Notes
Quadruped robot engineering log
Desktop quadrupeds: leg degrees of freedom, gait choices, actuator cost — why the demo video and the shippable product are two different machines.
-
Oct 21, 2026
Why desktop quadrupeds cost what they cost: actuator and geartrain math
Sixteen joints, each with a motor, a gear train and a lifetime of impacts. How actuator selection, gear reduction and foot design set the cost floor of a toy quadruped.
Read the note -
Sep 25, 2026
Foot pads: the cheapest part that decides whether a quadruped walks
Gait, grip and noise all meet in a few square centimetres of elastomer. Choosing pad material, durometer and geometry for a desktop quadruped.
Read the note -
Aug 17, 2026
Gaits that survive a living room: from demo footage to real floors
A quadruped that strides perfectly across a studio table meets rugs, cables, thresholds and slippers at home. The gap between demo gaits and domestic ones, and how to close it.
Read the note -
Jul 8, 2026
Torque math for desktop quadrupeds: how big the actuators must be
Leg torques grow with the square of leg length. A worked example of sizing actuators for a desktop quadruped, and why cutting mass beats buying torque.
Read the note -
Jun 19, 2026
Two or three joints per leg: degrees of freedom and what they cost in a toy quadruped
Leg joint count decides what a desktop quadruped can do, what it costs and how long it lives. The trade-offs between two-DOF and three-DOF legs, and the middle paths in between.
Read the note