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Servo Magazine (September 2005)
Articles:
Ask Mr. Roboto - Pete Miles
Building Bots From LEGO Parts - Gordon McComb
GeerHead - David Geer
Robots Spark Creativity in Kids of All Ages - Ray Bellantoni
Robytes - Dave Calkins
Rubberbands and Bailing Wire - Jack Buffington
Tetsujin Tech - Ray Scott
The Gift of Sight - part 3 - Robin Hewitt
The NEA Micro-Lander Project - Part 3 - L. Paul Verhage
Then And Now - Tom Carroll
Twin Tweaks - Evan & Bryce Woolley
VEX - A Detailed Look - Michael Simpson
Projects:
Building a Small Combat Robot - Kevin Berry
KIT KOLLEGE - Part 2 - Dave Prochnow
RoboFac - Part 1 - Simon Arthur
Webcam-Based Laser Range Finder - Todd Danko and Paul Oh
Building a Small Combat Robot
by Kevin Berry
These words, or a variation of them, are heard at every combat robot event. The sport is very attractive to youngsters, but the thought of building one of these things intimidates most adults. The few kits on the market are rather expensive, and many folks don’t get that “I can do it” feeling by browsing websites.
As the builder of over a dozen small combat bots, ranging from downright stinky to pretty effective, I’m a case study in learning through failure. Thanks to a lot of mentoring by a bunch of the sport’s experts, I’ve reached the point where I can share a few lessons in building a basic fighting bot. SERVO’s request for a “how-to” article came right when I heard about a small, “pushy-only” (no weapons allowed) event nearby, so I headed right out to the bot shop (actually a rusty shed in the back yard, shared with lawnmowers and ant poison) to craft a new, three-pound “beetle” class pusher. The article was due the day before the event, so I figured with the pressure of a double deadline, I could surely get this built in the four weeks available. Keeping with the idea of showing how an average person can do this, I used only common household tools, and very simple construction techniques. Since I was raiding my spare parts bin, however, I did throw in a few more exotic materials to show what’s available. At any combat event, bots range from crudely built to exquisitely machined, with fighting effectiveness not completely dependent on the quality of fabrication. Crude and tough sometimes beats precise and weak! Of course, precise and tough is the best of all.
Columns / Departments
Mind / Iron
Ask Mr. Roboto
GeerHead
Rubberbands
Events Calendar
Robytes
Lessons From The Lab
Tetsujin Info
New Products
Robotics Showcase
Robotics Resources
Menagerie
Twin Tweaks
Then and Now
Appetizer
Tetsujin Tech
The Assembly Line
SERVO web site
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