Mouse Obstacle
As part of my time as a research intern for the Neuromechatronics Lab at CMU, I was tasked with building a motorized obstacle for mice to jump over as they ran on the KineMouse wheel. To learn more about the KineMouse wheel, click here.
The motorized obstacle needed to lower the obstacle, run on a track about three feet long, raise the obstacle, turn around, run back to the start, and repeat until stopped. Initially I looked into pre-built motorized stands, but I ultimately decided it would be a much more interesting project if I were to make everything from scratch.
Other than a few modifications, the design for the obstacle remained pretty consistent throughout. As pictured below, the obstacle consists of a wheeled platform that runs on a piece of extruded aluminum. The obstacle wheels are driven by a belt system powered by DC motor. The part of the obstacle that the mouse jumps over is powered by a servo motor. Both motors are controlled by an Arduino Uno and the entire system is powered by a 9V battery.
Custom Components
The initial obstacle design only included two components that needed to be printed/machined - the wheels and the stand. I designed both the wheels and the stand in SolidWorks and then 3D-printed the wheels and sent an order to a company for the custom aluminum stand. Later I realized that CMU had the tools for me to make a custom part by bending and cutting an aluminum sheet. For the rest of the custom pieces, I used the machine shop on campus. Below are some images of the design process and finished wheels and stand.
Wheels for obstacle
Stand for obstacle
Stand with wheels attached.
After