Making a robot can be an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s the perfect combination of creativity, engineering and problem solving. However, if you’re just getting started in robotics, it can also be overwhelming. To make things easier for those who are just starting out, we’ve put together some tips and tricks to help makers bring robots to life! From the basics of assembling your robot to software implementation, these pointers will give you everything you need to get started on your robotic adventure!
Mr. General is a solderless breadboard on wheels — one of my favorite ways to play with robotics. Mr. General puts it all on a sturdy frame, throws in a nifty servo-operated object detector, and even 140 colored wires. You supply the microcontroller; I recommend a small all-in-one board, like the BASIC Stamp, Boarduino, or Arduino […]
Here’s an easy-to-build robot base that combines a custom Arduino development board with inexpensive motors and tank-style tracks. It even comes with its own lithium polymer power pack and self-charging circuit, so you don’t need to add batteries. To construct the DFRobotShop Rover you have to first assemble the twin motor gearbox and rubber treads […]
Eight mini servo motors and an assortment of acrylic pieces combine to create the QuadBot, a low-cost, four-legged robotic pet you can assemble in under an hour. The kit doesn’t come with brains or batteries; add those yourself. Each leg uses two servos, making this a 2DOF (two degrees of freedom) walkerbot. Exercising a bit […]
David Dorhout of Ames, IA, is trying to develop a system where a bunch of robots perform all the farming tasks in a field. This is a short video that lays out the new concept of swarm farming and demonstrates the first phase with Prospero, the robot farmer.
In honor of our Robots issue, illustrator Brian McLaughlin designed a rad robot wallpaper for you to download.
How do you make a walking biped robot, with only three servos? Without saying a word, Frits Lyneborg from letsmakerobots.com shows you his inventive way of doing just that!
This is an entry from Bay Stater John Neiner in Starship Modeler’s 2007 Yellow contest. It’s built from sheet styrene with a few borrowed details from various model kits. Lots more written how-to from John on the model detail page, and some great work-in-progress shots on the Neiner family blog.
