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A comment on Strandbeest. Parent comment

Re:Strandbeest by xg15 on Sunday August 25, 2024 @03:16PM (#41350337)
Isn't another advantage of legged vehicles being more applicable to uneven/unstable terrain? (Like in this case the constantly shifting water/mud/sand boundaries of a beach)

If you wanted to build a similar contraption that is powered by wind but moves on wheels, I imagine there is a much larger chance of it getting stuck.

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Re:Strandbeest by crazygringo on Sunday August 25, 2024 @03:24PM (#41350421)
Sure, but on the other hand legs produce a LOT more force/weight per square inch, which can lead to them sinking more easily.

Which is why what the military uses for unstable terrain is treads like you see on tanks. Same for construction equipment that operates on soft soil.

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Re:Strandbeest by xg15 on Sunday August 25, 2024 @03:29PM (#41350479)
Makes sense. I suppose the additional constraint here is "with minimal damage to the environment".

Like, some caterpillar-type vehicle could move fine on that beach, but you'd definitely see the trace of its movement afterwards...

So legs are not a useful movement mechanism for tanks, but they might be for delivery bots, etc.

I also wonder about the energy expense. The strandbeests seem to be powered by nothing else than a number of sails and the movement mechanism has little enough resistance that the wind force is enough to pull the vehicle along.

It feels as if a caterpillar would have more resistance, though I don't have the numbers. I guess you could in theory make a wind-powered caterpillar vehicle by using a turbine - but the vehicle would probably be slower, I.e. less efficient?

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