A long driveshaft that runs nearly the entire length of the robot transfers the motor's power rearward to animate the tail. The motor's power is redirected through a 90-degree connection and slightly reduced by a ratio of 1.67:1. This is coincidentally the inverse of the gear ratio used to transfer power to the jaws, which means that the tail cycles slower than the mouth.
After the power is redirected to 90 degrees, a cam mechanism produces a reciprocating motion through the connected rod. The rod connects to the tail, causing it to continuously cycle left and right as the motor spins. Sounds familiar, right? This is similar to the cam mechanism used to cycle the jaws.
The cam mechanism that animates the tail is located at the ...
