we're at something as intricate as this? holy crap dude, i cannot even fathom the time, thought, and money that went into this. this channel is one of a kind

Después de ver proyectos "perfectos" ver este proyecto tan humano y tan lleno de aprendizaje es realmente inspirador. Yo también me encuentro en un emprendimiento que, más de una vez, me ha hecho decir "no debí de dar luz verde". Así que los entiendo perfectamente y los admiro por la valentia.

Very cool guys. Lots of hard work and a lot of accomplishments. Keep it up

Absolutely incredible. I couldn't believe what I was seeing even just 3 minutes in, let alone the end result

Love the effort, the stubbornness, the mech! Love what you guys do.

You still pulled off the coolest PoC I ever seen.

Raiden: Armstrong, impressive little toy you got there!

Blown away by how much was acconplished and you guys deserve a ton of props for both perservering and knowing when to stop

The pain and joy of working on a project and seeing the successes and failures is something I can really relate to.
You guys should be insanely proud of the effort around this project. Seeing that first rise gave me goosebumps!
Awesome work lads! Keen to see more content (success or failure) :)

Giant Enemy Spider!
*Starts beatboxing Pokémon*