Intelligent Mechanized Manufacturing System

Today, repetitive and meaningless forms of production and labor occupy most people’s daily lives, leaving them with little energy to pursue the free development of human beings. Through the design of a special mechanical tentacle, I aim to address the limitations of traditional robotic arms, which cannot fully replace humans in certain repetitive and meaningless tasks. In addition, I propose a general design concept and philosophy for an intelligent mechanized production system in order to achieve this goal.

By liberating people from repetitive and meaningless labor, this system can free human productive forces while also improving productivity. The products created by this “surplus” productive capacity can then be directly redirected toward the development of human beings themselves. In this way, people would be able to devote more energy to development, research, and discussion concerning humanity, human society, and the natural world, ultimately promoting the comprehensive development of both individuals and society.

Theoretical materials for the robotic arm: hoses, sealing pistons / piston seals solid flexible tubes, aluminum alloy fixing plates, rubber strips, bearing rollers, metal connectors, and metal tubes.

As shown in Figure 1, the colored diagram, point A represents a stepper motor and a gear, which provide power for the entire hydraulic device. At point B, there is a rack gear. The rack converts the rotational motion of the stepper motor into linear motion and drives D, which is the sealing piston. Point C is the connection between the rack and the sealing piston.

Point E represents the metal container. There is an opening at the top of the container where it connects to G, and there is also an opening at the bottom that allows D, C, and B to move. D moves inside E, applying pressure to the liquid. This force is then transmitted through the liquid F, which is oil, to point H. H is also a sealing piston, and it serves as the key component that drives the movement of I as a whole. H moves inside G, which is a metal tube.

The movement of D causes I to move. Since I is the solid flexible tube connected to K, K is pulled downward, thereby causing L to bend in one direction and causing J to curve.

The purpose of making DJ = DG is to prevent the solid flexible tube, that is, the bending and extension part of the robotic arm, from moving beyond the range of G. Once H comes out of G, the robotic arm will no longer function properly. Therefore, we must make sure that the increase in length caused by the relative stretching or contraction of one side of J, or one side of the robotic arm, during bending and extension does not cause H to leave the range of G during its upward or downward movement.

After explaining the movement in a single direction, we can now discuss how movement in the other directions is achieved. As shown in Figure 2, the black-and-white diagram, eight structures identical to the one shown in Figure 1 are placed around J, which is the final inner wall. This allows the system to pull in eight different directions.

For the overall bending and extension of the robotic arm, we only need to adjust the output of the stepper motors in order to control its movement in all directions. For example, when the robotic arm bends to the left, D on the left side moves downward, while D on the right side moves upward. The remaining D components can then be adjusted accordingly.

How, then, can the overall bending of the robotic arm and its movement in other directions be achieved?

As shown in Figure 3, the multi-directional bending of the robotic arm is achieved through a knee-joint-inspired linkage structure. In Figure 1, component I corresponds to the red line segment in Figure 3. The arrows indicate the direction of movement of I, as well as the general direction of the applied force.

The black components represent metal connectors and fixing parts. These connectors are joined together by rubber strips, allowing the structure to form a stretchable and elastic connection. All parts that come into direct contact with the red line segment are equipped with bearing rollers. These rollers reduce friction, lower mechanical wear, and also provide a lever-like effect.

The connection between the black components and the green part, which represents J, is achieved through bearings. This creates a flexible connection, allowing the black components to move along J while still remaining attached to it. At the same time, the black connecting components on the same horizontal plane are rigidly connected to each other instead of being connected through the purple part. This rigid connection limits the movement of the black components and prevents them from leaving their designated range of motion.

In this way, by coordinating this linkage structure with the adjustment of the stepper motor movements described in the first step, the robotic arm can achieve bending and extension in multiple directions around its body.

Some people may ask: Can the structure shown in Figure 1 alone support the weight of a large robotic arm? In my opinion, it cannot. Therefore, I designed Internal Wall Design 1 and Internal Wall Design 2.

In Design 1, shown in the upper diagram, the overall system is powered by several complete N structures from Figure 1. The power sources are stored inside M in Figure 1. These power sources can be arranged in a spiral pattern, either in a DNA-like double-helix structure, or, if space is limited, in a single-helix structure.

The number of power sources depends on the number of soft ring-shaped structures that need to be filled with oil. These ring-shaped structures are shown in the upper diagram, and I refer to them simply as soft hydraulic rings.

The power sources pump additional oil into the soft hydraulic rings. Each soft hydraulic ring is equipped with an independent power source, allowing every ring to operate independently. As the internal pressure of a soft hydraulic ring increases, its stiffness also increases. This is similar to how muscles become harder when filled with blood, or how the surface of an inflatable stick becomes firmer when it is squeezed by hand. This is the principle I am referring to.

By controlling the amount of oil pumped into each soft hydraulic ring, the system can coordinate with the movement of the stepper motors to achieve different bending patterns. For example, the lower section may bend while the middle section remains straight and the upper section bends; or both the middle and lower sections may remain straight while only the upper section bends. The reason certain sections do not bend is that the originally tilted soft hydraulic rings become straightened after oil is pumped into them, similar to the behavior of an inflatable stick.

The restricted movement described in Step 2 is achieved by fixing each black support block onto one soft hydraulic ring. In this way, the movement of the support blocks is limited by the position and deformation range of the corresponding soft hydraulic rings.

Therefore, this design helps solve several problems: the robotic arm bending under its own weight, the need for more diverse bending patterns, and the issue of load-bearing capacity.

The support principle of Design 2 is the same as that of Design 1, but its structure is different. Design 1 uses a larger number of power sources, while Design 2 requires only two. However, its theoretical range of motion would also be more limited, and the design itself is more idealized.

First, a large outer flexible hose wraps around the entire structure of J. This hose provides basic support through its own structural strength. Then, Pump 1, which is the large yellow piston at the bottom, pumps oil into the pressure chamber. The upper and lower sides of the pressure chamber are made up of sealing plates.

The upper sealing plate consists of the green pump, the purple tube, and the brown solid tube. It controls the upward and downward movement of the upper side. The lower plate is connected through a tube extending from the central pressure chamber, corresponding to the upper black tube and the small yellow piston. Through the movement of Pump 1 and the pulley structure, the lower plate can move up and down.

This means that by controlling only two oil pumps, the system can control the vertical movement of the pressure chamber, allowing for more precise adjustment. However, its limitation is that it cannot achieve independent stiffening at multiple different sections of the robotic arm.

This diagram is not drawn to scale. In theory, the upper black tube and yellow tube, as well as the lower purple tube and brown tube, would all be longer. The components must remain within their guiding tubes throughout the entire range of motion.

Finally, through the complete assembly of all the components, a single robotic arm can be constructed. By repeating the same process five times, the approximate effect of the five robotic arms shown in the 3D model can be achieved.

Combined with a vision module, modern or future AI technology and programming, as well as a simple hydraulic or motor-driven body, this intelligent machine could replace humans in repetitive, meaningless, and tedious forms of labor. In doing so, it would lay a productive foundation for humanity’s movement toward the realm of freedom.

At the same time, social development would become unavoidable. As productivity increases, the structure of society would also change. Many problems caused by shortages of materials and resources could be solved once productive forces reach a higher level. As long as these materials can be properly distributed, human society could enter a new era of freedom and all-round human development.

In this sense, the machine is not merely a technical device, but a means of transforming production itself: by freeing human beings from repetitive labor, it helps create the material conditions for the free and all-round development of humanity.