How to Build a Mobile Robot

A robot with a wheel base is an easy and extremely mobile solution.

Building a mobile robot is not the complicated, technological feat that many anticipate it can be. Even someone with no robot-building experience and no particular technical knowledge can create a mobile robot, and the procedure can even be accomplished using spare parts lying around your house. With nothing more than a couple servos (motors), a battery, a receiver and controller combo, and some Velcro and glue, you can build a mobile robot of your own in no time.

Things You'll Need

• Wheel base
• Receiver
• Controller
• Servos
• Nickel-cadmium or lead-acid battery
• Professional strength glue
• Velcro
• Dual-lock tape

Instructions

1. Utilize old parts from radio-controlled devices and toys you have in your possession as a cost-effective measure. An old radio-controlled car or truck can yield all the parts needed for your mobile robot. Discard the superfluous plastic pieces of these devices, but save the battery (both nickel-cadmium and lead-acid, and both are common in RC devices).Set aside the two servos (motors) from the machine, and also the receiver chip and the radio-controlled car's controller.

2. Continue to strip down and dispose of the RC device, leaving only the wheel base. This base will provide the ideal platform for building your mobile robot, as it is both the cheapest route to follow, and the best base for achieving robot speed without compromising maneuverability.

3. Attach two pieces of Velcro to the wheel's base. One piece should be affixed to the top of the base using professional strength glue, while the other should be affixed to the bottom of the base.

4. Connect the receiver to the top of the mobile robot's wheel base by affixing it to the Velcro piece. Attach the battery in the same manner to the Velcro piece on the bottom of the wheel base.

5. Attach each servo to opposite ends of the wheel base, along the perimeter. These two servos should be secured in their position with dual-lock tape, or a similar substitute tape of equal strength.

6. Connect the servo and battery components to the receiver. The receiver has channels along its end that the components can connect to. Run the two-wire lead from the battery to the receiver, and insert it into the channel labeled as "Battery" or "Batt." Wire the two servos to the receiver in the same manner, but ensure the servos are wired to adjacent receiver channels.

7. Flip on the controller's power, and give your mobile robot a test run. Ensure that the robot rolls up/down and left/right upon command. If it does not, revisit the receiver's connection to the robot, and recheck that the battery and motors are connected properly to the receiver's channels.

8. Add decorative elements to your mobile robot as you see fit.

References

• Society of Robots: How to Build a Robot Tutorial

Resources

• The Robot Marketplace: RC Gear