Companion Robot Backpack

2023-10-01 | By bekathwia

License: None

Today I’m making a backpack for my friend Jayy’s companion robots.‎

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Jorvon Moss, aka Odd_Jayy, is a maker of robots and gadgets, including his shoulder-mounted ‎companion robots. Check out his work on maker.io, or follow him on Instagram at @odd_jayy.‎

Supplies

Here are all the supplies you'll need if you want to make this project yourself:‎

Heavyweight fabric, I used both cotton canvas 10oz and ballistic nylon
‎1" nylon webbing‎‎
‎1" buckles (2)
D-rings (2)
Swivel clasps (2)
Paracord‎
Cord locks
Zipper (optional)‎
Grommet kit
Fabric scissors
Sewing machine‎
Thread
Sewing needle
Sewing pins and/or clips
Thread snips (optional but handy)
Thin upholstery foam (for strap)
Printer with paper (for pattern)
‎3D printer‎
PETG filament

This project is sponsored by DigiKey, where you can find a surprisingly large variety of scissors, ‎in addition to all your robot-building supplies.‎

Making the First Prototype

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I whipped up a first prototype designed around a round drawstring compartment for the robot. I ‎printed out the pattern and cut out the pieces from black canvas– it’s heavy-weight enough to ‎simulate the final bag, but easier to work with, and less expensive than the sturdy nylon I planned ‎to use for the final bag.‎

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I used paracord to make the drawstring and fed it through the hem using a big safety pin. I had a ‎few of these spring-loaded closures hanging around, called cord locks, so I used them for the ‎drawstring adjuster. This particular size is a pain to get two sections of normal-size paracord ‎through, but by the end of this project, I developed a technique that works reliably well.‎

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I used a piece of cardboard to stiffen the bottom of the bot compartment and folded the tabs ‎under it to attempt to make a bot support bracket. I didn’t think the cardboard one would hold up, ‎but I wanted to test out the geometry of everything.‎

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Of course, it got smushed the instant Jayy tried this one on with any weight up top. After ‎completing the first test fit, we decided the bot needed to sit further forward on the shoulder than ‎in this initial design, so I needed to make the bot compartment its own separate piece. ‎

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Adjusting the Design

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I 3D modeled a platform in Tinkercad for the bot to sit on affixed with zip ties, using PETG ‎filament, which is less brittle than PLA. ‎

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The fabric top of the robot compartment remains the same as before, but I needed to do its ‎machine stitching before attaching it to the rigid base.‎

attaching

This drawstring cord lock still gave me a lot of trouble this time, but I promise I’m getting closer to ‎the ultimate tip for this situation.‎

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Then I sewed the drawstring bag to the 3D-printed base around the edge by hand. Since I wasn’t ‎sure where exactly the robot's waist was, and wanted it to be flexible for future robot versions, I ‎added some nylon straps for cinching down any extra fabric.‎

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The rest of the bag came together similarly to the first prototype– I made the strap with a ‎sandwich of nylon and upholstery foam, two layers this time, and used 1-inch webbing for the ‎straps, with compatible 1-inch buckles and D-rings and all that. The thing that’s new in this ‎version is the use of grommets, which I’m using to make the link between the platform and the ‎strap, as well as for the backpack compartment closure.‎

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The idea to make the platform perforated for attaching the robot was the real breakthrough in the ‎stability of this design. Jay reports that this backpack holds up his robot companion securely and ‎comfortably.‎

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So, I made a second basket assembly with rounder 3D printed edges since it’s easy to swap the ‎whole basket out on the backpack base. I used orange canvas for this one and hand sewed the ‎fabric to the base. The base is held to the strap with two more pieces of paracord.‎

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Paracord Tip

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And finally, here’s my tip for getting the two ends of the paracord through the cord lock device– ‎you can tightly wrap the cords together with thread, then push them through together. It’s the ‎same sort of technique some folks use to remove a ring that’s stuck on a swollen finger. Or, you ‎can just buy bigger cord locks... But I was determined to use the ones I already had.‎

Backpack

This was such a fun collaboration and a really satisfying design challenge. I love working with my ‎friends, Jayy is just the best, and the result is better than either of us imagined.‎

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