Tightrope Walking Cheat Device

AD: To celebrate the Fanhome launch, early bird subscribers will also receive an exclusive Starkiller base model. Just go to bit.ly/3mRHTNr and use the promocode PROMOJBRUTON
It’s pretty hard to walk on a tightrope but I thought I’d have a go. I set up a bar which is a steel scaffold pole and tried my best to walk along it. Sometimes I could almost make it to the end, but most of the time I did far worse than that. It’s a bit easier if you crouch right down and use your arms to help you balance, but standing up tall makes it even harder. Standing still on the spot for any length of time is practically impossible.
But could I make a device that would help me balance?
I’ve built a couple of projects that used reaction wheels to make a device balance on the spot. This is a wheel which rotates and dynamically accelerates in either direction based on the angle of the device. Force equals mass times acceleration, so we only get a reaction force when the wheel is accelerating or changing direction.
But how big would a reaction wheel need to be to help me balance so I can walk all the way down the beam?
CAD and Code: github.com/XRo...
You can support me on Patreon or buy my Merchandise:
***************************
Patreon: / xrobots
Merchandise: teespring.com/...
***************************
Affiliate links - I will get some money of you use them to sign up or buy something:
***************************
Matterhackers 3D printing supplies: www.matterhacke...?aff=7500
Music for your KZbin videos: share.epidemics...
***************************
Other socials:
***************************
Instagram: / xrobotsuk
Facebook: / xrobotsuk
Twitter: / xrobotsuk
***************************
CAD and Code for my projects: github.com/XRo...
Huge thanks to my Patrons, without whom my standard of living would drastically decline. Like, inside out-Farm Foods bag decline. Plus a very special shoutout to Lulzbot, Inc who keep me in LulzBot 3D printers and support me via Patreon.
HARDWARE/SOFTWARE
Below you can also find a lot of the typical tools, equipment and supplies used in my projects:
Filament from: www.3dfuel.com/
Lulzbot 3D Printers: bit.ly/2Sj6nil
Bearings from: simplybearings...
Lincoln Electric Welder: bit.ly/2Rqhqos
CNC Router: bit.ly/2QdsNjt
Ryobi Tools: bit.ly/2RhArcD
Axminster Micro Lathe: bit.ly/2Sj6eeN
3D Printer Filament: bit.ly/2PdcdUu
Soldering Iron: bit.ly/2DrNWDR
Vectric CNC Software: bit.ly/2zxpZqv
Why not join my community, who are mostly made up of actual geniuses. There’s a Facebook group and everything: / 287089964833488
XROBOTS
Former toy designer, current KZbin maker and general robotics, electrical and mechanical engineer, I’m a fan of doing it yourself and innovation by trial and error. My channel is where I share some of my useful and not-so-useful inventions, designs and maker advice. Iron Man is my go-to cosplay, and 3D printing can solve most issues - broken bolts, missing parts, world hunger, you name it.
XRobots is the community around my content where you can get in touch, share tips and advice, and more build FAQs, schematics and designs are also available.

[@camdenadams7499]

No officer, I'm not drunk. See, I can walk in a straight line! *Proceeds to put massive spinning reaction wheel of doom on back*

[@albyshinyfield8841]

☠️

[@LegendLength]

"sir that's my gun belt"

[@TheRainHarvester]

The moment i had the same idea, your comment scrolls into my view. Sometimes i think KZbin orders comments using mind telepathy!

[@notahotshot]

@@TheRainHarvester "Mind telepathy" If that different than "penis telepathy"?

[@Zolnierzu]

We need a follow-up to see if it helps when you get shit-faced

[@atlascheethac7869]

I have been welding all day and for some reason when you started welding I immediately shut my eyes for fear of damage, sleep deprivation is a hell of a drug

[@pizzarella985]

Never welded in my life but I did instinctively look away from the monitor when he started welding LMAO

[@paulm2206]

throwin on the safety squints

[@MolecularMachine]

Good instincts, though!

[@dogyourmom8531]

I watched this video for the second time and each time I squint and hide my eyes/close them, my brain just won't let me. look.

[@bogmaerke]

Go to bed instead of watching YT then!

[@jetsamrover]

Your hips are like a hinge, which allows the device to think it's upright as long as only your upper body is upright. But if your legs are at a slight angle still, you're not balanced. You need the device to instead stabilize your hips, to keep your legs upright. Not your torso.

[@Tjita1]

Yeah, like either attach the IMU to the legs, or use an RTK solution to keep the center of gravity above the rope/rod.

[@johanandersson2165]

yeeees :D A tens EMS unit sending Electricity to legs so they are upright

[@Deccoyi]

or maybe put the sensor on the hips to get better tilt data?

[@boelwerkr]

like a tail? ;-)

[@A_Simple_Neurose]

@The Lone Creator stop advertising your shit on other people's channels and in unrelated discussions. it's poor form and very rude.

[@JCV123]

As a physiotherapist, this is very interesting to watch. Your body´s ability to maintain balance is highly dependant on accurate feed-back and feed-forward information, but also the coordination between these two types of information. I guess the same principles can be applied to the device on your back. You basically have two systems trying to do the same task... But without knowing how to work together.

[@Idekbru]

Could this type of device be helpful for any of your patients? Also saw someone suggested a waist height version

[@xXChipsAndGravyXx]

@@Idekbru the problem is this works with mass, and patients who are struggling to walk will also struggle to walk with 30+kg on their back

[@NoorquackerInd]

I was thinking this as well, it would be very confusing having both a reaction wheel and your natural reaction against falling. Maybe if it were manually hand controlled, although it would take a lot of training and practice to be able to correct yourself by hand

[@yurttgjk]

As psychotherapist, i am very interested too!

[@amitsuthar4569]

@@xXChipsAndGravyXx 😂😂😂

[@MrMuzza008]

Real tight rope walkers hold onto a very long bar to balance. You should make a "virtual" long bar. It would be a short bar with reaction control wheels on either end of it to keep it perfectly level and then you hold onto that. When you feel you are tipping one way you would instinctively push or pull the opposite way and the reaction wheels would push or pull back hopefully keeping you upright and balanced.

[@prodiver7]

Just a massy bar that shifts side to side should do it...

[@akunog3665]

i like this idea a lot.. it would almost be like you have a rail to hold onto, only that it's only fixed in one of the 6 degrees of freedom. Would be an odd experience I think.

[@JWQweqOPDH]

​@@thewillderness7852 A longer bar of the same mass has a greater moment of inertia, and thus undergoes less rotational acceleration with the same moment/torque applied.

[@Shoothebird]

Cool idea.

[@nicstroud]

One works just fine so lets make two and mount them at the ends of a pole to add weight, cost and complication to the job. Says the reaction wheel salesman.

[@williamt4749]

I love your balancing machines! Suggestions for this one: 1) Ring of mass instead of spinning death flower. Reduce the mass for same moment of inertia. I would have tried a bike wheel with a vinyl 2" tube filled with wet sand, capped on each end and zip-tied in place of the tire. Respect for the max effort approach, but man that is a lot of cutting drilling welding screwing for the world's most deadly social-distancing encouragement device. 2) Accelerometer mounted on chest to decouple angle changes of the backpack relative to torso. 3) Ankle supporting work boots to help avoid breaking or spraining an ankle. 4) Control test with static mass on backpack instead of control test with no mass on back. I would guess it's even harder to balance with 30kg load on your back. So the improvement would be much larger than you seemed to observe. Keep up the great work! You are inspiring!

[@lukaslarsen4259]

I laughed out loud at “spinning death flower” hahaha

[@willhaney96]

It's scary how close your elbows are getting to those massive steel bars!

[@stocktonjoans]

"Billy Mays here, Do you love balancing but _hate_ your elbows? Burtoncorp has finally come up with a sollution ..."

[@Different_Name_]

had to stop watching coz of this so scary

[@bluemamba5317]

I bet he cringed in pain watching this back in editing

[@lawrencemanning]

@@Different_Name_ yup this is daft. It’s that and also just plain falling over and getting body parts in it. I assume the trigger was acting as a dead man switch but still. Absolutely batshit IMO.

[@iAmTheSquidThing]

Yeah, put some elbow pads on, James!

[@danielwcrompton]

I think that with the amount of practice you put into balancing with your compensator you would likely be able to cross the bar without a huge contraption on your back. Good fun watching the build. 😁

[@shader26]

Good point! When I was around 16, a friend and I would walk up to a store regularly. On the way there was a metal railing fence about 15’ long. One day we got the idea to try and walk on it (was about 3 1/2’ high if I recall) and each of lasted only a few steps. We tried some more…then went on. But after that whenever we walked up to that store we would give it a try, maybe a few times. Was decades ago, but I recall in about a month of this, we were regularly able to walk the whole length about 50% of the time, and even when we didn’t we got pretty far usually before falling off.

[@Trenz0]

Someone doesn't understand engineering. Why would you spend 5 minutes fixing a problem when you can spend days solving it?

[@big_bird8597]

lol that was my thought obviously in jest but itd be like a dude designing robotic legs to run a mile faster 😂

[@radomane]

There is something very scary about putting 1500w of motorized rotational momentum directly in to your spine.

[@jtjames79]

You misspelled awesome.

[@scubaru7162]

Worst case have a button that needs held to operate, when you begin to fall you'll inevitably let go and E stop the motor

[@snipperjoey1151]

This is how we get a real life Doc Oc.

[@masterpig5s]

@The Lone Creator Cool. I understand the grind but maybe commenting like this isn’t best for public opinion

[@LegendLength]

with sharp steel spinning 1 foot away

[@Georges3DPrinters]

And this is why tightrope walkers have a really long bar. I think it would be much better with a weight on the end of a bar swinging side to side like a pendulum. If it could extend as it pivoted then that weight can be smaller because the lever will be longer, I hope you revisit this.

[@YerUnclePhil]

This is why the comments are so important. As I too was wondering if what you suggested was a possibility.

[@kylejacobs1247]

A ring of mass would be much more effective than radial spokes of death. The radius of gyration of a ring is pretty much R, while the radius of gyration of a bar placed from the rotating axis to the outer radius is R*(1/sqrt(3)). That means for a given diameter and weight, you are only getting 58% of the rotational inertia you could be getting. Put another way, you could probably reduce the weight from 30kg to 20kg with the same inertia by using a ring design.

[@AbelShields]

They weren't from the rotating axis though, they started most of the way out so not really "spokes", I imagine the radius of gyration wasn't far off of the radius of that wooden wheel with that setup

[@stenzenneznets]

You are absolutely right. I can't belive he didn't design the mass placement this way

[@MjuMeli]

Thanks for this comment

[@bosstowndynamics5488]

@@stenzenneznets It's fairly easy to see how he wound up with those long spokes: James is well aware that ring mass distribution is better as demonstrated by his previous 3D printed flywheel designs - they aren't perfect but definitely move the mass outwards This is the first time he's been moving this much mass around with a reaction wheel, so his initial guess at the required performance was low Using his initial guess, he built a flywheel with the mass more or less towards the outside, within the limits of a project he needs to build, record and edit in less than a week with room to spare When that wasn't enough he added steel bar stock to the outside of the wheel When that still wasn't enough he decided the wheel diameter was too narrow so the next load of weight he added also extended the radius, and then a bit more on the outside Basically every time he's added weight he's put the new weight as far out as easily possible, he's just been stuck with the existing limits of the design without modifying the already complete parts. I expect if he did a v2 that it would be a larger diameter ring with better mass distribution from the get go. This is just an inevitable consequence of seeing projects like these - since it's just effectively a hobbyist proof of concept you will inevitably see far from optimised designs even from engineers who very much know all the ways the design is suboptimal.

[@Hawk7886]

@The Lone Creator super lame, I hope everyone reports your trash for spam

[@MechJake]

The technique you described where you "push" off either side to balance while you walk is great. It reminds me of paddling a very tippy kayak.

[@moses5407]

Just a little feedback from a physiotherapist on this cool project: Maybe Put the wheel down at rear center waist level near the body's COG,and shrink it's size and weight by increasing RPM?

[@iwanwesterduin]

It looks like many of the failures to stay on the bar, specially the earlier tries, occur when James instinctively tries to absorb the pushing force by moving his shoulders and hips in opposite directions and thus shifting his center of mass. If you try to visualize the imaginary people standing on either side pushing him back, I'm pretty sure they would find that pushing his hips is more effective than pushing his shoulders in keeping him balanced. So I definitely agree that this would probably work much better with the reaction wheel at or slightly above waist level.

[@mal2ksc]

@@iwanwesterduin It would also be more practical for someone to nudge him in the hips or ribs, compared to the shoulders, if the bar is more than 15 cm off the ground. So that would probably seem more "normal" if he's perceiving this as "helpers pushing him back up".

[@1mariomaniac]

Increasing rpm brings the issue of acceleration time. In order to gain the appropriate effect you'd need a motor that could reliably bring the reaction wheel up to top speed in a short time. And he already seems to be using a pretty powerful motor, with a 2:1 reduction as well for extra speed.

[@hoodio]

when i saw the steel pipe you balanced across, i thought you made a mechanism to roll the pipe back and forth to help with balancing, that would be really interesting

[@nkronert]

"Now I can safely walk the tightrope" Halfway, the tightrope breaks under the immense weight.

[@mustafadut8430]

I have 2 suggestions. 1- Instead of extending the force arm, you can reduce the size of the disc in half and increase its weight. 2- You can use 2 separate motors and balancers. When you want to turn in the opposite direction, you cut off the power of the first motor and start rotating the second motor, that is the disk. I'm watching with pleasure. Good work

[@hpfred]

I know you usually want a reaction wheel like that higher on the balancing object, but as you mentioned our body isn't rigid so we compensate for a lot of that. So, wouldn't having it closer to waist line maybe better? It would be closer to where our center of mass usually is, and where you would want the most to have those forces helping you balance, no?

[@hpfred]

Also, maybe having something like a cage from a paramotor would be a bit safer. XD Would also allow you to make the wheel wider like you mentioned

[@EnsignLovell]

@The Lone Creator Not cool dude.....

[@Unmannedair]

@The Lone Creator Parasite... 🤨

[@Unmannedair]

Was just going to mention the same thing. Your body is essentially a double pendulum, so any applied torque needs to be on the first pendulum or it will be absorbed by the unconstrained second.

[@nicholasmetsavaht7663]

As a biomechanical engineer I agree 100% with this, other than the center of mass part if you place the reaction closer to the chest your abdomen muscles would work a lot harder to compensate the external forces, making you fatigue faster, it would work better as a balancing exercise rather than a helping hand.

[@graysonking16]

You should've given an example of you walking without it at the end. The human brain is very good at picking up things like this, and this is a relatively easy task to do without any machine intervention given a bit of practice.

[@Hephera]

If you were to make a steel ring to be the reaction mass it would not only have a lot more inertia than the spokes you currently have, it would also be a lot less likely to smack into your elbows

[@robertsneddon731]

The US missile designers (and later space rocket builders) needed to use rotary gyros for attitude control long before cheap electronic IMUs were available. Since mass and volume were at a premium they built the rotating frames from lightweight beryllium alloy and added mass on the rims with very dense tungsten alloy cylinders. Wikipedia has an informative article on the ST-124-M3 inertial platform flown on the Saturn V rocket from the 1960s onwards. My suggestion for a Mk 2 balancing rig would be to lighten the non-rotating parts by replacing the box steel frame with aluminium extrusions and replace the reaction wheel with aluminium spokes or perhaps even a bicycle wheel driven by a pulley belt, then attach lead weights around the at the end of the spokes (or around the rim).

[@Pauleeeeeeee]

I know I’m late and people probably already told you, but when tig welding you should keep the gun on the weld after you stop the current, the gas will flow for a few seconds as the weld cools and no air will get into your freshly laid bead. 👍

[@escain]

I would recommend a linear mass, instead of a wheel: In a rigit robot, the wheel applies a rotational momentum, which directly transfers (by friction to the ground) as a lateral force compensating the fall. In a soft body like a human body, most of the rotational momentum just transfers as bending force on your spin, which is mostly absrobed by it and the legs, putting very little lateral force on your feets. If self-balancing is produced by an horizontal linear actuator (imagine a heavy horizontal bar, that the motor is moving left or right). I believe this would much better transfer as a help to keep balance for your upper-body. Obviously, it can't keep moving left/right indefinitively, so the software must overshot slightly to then recover the center of the axis. You can test this manually, by handling the horizontal heavy bar yourself with two hands. You will notice how easier is to keep the balance with the help of the bar.

[@bosstowndynamics5488]

A linear mass on a single axis would still apply a significant torque to your hips so would have a similar problem but also be far more cumbersome. IMHO 2 key things would make this work far better - a more optimised flywheel as mentioned by others and just a bit of practice, letting his brain get a feel for walking with the wheel on. Admittedly practice would also make him better at walking a tightrope without a flywheel, but it would likely take *a lot* less practice to get good with a flywheel than to walk a tightrope without one.

[@1944GPW]

Isn't that what tightrope walkers do with a long balance pole?

[@bosstowndynamics5488]

@@1944GPW Yes, but using a flexible pole that hangs below them to lower their COG as much as possible. James doesn't have the space for such a setup. In that case the walker is also the one in control, having it computer controlled would be much trickier to learn to walk with I imagine

[@Stelthily]

Ty Lee would go crazy with this one

[@AshrZ]

Maybe it's cool for crossing a beam, but imagine this for a person who is trying to walk again after an injury (or paralysis)-they may be strong enough to bear the load of the reaction wheel, but lack the fine motor control to do it.

[@Hardwayistheonlyway]

Intersting concept. I personally think a tail like pendulum with reaction wheel like properties may be more effective as it would keep the mass down low and make balancing easier

[@big_bird8597]

SPOTTED THE FURRY

[@locrianphantom3547]

@@big_bird8597زهف خفي غفهث

[@locrianphantom3547]

@@big_bird8597but it might work better

[@simonwatson2399]

Wouldn't a gyroscope based balance system be better? You can compensate for lower mass by spinning it faster. Also mount it lower, closer to your center of mass. Great video. Also, one in front and one behind to compensate for the torsion that must be generating.

[@kratozaku]

Came here to write the same thing, but knew already someone though about it so kudos to you my friend. :)

[@blenderbuch]

Less mass more speed.

[@dysphoricpeach]

i doubt this would work. two gyroscopes spinning in opposite directions would cancel the torsion, but also cancel the gyroscopic effect. the smart way to do it is to have a gyroscope ring around the waist. but be careful because you might end up gyroscopically precessing on the middle of your tight rope.

[@TorquilBletchleySmythe]

Quite the opposite to your bigger, heavier flywheel proposal, you need a high torque step motor with a smaller, metal flywheel. This will give you the more immediate assistance you need. A motor with enough torque will work without a flywheel, as they deliver quite the jolt, but a metal flywheel is more compact, enabling a mre rapid change of direction response, and will definitely smooth out the effect.

[@Dangineering]

I am loving your projects branching into more wood and metal working. It opens up so many doors for you going forward. Great work james!

[@londonalicante]

"I need a bigger wheel with less mass" - you're basically describing a tightrope walker's pole.

[@reesesapphire267]

I think it would be really cool to see a wearable robotic tail that mimics how other animals use theirs to help keep you balanced. I've seen a few designs but most of the ones I've seen are closed source prototypes, and I'd love to see how you'd approach it. I personally would find that rather useful as I have horrible balance 🤣

[@treasure8213]

make it plug-in type too to commercialize it ;)

[@Just_Juiced]

@@treasure8213 you look like the type of fella to be into that

[@911Tger]

Want tail!

[@reyalsregnava]

Humans don't need a tail. We gave it up for a phat a$$ that does the same thing. No, really, we have big butt so that running is easier.

[@SoldrfMfortune]

The issue is lack of feedback to the brain from the tail. Tails work because of the way the brain views things attached to its spinal column. My mom broke her tailbone, and it healed crooked. As a result, she stands and walks crooked because her coccyx healed crooked, and her brain is trying to orient herself according to the angle her coccyx healed in

[@BasedF-15Pilot]

Not sure why you didn't think of this, but rotate the the wheel 90 degrees, push it away from your back so it doesn't saw you in half, and spin it about twice as fast. Tada, gyroscope. You could probably rollerblade across that pipe then.

[@DIYuntilDAWN]

Rather than the box steel and steel bars that look a bit like saw teeth, you could use a steel ring around the edge of the wheel (like the rim of a bike tire) to add mass to it and it might be a bit safer. It would also mean most of the mass would be further from the point of rotation of the wheel.

[@adissentingopinion848]

I can only imagine that custom machining a steel ring would have costed a pretty penny, or required some sort of spoke system that would have just created the same issue.

[@DIYuntilDAWN]

@@adissentingopinion848 You could probably still use the wooden circle. But rather than mounting the steel bars radiating outward from the center, create a multi segmented ring along the outer rim of the wooden circle.

[@EgorKaskader]

​@@adissentingopinion848 You could, however, bend steel into a ring instead of machining it, or weld it from segments

[@filonin2]

Use a cast lead ring.

[@Hephera]

@@adissentingopinion848 it doesnt have to be perfectly circular. he could have made it with the steel bars hes already using just by cutting them at an angle and welding them end to end to make a big dodecahedron or something

[@Customfurball28]

"I'm so good at walking on a tightrope that I can do it with this giant machine on my back 😎"

[@MrGustavier]

Next step : Slackline !

[@malcolm8345]

hang the mechanism under the slackline to control the slackline and not the person. Beware of falls.

[@rammagaming]

If you try a version 2 of this, put the reaction wheel basically on your butt. Sounds weird, but above your torso isn't really needed for slack line balancing. It can help for sure, but it also just ads another layer of complexity to the mix. I've done circus arts for over 20 years, and most slack liners I know can walk with no upper body help. As long as your feet are placed well, then it just comes down to keeping the legs and hips properly aligned, which the reaction wheel should do if mounted right.

[@SamBarker]

You know I can appreciate the sketchiness of this project, nice job!

[@ArunUdai]

With this much of effort and trials, I think your body has also learnt to walk balanced without any aid.

[@soviut303]

I feel like filling the box steel up with sand or metal beads would have been a good way to add more weight.

[@jtjames79]

Could I add a bunch of 18650s for power and weight.

[@metricstormtrooper]

Perhaps put something a bit safer like a ring of cast metal like an actual flywheel.

[@TheJunky228]

@@jtjames79 some depleted uranium should be pretty heavy

[@Night_Hawk_475]

As an alternative design option that would allow for more power for lighter weight / weaker motor input: Imagine to counter-rotating flywheels which you spin up to speed slowly before even starting. You siphon energy off of them by applying a break to slow them down this is the instantaneous 'jolt' you're looking for to push yourself in the opposite direction (ideally it's a weak break or a very brief one, so you only take a portion of their energy). A smaller motor can continually rev them back up to speed - this will take a longer time than the breaking so it won't apply as much of an off-balancing force during the rev up part of the process. Two wheels so you can break one or the other based on which direction you need to tilt towards. The only thing I'll note is that a design like this starts to pose a safety hazard if your fly wheels are holding enough energy, it'd be more applicable for some of those robot designs than as a wearable device for humans.

[@Ken00001010]

It would be interesting to see how this does compared to a simple balance compensation pendulum. You could get that by simply removing all the weights on half the reaction wheel. Let the weight sink to the bottom and then program the controller to swing the weight from side to side to keep your balance.

[@mal2ksc]

That would also be a lot less dangerous, if it worked, but I suspect it would saturate really easily because of the restricted range of motion.

[@Ken00001010]

@@mal2ksc Well, think about it. It is the same as shifting the weight of a balance rod from side to side of a traditional walker. The only problem is if you start to fall faster than the correction can match the rate of increase of angular momentum. But, if it is tracking that all along the way, that should not happen.

[@kitsubreasts]

i don't think that's safe, you change a spinning wheel that's really dangerous, with a hammer that swings in the back. and it need more force to move a big mass needed to compensate the force and gravity of a single heavy object. i don't know how hard it's to make something like that accurate enought, but sure it's a interesting idea.

[@gtjack9]

This would work so much better if the reaction wheel had better leverage, its current centre of rotation is a long way from your body’s pivot point which reduces its leverage on the rotation of your body. That’s why reaction wheels in spacecraft are at the centre of mass. I’d try getting it closer to hip level. That should give you a lot more responsiveness and torque.

[@buzzed_light_beer]

I'm sure these have great effect, but I'm curious to see how your abilities on the bar improved after walking it a number of times improved compared to how the machine was assisting.

[@daniellambert6207]

1:33 But who sponsored.... the... 3D printing... filament...? for this episode? 4:06 Oh, thank goodness! This really is a James Bruton video

[@PMtoAM]

" i dont need skill, I need SCIENCE"

[@MouseGoat]

I started this video thinking "hey that's a pretty neat idea, why haven't anyone made such a device before" But ending this video being glad you still have intact elbow plats and amazed at how the human body works but also how dump this device looks and is. But definitely a great science project and learning experience, with some safety modifications it could even be a neat try at a theme park ride

[@nicholasjacob3594]

a lesser ratio and larger speeds would accomplish the exact same thing as more mass.

[@liambohl]

Reducing the gear ratio to increase the reaction wheel's top speed also reduces how quickly the reaction wheel can accelerate. It looks like James struck a pretty good compromise between acceleration and top speed, but it's hard to tell just by watching.

[@nicholasjacob3594]

@@liambohl but the reduced mass increases acceleration so they cancel out just now with less gearing and less overall mass but the same effect on his body.

[@majigaining]

this device will save lives one day. Please keep building.

[@Apollos_Triumph]

Absolutely agree.

[@locrianphantom3547]

Gotta attach it to the bottom part of the body for real effectiveness though.

[@Stoneman06660]

That's a frightening amount of energy very close to your elbows! Good to see all the safety gear at work during the build though, something that is often missing from KZbin content.

[@talyrath]

Tilt your head back too far and you're going have a bad problem (and will not balance on a bar today).

[@mm_ww_2]

Very cool to watch. It seems like when the wheel changes its direction, it somehow push you out of your way. I would suggest to use two wheels, one spinning clockwise, and the other anti-clockwise, at the same time. In doing so, you will have a much more quick response to maintain the equilibrium. (Adjust the angular velocities in such way that the total angular momentum can change quicker).

[@ThomasBomb45]

the reaction wheel works on acceleration, not speed. it is instantly providing torque regardless of if the direction changed yet

[@aeonturnip2]

This is brilliant! My Dad could have done with something like this in his later years as he was getting unsteady on his feet due to vascular dementia. Perhaps instead of scaling up the wheel and mass, you could increase the acceleration instead, and as other people have said, move it lower down to avoid the "squishiness" of your core.

[@MichelAngeCalderon]

And you really think He (ur dad) will be comfortable with all the weight of this device?

[@aeonturnip2]

@@MichelAngeCalderon That's why I suggested not scaling up the mass but focussing on increasing the acceleration. He was a pretty strong old bloke when his balance started going.

[@liefschneider3123]

Super cool! Would be cool to see you try out more designs and have a longer beam to test on. Would having more wheels spinning help with reducing the mass?

[@oglordbrandon]

Get rid of the box steel near the center of rotation. Put all the weight on the outside of the circle. The pack will weigh less and have more power to balance you.

[@ravenbarnes3931]

New video title idea "Guy staps blender to his back!"

[@bitluni]

That looks like a device from Mad Max

[@nikosmastoris8108]

A man walked across two buildings James: walking in a straight pipe is impossible

[@Dillbeet]

Now this is an interesting idea! I’m looking forward to any improvements on this reaction wheel balancer lol If looking for ideas for an updated version: Perhaps a ring of mass would be safer to rotate than the current box tubes, maybe moving the reaction wheel toward the hips would allow for better transfer through center of mass and increase accuracy as the leg angles and torso angles are different for balance

[@AndreJNick]

When it comes to the tight rope your intuition is usually wrong. most people will try get both feet set down and then try to balance, but that's gonna mess you up more often than not. You wanna regain your balance while one foot is in the air. use it to your advantage.

[@steveman1982]

Looks like a massive quality of life improvement for walking while drunk enthusiasts!

[@nialltracey2599]

You want drunk people with high speed wheels of spinning steel chunks stumbling around the street...?

[@rts2468]

It's the mass alone that is helping you get across, if you truly could not do it by yourself. Adding mass will always help in balancing, since it takes more to move you off the beam/pole.

[@kestans]

no officer i am not drunk - I can walk perfect straight line ( puts on gyroscope backpack)

[@hawaiianhaole]

I've really been enjoying all of the larger-scale projects with the other workshop. Nice change of pace!

[@NeoShameMan]

Similar idea, something that help you doing back flip.

[@radomane]

What

[@Minecraft-3699]

something like this on a spacesuit could be lifesaving

[@DRockafella]

PS: I'd love to see a version 2 of this compared to a long balancing pole by you. Got a feeling you just might get better at balancing ;)

[@kirkelicious]

You need a full exoskeleton which inhibits some degrees of freedom of your legs and hips and also helps carrying the load of the backpack. Now you can go full daredevil.

[@dong6839]

Have you ever watched something just before bed, then dreamt about it that night? Well I watched a video about reaction wheels one night many years ago then fell asleep, and that night I dreamt of a different kind of reaction "wheel" that I've always wondered if it would actually work or not?! The crazy design that popped into my head that night actually caused me to think of a second variation of it after I woke up and remembered my dream. The original "dream" version was just a long bar (like a chainsaw bar), except much wider (1-3" wide) and it had either a rubber belt, or a metal chain on it that had weights at spaced out intervals attached to the entire outer surface, and the ends of the belt wrapped around small roller wheels mounted on either end of the bar. You could then drive the belt from the center of the bar to make the belt (along with all the weights) move in either direction around the bar fairly quickly (like a reaction wheel). If you held onto the bar, or attached it to your back (like in this video), then let the onboard electronics drive the belt much like it would turn the reaction wheel, would the fact that the weights were way out on the ends of the bar allow you to gain all of the effects of having a REALLY large wheel, but in a much more compact size? And I don't know this for sure, but I imagine it would take a whole hell of a lot less torque to rapidly drive the belt/weights around the bar than it would take to spin up a large wheel! Then this lead me to think, well, what if you didn't spread weights evenly around the entire belt? What if you just used 2 weights and started with 1 of them close to the center, and 1 way out on the end. Then as the computer changed direction it could drive the weights only 1/2 the length of the bar and it could send 1 weight out to the either end, while at the same time, bring the other weight on the opposite end back in towards the center! With the weights flying out and in as needed, it would be like having someone at either end or the bar pushing down on whichever end it starting to rise up (because you're tipping). It's a weighted reaction, but without the inertial movement of a wheel. Then my last idea was to scrap the weights all together, and just use the bar and belt/chain to drive small reaction wheels that are mounted out at the ends. One motor would drive both wheels, and they would spin in the same direction, just as they would spin a single wheel. Being that they're way out at the end of a long bar, it would give you the advantage of leverage, but (again) without needing to use a GIANT, single, wheel!

[@aytunch]

cop: pulls me over - "Walk straight on a line sir" me: calls James Bruton - "Can I borrow your device?"

[@user-vs8ey9nq2q]

The momentum is made by the X-distance between the tube and the centre of the body mass. While the current device detects the angle of Z axis of the body. So the device won't help when the body is falling strait. Also, it will push the balanced body when it is tangled. Even more, when the body is just started falling and is tangled in a different side, the device will help to fall faster.

[@AB-jf9jw]

"it should just stop" stopping and starting are equivalent, so "just stop" doesn't mean much in this context!

[@sb0373]

As far as I understand, James tested this so many times that he was able to walk across the beam without any issues. The wheel is just a placebo.

[@mcmo8294]

As impractical and dangerous as it would be, imagine a tall building that used a system like this that was balanced on a small point.

[@nobodynemo9556]

I think attaching the devise a little bit lower than now, to a weight point, can increase capability of that device and improve stability of the user. Because in that set up that is pushing shoulders and that is too high and can be reason to fall cuz of out of balance

[@KaneyoriHK]

In this episode, Bruton turns himself into a balancing robot

[@yurr7408]

This is like some insane steampunk weapon. Imagine tackling someone while wearing that while it's spinning.

[@TwinCityShredder]

We've come along way, since that photo called "Lunch Atop A Skyscraper".

[@marcfruchtman9473]

Great Video. Glad you stepped away from 1 wheeled robots for a bit. My favorite line: "But yea, I started to add some more steel to that"...

[@kentvandervelden]

The evolution of a super hero suit. Fantastic!

[@russellzauner]

I had several concepts for this a couple decades ago when my dad first started having problems with equilibrium but was still plenty strong. I thought maybe we can keep people upright as long as they keep being able to overcome gravity but not balance.

[@gcewing]

As a bonus, you can slot knives into the box sections to defend against malicious persons trying to push you off the rope.

[@spiceman7778]

“Caught beneath the wheel of progress!” This is really neat! I just happen to see Junkrat when I see this in your back :0

[@qownson4410]

Incredible engineering. If the motor was powerful enough, the impulse, or jerk from the flywheel spinning up could mean that less weight would be necessary. Great idea for diving suits. If that motor had more torque that would be neat. Would allow a diver to maintain balance especially against tidal forces.

[@henryptung]

"larger reaction wheel with less mass" I feel like we're incrementally evolving towards the old balancing pole...

[@ManOfTrades]

This looks like something out of death stranding! So cool!

[@GreyGreenGod]

With a compact lightened version I really think this could help people who’ve been through trauma and have difficulty with motor control.

[@Swiftwinter]

"basically it's not too unnatural.." says the guy with a giant spinning backpack and variable speed control! Love your work. Always interesting and educational!

[@alexruedi1995]

you made my day :) like futurama, where the professor explains his new engine is moving the universe, but not the spaceship.

[@Rowrowthegravyboat]

As someone who has spent a considerable amount of time learning to slack line, I can tell you there are much easier ways.

[@SoulFoxie]

James Bruton: *" **-Making a Tightrope Walking Device-** Making a Giant Portable Sundial"*

[@tomatoso27]

I'm loving your Welding-Era projects

[@bassio16]

At the TU Delft Heike Vallery has designed a backpack for elderly people based on this principle. Her goal is to stabilize elderly people to catch them when they fall.

[@Morjensful]

The issue is your sense of balance, and balance is more than inner ear / brain signal chemistry but also hand-eye coordination, muscle strength and conditioning. Especially for your legs and back. Since you are missing that you are essentially addressing the wrong flaw.

[@StarkRG]

Yeah, I'm with the other commenters, what you need the reaction wheel to push against is your hips, so that's where it should be attached. Additionally, I don't think you need a complete wheel, you could accomplish the same thing with a heavy pendulum. You're still getting a reaction-wheel-like effect, but you're also getting a reaction mass effect (heh, mass effect). As you fall to the right the mass will be turned to the left which will not only give you a torque that pushes you left, but the mass will shift your center of mass to the left as well. Basically, I'm suggesting you create a mechanical tail.

[@jasonrubik]

I've seen a lot of completely pointless inventions, but this one definitely crosses the line ! Awesome !!!

[@acirillo59]

An OSHA manual caught fire during the making of this video.

[@ethandoingstuff1433]

I'm worried you'll swing your arms backwards and the machine will break your arm.

[@everlastingmedia]

3D print yourself a spacer (like washer, but about 50x thicker) you can fit over your drill bit so when you drill through some hard surface (steel) you don't ram the chuck of the drill into the steel, and/or ram the drill bit into the other side on the inside of the steel bar.

[@johngalt517]

Sometimes I feel like I am listening to a NASCAR driver giving an interview with all the sponsor spots this guy has in his videos.

[@butterbee_bb]

I worked with some kids who had a congenital problem that made them unable to balance themselves. They were stuck to a wheelchair so they wouldn’t fall over. It sounds like something like this would be perfect for them (with adjustments ofc)

[@jordan-mn6yy]

remember that spinning flywheel experiment that lets you lift a heavy weight from the end of a pole only because its spinning fast? Do that but on your back and see if you can jump higher, or lean further without falling over

[@PUMPKINxWIZARD]

love how he actually welds and not the start stop stuff of other videos

[@dimitar4y]

that backpack starting to look like shiva's many arms. maybe shiva is god tier at tightrope