Quote Originally Posted by Max View Post
I would say that all sounds hugely expensive (I am imagining near 5 grand but I'm not very sure) but really awesome, I wouldn't bother with a walker but if you are set on one then tats your choice.
I looked into using fluidic muscles but they were very expensive (festo ones were about £200 per muscle I seem to recall). Also remember that with fluidic muscles the amount of stroke depends on the pressure so you would need a good compressor to keep the pressure up, again I would instead go for a mechanism to make it walk based on 2 DC motors to save you a lot of weight as hassle. In the rules it says that all projectiles must be tethered so you would have to tether your spear thing, but it sounds like a cool weapon, but ok not sure on its effectiveness against materials like 6mm hardox, but I am planning a. Similar weapon so I am hoping it will have some effect.
I am sure you realise this but for your first robot keep it simple and work up from there, you will have more fun if you actually build a simple featherweight wedge than if you spend loads of money and set out to build an amazing heavyweight then never actually manage to build it as you have wasted all your money.
All makes sense.

I AM set on a walker, but don't think for an instant that I think that's a great way to go. I just love walkers.

Festo.. yeah. I was hoping they wouldn't be that much. Wow, ouch! That answers that, then. I will make my own.

I think that with enough cfm, 100psi is plenty for air-muscles?

The stroke is actually not pressure dependent if maxed-out. The stroke is 25% total length, but the force obviously does depend on psi, and cfm as well for speed.

Although my weapon idea is based on an x-bow, the plan is a spear rather than arrow.. ie, it never leaves the bot.

I think your advice re building a f.w wedge makes its point. I might go for a self-made air-muscle based bristle-bot style drive-train. Fiddly, but actually very basic and very cheap. OOO, and I could keep it all below 50psi and avoid some troublesome regs too!