How to Build Robotic Stuff

Building robotic stuff is a wide open field. There are many applications for robotics and many different ways of creating a robotic friend or toy. All the same, one simple robotic configuration can be performed by people of various skill sets and can also stand as a robotic building block for many different robotic-based devices.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Wheel base/old RC car Velcro (2) Glue Battery Receiver (4- or 6-way) Controller (also 4- or 6-way) Servos (2) Dual lock tape

1. Scout around to see what you have on hand. A good place to start is to consider stripping down an old RC car, since it will provide RC servos, a wheel base and possibly other components such as a battery if it is not too old.

2. Dispose of any unnecessary pieces of the RC car. A wheel-based robotic device is an easy alternative and can open up building possibilities for lots of robotic stuff.

3. Take two Velcro pieces and affix them to the top and bottom of the wheel base with a powerful glue solution. Then, attach the battery to the Velcro piece on the bottom of the base, and the receiver on the top Velcro piece.

4. Affix the two servos to opposite sides of the base, near the wheels, using duct tape.

5. Wire the components to the receiver. Specifically, there should be a wire leading from both the battery and each of the servos. Look at the end of the receiver and notice that there are channels that allow for the connection of the wires. It's likely that channels will be marked accordingly---"batt" for battery, for example. Attach the servos in separate channels side by side, and the battery to the marked battery channel (or otherwise, simply on the other end of the receiver from the servos).

6. Build up your robotic stuff as you see fit. This is the basis for a number of robotic toys or elements. Adding a weapon such as a blunt piece of wood via cord, for example, will result in a battering ram and ultimately a battlebot robotic vehicle. A dust pan conveniently and cleverly attached via cord or screws can result in a cleaning vehicle that will dust up your floors. Use your imagination and use the basis you have built for robotic stuff.