Innovation Tank Designed Using 3D-Printed Tank Treads with Filament Spools for Wheels

The Innovation Tank is a caterpillar single-rider vehicle developed at UCLA Innovation Lab from scratch.

Cabe Atwell
4 years agoRobotics
A pair of 1.5kW motors drive the Innovation Tank and powered by a 40Ah lithium-ion battery, which can power the tank for a few hours before needing a recharge. (📷: Yusuke Tanaka)

Mechanical engineering graduate student Yusuke Tanaka and colleagues from UCLA’s Innovation Lab have designed a one-person vehicle using 3D-printed and aluminum parts, which is capable of climbing and descending concrete, asphalt, and grassy slopes. The Innovation Tank is equipped with a caterpillar tread system and continuous track similar to its military brethren, only its 3D-printed using ABS filament rather than steel and used empty filament spools for the wheels.

The belts on the Innovation Tank were created using ABS (for better shock resistance) for the tread parts and TPU for the gripper, which are connected using zip ties. The belts feature a lattice structure, which offers good structural strength using less material. The continuous track spools around eight re-used filament spindles that act as the tank's wheels, with each containing a pair of bearings and are attached on a fixed axis.

The Innovation Tank’s frame was also made using materials slated for the trash bin, including the T-slotted aluminum and copper drive bars. Tanaka states that they didn’t cut the aluminum, but rather chose pieces they thought would work for the project and adjusted the design accordingly. On the power side, the tank is driven by a pair of 1.5kW e-bike motors, powered by a 40Ah lithium-ion battery.

The Innovation Tank is an ongoing project currently in its third revision, with continuous improvements being made to the track, grippers, and hinges, and the group is even recycling the old parts as they go along. To see a walkthrough of the Innovation Tank’s progress, head over to Yusuke Tanaka’s project page.

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