Welcome: Performing Live with Robots
Dale Dougherty
How a magic show with robots reminded us of the importance of communal experiences.Page 06
Make: Volume 81 – Robot R-R-Rumble
Put your bot-building skills to the test by going head-to-head with your best pals in radio-controlled, weapon-laden robot combat … It’s Robot Rumble time!
From antweight to heavyweight, we show you what you need to know to build, fight, and WIN! Get an overview of popular combat robot types and the best starter kits, or jump right in with step-by-step instructions to build your first antweight combat robot for cheap! Learn expert tips for victory in the arena, and go behind the scenes to see what it takes to start a combat robot league from the ground up.
Plus, 53 projects and tips including:
- Hack your sleep with a wearable dream incubator
- Hot-rod a K40 laser cutter with hacks and mods
- Light up your outfit or costume with wireless, inductive LEDs
- Build a musical drum robot as a doorbell or MIDI instrument
- And much more!
Table of Contents
Columns
Made on Earth
Backyard builds from around the globe.Page 08
Features
Get a Grip
Charles Platt
Overcome those shaky hands with these useful adaptive devices and hacks.Page 12
Sick Sniffer
Caleb Kodama
Building an AI nose that “knows” fungal pneumonia for an 8th grade science fair.Page 16
Robot Rumble
Getting Involved
David Calkins
Robot sports aren’t just combat — there’s something fun for everyone. Page 22
Know Your Combat Robots
Dale Dougherty
Your field guide to the key competition weight classes and weapon types. Page 26
Expect to Be Destroyed
Austin McChord
Norwalk Havoc Robot League brings the professional experience to all combat bot competitors.Page 34
Combat Kitbots
Peter Garnache
So you want to fight robots? Try these battle-hardened kits for building 1lb “antweight” combat bots.Page 40
Build Your First Combat Robot
Brandon Bennett Young
Fast and easy to build, this winning 3D-printed “plastic antweight” design is great for learning robot construction and battle skills.Page 44
The Roboteers
The magic of fighting robots is discovering the community love. Page 50
Cage Match!
Seth Schaffer
Build a DIY arena for safely watching robot mayhem.Page 54
How to Win at Robot Combat
David Calkins
These 10 rules could turn you into a champ.Page 55
Projects
Hack Your Dreams
Thomás Vega, Eyal Perry, Adam Haar, Oscar Roselló, and Abhi Jain
Build the Dormio “dream incubator” to influence and access your hypnagogic lucid dreams.Page 56
ZenBot
David Covarrubias
Build a self-playing, musical meditation drum actuated by seven 2-axis mallet-wielding robots.Page 64
Squishy Tech: Inductive Adornments
Lee Wilkins
Send electrical power through the air to light up LEDs wirelessly.Page 70
Smart and Sour
Ivana Huchova
Create a monitoring system to get the right rise from your sourdough starter every time.Page 78
Zoom of Doom
Kevin Webb
Build a spooky, real-time video head-in-a-jar for your haunt. Page 84
Servos and Micro:bit
Kathy Ceceri
It’s easy to connect servomotors and program them in Make:Code!Page 88
Remaking History: Sarah Mather and the Aquascope
William Gurstelle
Build an underwater viewing scope to inspect boats, find fish — or spot enemy submarines.Page 92
Deep Space Transformer
Brian Mernoff
3D print this James Webb Space Telescope model and unfold it like the real thing. Page 96
The Arduino ARM Family
Michael Shiloh and Massimo Banzi
Classic Arduinos use AVR processors, now there’s ARM too — which is right for you?Page 98
Amateur Scientist: How to Become an Amateur Scientist
Forrest M. Mims III
Adventures from a life of DIY electronics, instruments, and experiments.Page 102
Toy Inventor’s Notebook: Making Fun
Bob Knetzger
What if famous artists went beyond the canvas to re-create your favorite novelty toy?Page 108
1+2+3: Plastic Bag Ice Cream
Maker Camp
Make a batch of this sweet treat with simple ingredients and a little elbow grease. Page 112
Skill Builder
Make That Laser Blaze
Tim Deagan
What are the best DIY upgrades to add to your cheap K40 laser cutter? We break it down.Page 114
Plane Spotting (and More!)
onemindisbuddha
Put your spare gear to use as a feeder for community-based data exchanges.Page 120
Toolbox
Toolbox
Gear up with the latest tools and kits for makers.Page 124
The Last Word
Determination
Dale Dougherty
The makerspaces aiding the defense of Ukraine.Page 128
