Rekursive Studios
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RS-02 · Mechanism

Jansen Walker

A four-legged Theo Jansen linkage walker, printed on my own machines. Two small gearbox motors turn a crank, and the legs turn that rotation into a walk.

In progress
Fig. 1: the walker, assembled
Fig. 1: the walker, assembled

The build

  • Four Jansen legs driven by two TT gearbox motors
  • 9V battery and a speed controller
  • A 3D-printed chain whose joints are pins of 1.75 mm filament

The rivets

The chain links are tiny: 5.51 mm between the two holes on a plate. To pin them I had PCBWay machine a brass soldering-iron tip with a small dome-shaped cavity. Pressed onto a stub of filament, it forms a rivet head. Too much heat smears the plastic, so the iron runs low.

Fig. 2: forming a rivet head with the brass tip
Fig. 2: forming a rivet head with the brass tip

Software

I wrote a linkage tool, Walkshop, to work out leg proportions before printing. Add a screenshot and a link

Coming next

  • Print files on Printables, Thingiverse and MakerWorld
  • Assembly video with a parts list
  • A history video: Theo Jansen's thirteen numbers, and the Klann and Lambda walkers