Page 93 - Mechanics of Microelectromechanical Systems

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Robot 4 • Go-Rilla

The Go-Rillas are fast biped robots often used by the smugglers and bounty
hunters of the galaxy to defend their hideouts. Capable of following only
simple commands, a Go-Rilla is not nearly as intelligent as most Droids, but
what it lacks in intelligence is more than made up for in speed and brute
strength. This robot makes the ideal guardian, capable of running down and
trampling with its enormous legs any intruders who enter its field of vision.
Stomping around within a territory set by their owners, Go-Rillas will make
any intruders think twice before attacking, be they Jedi Masters or a patrol of
Imperial Stormtroopers.
The Go-Rilla is the fastest of the three biped robots in this book. Let’s take
a moment to look at what it is that makes biped robots so unique.
All bipeds have one talent in common: the ability to balance. There are two
important concepts behind balancing. The first is the idea of a footprint and the
other is center of gravity. Your robot’s footprint is the shape formed by the
points of contact with the ground; a biped’s footprint is like a box drawn
around the supporting “feet.” To balance, a biped needs to keep its center of
gravity within the boundaries of that footprint. Any weight added outside of the
footprint would cause the center of gravity to shift outside the footprint,
causing the biped to fall over—unless it can be balanced out by a weight out-
side the opposite side of the footprint that shifts the center of gravity back
inside its boundaries.
The center of gravity has three dimensions that affect it: side-to-side, front-
to-back and top-to-bottom. Super Battle Droid, AT-ST, and Go-Rilla each have
similar side-to-side and front-to-back dimensions that affect their centers of
gravity. However, a Go-Rilla’s top-to-bottom dimension is much lower to the
ground than the other two bipeds, which makes it more stable. Also, a Go-
Rilla’s top-to-bottom center of gravity is very near its hips (where it leans side
to side), which allows it to shift its weight side-to-side much faster than the
Super Battle Droid or AT-ST. These factors allow it to take many more steps per
minute than the other two bipeds.

Bricks & Chips…

Micro Scout Programs
Go-Rilla can only walk forward, so it should be used with Micro Scout
program number 1.

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