In today's class, I worked on coding for the stepper motor and on the foot design of the robot. I first tried to use the example codes in the Arduino system to control the stepper motor. However, my attempts to do so with the motor shield setup proved to be unsuccessful and, due to a lack of time, I was forced to abandon further testing of the code. I instead made more research on alternative ways to control the stepper motor, mainly through an online electronic diagram website I found online called_. 

In between periods of waiting for the code to compile and upload to the Arduino, I also worked on a foot design for my robot. It is meant to improve the walking efficiency of my robot and to absorb the weight of the robot when it lands after a jump. I have considered using a ball joint to link the leg to the foot, but I determined that this would be unnecessary for the moment, as the leg would not be subject to uneven terrain with great variation in height. The leg would be attached to two springs that lower the foot to the ground. In a situation where no weight is bearing on the leg, only the "toes" of the foot should be in contact with the ground. It would gradually straighten itself horizontally once weight is put onto the leg. When the leg is lifting up and in the process of being brought back forward, the foot would push the robot forward, which would help the robot to walk. 

After Thanksgiving break, I plan on continuing to experiment with codes. I also plan to print out the foot for further testing of its functionality.