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!
Crabfu Steamworks’ Swashbots have crabwalked their way from one end of the blogosphere to the other. Folks can’t get enough of the characterful little buggers. I-Wei got tons of requests to post more information about how the bots were made, so he’s posted this three-part build series on YouTube. Swashbot Build Video part 1 of […]
The “Beggar Robot” by Slovenian artist Saso Sedlacek is a robot for the materially deprived consisting of old electronics and spare computer parts and was tested in Slovenian malls where it is forbidden to beg, although the artist contends that this rule does not apply to robots. The second version of the bot is an […]
This custom designed robot motor controller includes integrated RF detection, non-linear joystick control, gyro signal detection, a pneumatic valve controller, H-bridge motor control, and a bunch of other cool features. Check out the link for the full parts descriptions and assembly instructions. Hassock Hog Motor Controller Description
We’ve covered the Vexplorer before here at Make, so now’s a good time to show you how to hack it’s controller so that you can control it from your PC. This project details some simple soldering onto the toy’s remote control and some custom built circuit boards and PCB design. Check out the link for […]
Here is a really well documented robot build that is based on an ATmega8 AVR chip. The web site has detailed build instructions that include everything from making the chassis to programming the AVR chip. More on How to make a robot for about $50
This is an older project from MIT, but I think it is still very relevant. Robotic F.A.C.E. or “Facial Alerting in a Communication Environment” is an interesting project that tried to relay human emotion via a simple, and cheap, toy. You may not be able to get this exact toy anymore, but there are plenty […]
From the MAKE Flickr photo pool RobotGrrl is making and selling these bright little bots to raise money for robotic education – This is a Styrobot that I created. It’s a form of a BristleBot, but it uses a pipecleaner instead to vibrate and jiggle around. It’s really cute as the googley eyes move all […]
