Petey the Racer Droid is a WIP eleven-function figure depicting an original robot character inspired by the car of Talladega Superspeedway Champion Pete Hamilton. I'm leading a team of ten to bring this project to life.
COncept Art
Concept Development
The idea behind this figure was to create a Sci-Fi-themed project and connect it to the state of Alabama, since this project is for a university club. From there, the idea became to design a racing droid inspired by the car of Talladega champion Pete Hamilton, with the story that Petey is an aspiring racer currently working as a race starter.
Pete Hamilton's Plymouth Superbird
Design
The figure was designed in SolidWorks. The main structure is built around pieces of bolt-together aluminum with custom 3D-printed parts to connect the servos to the structure.
Various functions of the figure were delegated to different team members to design under my oversight and guidance.
Latest Cad Model, Shells on and Off
HEad
He features a three-axis neck based around a universal joint, allowing him to pitch his head up and down, tilt side to side, and rotate to look around. He also features a telescoping eye mechanism driven by a rack-and-pinion.
His head structure features large wings so that it can connect to his head shells.
Arms
He features a two-function shoulder mechanism plus the ability to bend his bicep on each arm.
In story, he is a race starter, so he has the ability to extend and retract a checkered flag from his right forearm via a rotating shaft and guide plate, which he can wave utilizing his arm functions.
In story, he is a race starter, so he has the ability to extend and retract a checkered flag from his right forearm via a rotating shaft and guide plate, which he can wave utilizing his arm functions.
Shells
His shells were designed in SolidWorks using features such as lofts to create natural shapes.
To ensure the figure could be built, digital proxies of tools, such as screwdrivers, were placed into the CAD. This made it possible to identify when certain designs were unmanufacturable and to address this in the digital design phase rather than later, when physical parts would have to be modified.
To ensure the desired range of motion, testing was conducted in Photoshop to determine how far parts could rotate before colliding with one another.
Clearance holes were placed in the back of the shell to ensure that a screwdriver can reach the screws necessary to hold the shells to the mechanical structure.
Fabrication
Many of Petey's parts had to be cut to shape. Team Members worked to cut his aluminum structure to length, as well as brass strips for use as servo horns, and to heat-set threaded inserts into 3D-printed parts. Many of his 3D-printed parts, such as his shells, are too large to be printed at once; these needed to be printed in sections, which were then welded together.
Team Members at work
Credit to April Berry for the concept art used at the top of the page.
