Answers.Body: <p>I'm assuming that you meant "the motor is not powerful enough".</p>
  
  <p>Surely you can use a gearing ratio &amp; leverage to assist? Essentially you want the motor to turn many times for each small amount of distance traveled by the lifting arm. This means a small gear on the motor and a large gear driving the lifting. You may need to connect several gears together to get enough of a reduction, like the graphic <a href="http://auto.howstuffworks.com/gears2.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>.</p>
  
  <p>See the graphic "Reducing Gear Train" <a href="http://myweb.cwpost.liu.edu/magot/classes/csc/RobotFundamentals/downloads/gears_drivetrain.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2015-01-16T08:10:32.837Z
Answers.Text: Proper down gearing (and strong structures) can indeed make wonders... See this tiny LEGO RCX robot lifting and moving a 44kg load: http://www.philohome.com/hoist/hoist.htm
Answers.UserDisplayName: Philo
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2015-01-15T20:38:01.703Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2018-12-18T18:11:52.297Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2018-12-18T18:11:52.297Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: VolleyJosh
Answers.Body: <h2>Pulleys and gears</h2>
  
  <p>With a range of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulley" rel="noreferrer">pulleys</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gear" rel="noreferrer">gears</a> you can build something <a href="https://youtu.be/pvE83NfbZ8g" rel="noreferrer">capable of lifting as much as 100 kilos with LEGO parts</a>, albeit at the risk of putting enormous amounts of stress on the bricks!</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://youtu.be/pvE83NfbZ8g" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/UcVLb.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
  
  <p>Using a small gear to power a larger gear (gearing down), you can greatly improve the torque (rotational force) at the cost of reduced speed. Gear transmissions are favourable to belt pulley system as the teeth of the gears prevent slippage under high loads.</p>
  
  <p>The motor may struggle with too many gears as the level of friction increases.</p>
  
  <h2>Ratchets</h2>
  
  <p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratchet_(device)" rel="noreferrer">Ratchets</a> (consisting of a pawl and a gear) are a mechanical device used to ensure rotary motion only proceeds in one direction. </p>
  
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/ERwWn.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/ERwWn.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
  
  <p>These are notably present on roller coasters where you can hear the audible click of a pawl catching a gear as you ascend a lift hill. If the motor or cable should fail, it acts as a safety measure to prevent the coaster from falling back down the hill. </p>
  
  <p>Ratchets will reduce strain on the motor at the cost of putting more strain on the ratchet and limiting the direction of movement. To reverse the movement, the pawl would need to be disengaged in some way. </p>
  
  <h2>Alternative Power</h2>
  
  <p>Consider how you can use alternative forms of power, depending on your design however using anything other than an electric motor may not be appropriate.</p>
  
  <p>If you aren't concerned about producing instant motion, think about ways to store and conserve energy. An advanced solution would be to use a solid or fluid as a counterweight. Perhaps using the motor to pump water from a reservoir into a container that can counterbalance the weight you are lifting?</p>
  
  <h2>Other Design Considerations</h2>
  
  <p><strong>Structural Reinforcement</strong></p>
  
  <p>It is essential to identify weak links and reinforce them structurally. Ensure that parts that parts do not move unless required to. Avoid using long axles/bricks that are prone to bending as well as old/damaged pieces.</p>
  
  <p><strong>Motors</strong></p>
  
  <p>Are you able to use more motors to share the strain of the load? If so, ensure that the construction is well balanced and each motor contributes equally (same gear ratio).</p>
  
  <p><strong>Power</strong></p>
  
  <p>Consider using mains power to power the motors if possible. Motors using batteries will have reduced power in relation to the power left in the battery.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-11-28T03:10:16.380Z
Answers.Text: A great alternative to ratchets are worm gears: they too prevent the load backdriving the gear train, but have the added advantage of being reversible.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Mac
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-11-22T20:25:46.743Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2018-11-22T20:25:46.743Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Ambo100
Answers.Body: <p>Try adjusting the torque. If that does not work for you, then use a large motor to help out.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-11-23T07:21:14.830Z
Answers.Text: Hi and welcome to bricks SE. Try to be more specific. Describe the details of your solution, add pictures. Usually, we like to see what other builders have created :). Also, look at the previous answers to this question. Especially because it is an old one.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Metalbeard
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-11-22T17:08:20.707Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2018-11-22T17:08:20.707Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: user10911
Body: <p>I have a small LEGO Mindstorms robot and it needs to lift heavy objects, but it doesn't seem possible because the motor cannot bear the load. What methods or mechanisms can I use to make the robot stronger?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2015-01-16T10:32:59.767Z
Comments.Text: The key factors are torque (using the techniques in [VolleyJosh's answer](http://bricks.stackexchange.com/a/5949/56)) and counter-balancing - to ensure that your robot doesn't tip over if you're trying to "pick it up" with a crane or arm based robot.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Zhaph - Ben Duguid
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2015-01-16T14:09:05.033Z
Comments.Text: Perhaps a picture of your robot may help make suggestions more specific.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Danny Staple
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2015-01-29T22:18:56.790Z
Comments.Text: Don't forget to come back and mark an answer as accepted if you like it.
Comments.UserDisplayName: VolleyJosh
Tags: <mindstorms><technic><motor>
Title: How can a Mindstorms robot lift something very heavy?
UserDisplayName: Rootje
ThreadText: # How can a Mindstorms robot lift something very heavy?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2015-01-15)
  
  I have a small LEGO Mindstorms robot and it needs to lift heavy objects, but it doesn't seem possible because the motor cannot bear the load. What methods or mechanisms can I use to make the robot stronger?
  
  **Tags:** mindstorms, technic, motor
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: The key factors are torque (using the techniques in [username_3's answer](http://bricks.stackexchange.com/a/5949/56)) and counter-balancing - to ensure that your robot doesn't tip over if you're trying to "pick it up" with a crane or arm based robot.  
  > **username_2**: Perhaps a picture of your robot may help make suggestions more specific.  
  > **username_3**: Don't forget to come back and mark an answer as accepted if you like it.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 3 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2015-01-15. Score: 9
  
  I'm assuming that you meant "the motor is not powerful enough".
  
  Surely you can use a gearing ratio & leverage to assist? Essentially you want the motor to turn many times for each small amount of distance traveled by the lifting arm. This means a small gear on the motor and a large gear driving the lifting. You may need to connect several gears together to get enough of a reduction, like the graphic [here](http://auto.howstuffworks.com/gears2.htm).
  
  See the graphic "Reducing Gear Train" [here](http://myweb.cwpost.liu.edu/magot/classes/csc/RobotFundamentals/downloads/gears_drivetrain.htm).
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_4**: Proper down gearing (and strong structures) can indeed make wonders... See this tiny LEGO RCX robot lifting and moving a 44kg load: http://www.philohome.com/hoist/hoist.htm  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2018-11-22. Score: 7
  
  ## Pulleys and gears
  
  With a range of [pulleys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulley) and [gears](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gear) you can build something [capable of lifting as much as 100 kilos with LEGO parts](https://youtu.be/pvE83NfbZ8g), albeit at the risk of putting enormous amounts of stress on the bricks!
  
  [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/UcVLb.jpg)](https://youtu.be/pvE83NfbZ8g)
  
  Using a small gear to power a larger gear (gearing down), you can greatly improve the torque (rotational force) at the cost of reduced speed. Gear transmissions are favourable to belt pulley system as the teeth of the gears prevent slippage under high loads.
  
  The motor may struggle with too many gears as the level of friction increases.
  
  ## Ratchets
  
  [Ratchets](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratchet_(device)) (consisting of a pawl and a gear) are a mechanical device used to ensure rotary motion only proceeds in one direction.
  
  [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/ERwWn.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/ERwWn.png)
  
  These are notably present on roller coasters where you can hear the audible click of a pawl catching a gear as you ascend a lift hill. If the motor or cable should fail, it acts as a safety measure to prevent the coaster from falling back down the hill.
  
  Ratchets will reduce strain on the motor at the cost of putting more strain on the ratchet and limiting the direction of movement. To reverse the movement, the pawl would need to be disengaged in some way.
  
  ## Alternative Power
  
  Consider how you can use alternative forms of power, depending on your design however using anything other than an electric motor may not be appropriate.
  
  If you aren't concerned about producing instant motion, think about ways to store and conserve energy. An advanced solution would be to use a solid or fluid as a counterweight. Perhaps using the motor to pump water from a reservoir into a container that can counterbalance the weight you are lifting?
  
  ## Other Design Considerations
  
  **Structural Reinforcement**
  
  It is essential to identify weak links and reinforce them structurally. Ensure that parts that parts do not move unless required to. Avoid using long axles/bricks that are prone to bending as well as old/damaged pieces.
  
  **Motors**
  
  Are you able to use more motors to share the strain of the load? If so, ensure that the construction is well balanced and each motor contributes equally (same gear ratio).
  
  **Power**
  
  Consider using mains power to power the motors if possible. Motors using batteries will have reduced power in relation to the power left in the battery.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_6**: A great alternative to ratchets are worm gears: they too prevent the load backdriving the gear train, but have the added advantage of being reversible.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_7 on 2018-11-22. Score: -2
  
  Try adjusting the torque. If that does not work for you, then use a large motor to help out.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_8**: Hi and welcome to bricks SE. Try to be more specific. Describe the details of your solution, add pictures. Usually, we like to see what other builders have created :). Also, look at the previous answers to this question. Especially because it is an old one.  
  
  ---
  
  