build your own robot in 2 hours or less

March 25th, 2008 comments (5) stumble it! digg it! by: technabob

Every day, I come across all sorts of cool homebrew robot projects, but never thought I had the skills or patience to make my own. Now, thanks to a generous member of the ‘bot building community, even the most novice builders can crank out their own little robots with ease.

The easy to follow 2 Hour Robot tutorial was put together by robot builder Frits Lyneborg (aka “fritsl”), the same guy who created the awesome yellow drummer ‘bot recently featured on Technabob.

With about $85 worth of parts, and a couple of hours of your time, you can have a fully-functional wheeled robot to do your bidding. You’ll need to pick up a couple of motors, a servo, some wheels, a Picaxe controller kit, an IR sensor, and a handful of other parts to get started. The project also requires some basic tools (i.e. screwdrivers, wire cutters, soldering iron) and soldering ability before you begin.

While it’s not the world’s most sophisticated robot (it certainly won’t be playing the trumpet or tasting your wine any time soon), it’s a great opportunity to get your feet wet and to learn the basics of robot building and programming. To get started on your first robotic endeavor, check out Frits’ complete tutorial over on Let’s Make Robots.

filed under:  hacks + mods robots

March 25th, 2008 comments (5): stumble it! digg it! by: technabob