W.A.N.T : Weightlifting Ant

Abstract: The purpose of this project is to create a light weight robotic version of an ant that can withstand great forces, trying to come close to the ant’s lifting technique as much as possible. This idea was chosen with inspiration from nature, especially from the obscure forces of an ant. These insects are proven to be able to lift and carry heavy loads, up to a thousand times their body weight. Various lifting technologies are used by several facilities today and therefore there is a need for improvements in this field. By trying to come close to an ant’s appearance and mimic certain ant movements, a hexapod was designed over a period of four months. The tests made in this project were divided into three categories; stability, lifting and gripping ability. The best balance was achieved by placing the legs’ contact points on the ground as far away from each other as possible. In total the robot ant could lift about 1.02 times its own weight and bear 3.01 times its own weight on the thorax.