How to Build a Robot Inexpensively

Robot design does not have to cost you an arm and a leg. For only a few dollars--or nearly for free--you can strip down an old toy, salvage old parts, and generally use some smart thinking to minimize or wipe out design costs. Before you know it, you'll have a robot on your hands before ever breaking out your credit card.

Things You'll Need

• Old remote controlled car Velcro Professional strength glue Lead-acid battery Blunt wood piece

Instructions

1. Take stock of what you have on hand. Stripping down old remote controlled toys is a start. Look for toy cars that have a controller and thus already have a receiver inside of them, as well as servos and a working battery, if at all possible. Any remote controlled car can work so long as it has functioning parts. This can save you a great deal of money and a trip to a store.

2. Strip off any unwanted parts of the old toy, such as unnecessary plastic pieces. Dispose of these unless you wish to reattach them later in a different way.

3. Harvest the wheel base and the motor and receiver. Depending on the car, you may be able to generally leave these attached as is, or you may need to reattach these in a different manner to serve the purposes of your robot.

4. Reattach any of these components, if necessary, by using a piece of Velcro (or two) and affixing it to the base of the former RC car using professional glue. Take the disconnected part and reattach it to the base using the Velcro piece. Make sure to rewire the component, whether it is one of the motor(s) or the battery, to the channels on the end of the receiver. Just attach the wire to one of the channels--channel selection here is irrelevant, so any of the small channels on the end of the receiver will do.

5. Use the existing battery from your car if it still works. However, if you need a new battery, do not purchase a nickel cadmium based battery, as it can be expensive by comparison to other options. It may be more efficient, but the key here is to save money in the short term. Therefore, go for a lead-acid battery instead.

6. Test the remote control. Your RC car should have come with a four-way communication method, which should work just fine for your inexpensive robot (it will allow for left-to-right and up-and-down movement). If the battery works and the components are still attached to the receiver correctly, you will have the frame of your robot all finished and functional for next to nothing.

7. Decorate your robot any way you see fit. Use old plastic from other old RC cars, or consider using professional strength glue to add an old toy head to your robot. Also, cutting a blunt piece of wood and strapping it to your robot will give it a weapon at absolutely no cost to you.