This vacuum chamber was designed to be a research tool for studying the flight characteristics of insect sized flapping robots. Sixteen viewports were positioned around the chamber to allow researchers to capture high speed video of experiments from multiple angles and to flood the space with light. Â The chamber also accommodates particle image velocimetry (PIV) experiments. The back wall of the chamber is removable to increase accessibility and was designed to adapt to changing research needs. In particular, an electrical panel can be detached from the back wall to add feedthroughs (i.e. electrical or mechanical) without moving the chamber.
Vacuum Chamber Features:
– 16 view ports
– Two RS-232 electrical feedthroughs
– Two KF-40 connections
– Two KF-25 connections
– Three KF-16 connections
– Aluminum construction
TeamÂ
Kevin Galloway (led design & fabrication)
Mike Smith (advisor)
Peter Whitney (spec’d functional requirements & advisor)
Robert J. Wood (advisor)