Today we will tell you how to make a robot from available materials. The resulting “high-tech android,” although it will be small size and is unlikely to be able to help you with housework, but will certainly amuse both children and adults.
Necessary materials
In order to make a robot with your own hands, you do not need knowledge of nuclear physics. This can be done at home from ordinary materials, which are always at hand. So what we need:- 2 pieces of wire
- 1 motor
- 1 AA battery
- 3 push pins
- 2 pieces of foam board or similar material
- 2-3 heads of old toothbrushes or a few paper clips
1. Attach the battery to the motor
Using a glue gun, attach a piece of foam cardboard to the motor housing. Then we glue the battery to it.
Place a couple of drops of glue on the very end of the destabilizer, or attach some decorative element- this will add individuality to our creation and increase the amplitude of its movements.
3. Legs
Now you need to equip the robot lower limbs. If you use toothbrush heads for this, glue them to the bottom of the motor. You can use the same foam board as a layer.
5. Battery connection
Using a heat gun, glue the wire to one end of the battery. You can choose any of the two wires and either side of the battery - polarity does not matter in this case. If you're good at soldering, you can also use soldering instead of glue for this step.
6. Eyes
Quite good as robot eyes a pair will do beads, which we attach with hot glue to one end of the battery. At this step, you can show your imagination and come up with appearance eye at your discretion.
7. Launch
Now let's bring our homemade product to life. Take the free end of the wire and attach it to the unoccupied battery terminal using adhesive tape. You shouldn't use hot glue for this step because it will prevent you from turning off the motor if necessary.Today we will tell you how to make a robot from available materials. The resulting “high-tech android,” although small in size and unlikely to help you with housework, will certainly amuse both children and adults.
Necessary materials
In order to make a robot with your own hands, you do not need knowledge of nuclear physics. This can be done at home from ordinary materials that you always have on hand. So what we need:
- 2 pieces of wire
- 1 motor
- 1 AA battery
- 3 push pins
- 2 pieces of foam board or similar material
- 2-3 heads of old toothbrushes or a few paper clips
1. Attach the battery to the motor
Using a glue gun, attach a piece of foam cardboard to the motor housing. Then we glue the battery to it. 
2. Destabilizer
This step may seem confusing. However, to make a robot, you need to make it move. We put a small oblong piece of foam cardboard on the motor axis and secure it with a glue gun. This design will give the motor an imbalance, which will set the entire robot in motion.
At the very end of the destabilizer, drop a couple of drops of glue, or attach some decorative element - this will add individuality to our creation and increase the amplitude of its movements.
3. Legs
Now you need to equip the robot with lower limbs. If you use toothbrush heads for this, glue them to the bottom of the motor. You can use the same foam board as a layer.
4. Wires
The next step is to attach our two pieces of wire to the motor contacts. You can simply screw them on, but it would be even better to solder them, this will make the robot more durable.
5. Battery connection
Using a heat gun, glue the wire to one end of the battery. You can choose any of the two wires and either side of the battery - polarity does not matter in this case. If you're good at soldering, you can also use soldering instead of glue for this step.
6. Eyes
A pair of beads, which we attach with hot glue to one end of the battery, are quite suitable as the robot’s eyes. At this step, you can show your imagination and come up with the appearance of the eyes at your discretion.
7. Launch
Now let's bring our homemade product to life. Take the free end of the wire and attach it to the unoccupied battery terminal using adhesive tape. You shouldn't use hot glue for this step because it will prevent you from turning off the motor if necessary.
The robot is ready!
And here’s what our homemade robot might look like if you show more imagination:
And finally the video:
Based on materials from techcult
Now, you have selected all the main components to assemble the robot. Making a robot begins with the next step - you need to design and build a base or frame. The frame holds them all together and gives your robot a finished look and shape.
Creating a wireframe
There is no "ideal" way to create a frame. A compromise is almost always required. Perhaps you need a lightweight frame. But it may require the use of expensive materials or materials that are too fragile.
You may want to make a robust or large chassis. Although you understand that it will be expensive, difficult or difficult to produce. Your "ideal" frame or frame may be very complex. Making a robot frame may require too much time to design and build.
At the same time, a simple frame can be no less good. The perfect shape is rare, but some designs can look more elegant due to their simplicity. Perhaps other projects may attract attention due to their complexity.
Materials
There are many materials you can use to create a base. You use all kinds of materials to create not only robots, but also other devices. Therefore, you will get a good idea of what is most suitable for a given project.
List of suggested building materials The ones below include only the most common ones. Once you've used some of them, you can experiment with the ones that aren't on the list or combine them together.
Use existing commercial products
You've probably seen school projects, which were based on existing mass products. Primarily such as bottles, cardboard boxes, etc. This is, in essence, " reuse» product.
It can either save you a lot of time and money. Although it may create additional troubles and headache. There are many very good examples how to repurpose materials and make a very good robot out of them.
Main building material
For example, making a robot out of cardboard. Some of the most basic building materials can be used to create excellent frames. One of the cheapest and most available materials is cardboard. You can often find cardboard for free and it can be easily cut, folded, glued and folded.
Maybe you can create a stronger one cardboard box which looks much more beautiful. And it matches the size of your robot. Then you can apply epoxy resin or glue to make it more durable. Finally, you can further decorate it.
Flat material for construction
One of the most common ways to make a frame is to use standard materials such as a sheet of plywood, plastic or metal. And drill holes to connect all the actuators and electronics. A sturdy piece of plywood can be quite thick and heavy. At the same time, a thin sheet of metal may be too flexible.
For example, a board or plywood made of dense wood can be easily cut with a saw, drilled (without fear of destruction), painted, sanded, etc. Therefore, you can install devices on both sides. For example, connect the motors and wheel wheels to the bottom, and the electronics and battery to the top. In this case, the wood will remain motionless and solid.
Laser cut, curved plastic or metal
If you are at the stage where you need external unit, That the best option There will be high-precision laser cutting of parts. Any error in calculations will be costly and lead to damage to materials. To make a robot you need your own workshop. You may need to find a company that produces this type of robot. Maybe she offers a variety of other services, including metal work and painting.
3D printing
A 3D printer printing a frame or framework is rarely the most feasible solution (because it prints layer by layer). As a result of this process it is possible to create very complex shapes. Such shapes would be impossible (or very difficult) to produce using other methods.
A single 3D printed part can contain all the necessary mounting points for all electrical and mechanical components. With this method of manufacturing the frame, the weight of the product remains insignificant. Manufacturing the robot will require additional processing and polishing.
As 3D printing becomes more popular, the price of parts is also decreasing. An additional advantage of 3D printing is that not only is your design easy to reproduce, but it is also easy to share. With just a few clicks you can get all the design instructions and CAD files.
Polymorph
At room temperature Polymorph is a hard plastic. When heated (for example, in hot water) it becomes malleable and can be formed into complex parts. They are then cooled and hardened into durable plastic parts.
Usually plastic parts require high temperatures and different molds are required for production. Making a robot this way puts them beyond the reach of most hobbyists. For example, you can combine different shapes (cylinders, flat sheets, etc.).
This creates complex plastic structures that look like they were made industrially. You can also experiment with various forms and achieve a lot with this material.
Making a robot
The design and manufacture of the robot must be carried out taking into account the selected materials and methods. Follow these steps to create an aesthetically pleasing, simple, and structurally sound smaller robot frame.
- First you need to make a prototype of the design, made of paper, cardboard or metal.
- Get all the components you will need to make the robot (electrical and mechanical) and measure them.
- If you don't have all your parts on hand, you can refer to the dimensions provided by the manufacturer.
- Brainstorm and sketch out a few different designs frame in general outline. Don't make it too detailed.
- Once you've chosen a design, make sure the components will be well supported.
- Draw each part of your robot on paper or cardboard using a 1:1 scale (actual size). You can also draw them with software CAD and print them.
- Test your design in CAD and real life using prototype paper, checking every detail and connection.
- If you are absolutely sure that your design is correct, finally start making the frame from your chosen materials. Remember, measure twice and cut only once!
- Before installing the frame, check the suitability of each component and modify it if necessary.
- Assemble your frame using hot glue, screws, nails or any other connections you chose to make your robot.
- Install all components onto the frame. So you've just created a robot from scratch!
The assembly of robot components from the list above deserves separate consideration.
Assembling robot components
In previous lessons you chose electrical components And . Now you need them all to work together. As always, technical description and manuals are your friends when you understand how your robotic equipment should work.
Connecting motors to motor controllers
Electric motor direct current or DC linear actuator most likely have two wires: red and black. Connect the red wire to the M+ terminal on the DC motor controller and the black wire to the M- terminal.
Reversing the wires will only cause the motor to rotate in the opposite direction. The servomotor has three wires: one black (GND), red (4.8 to 6 V) and yellow (position signal). The servo motor controller has pins that match these wires so the servo can be connected directly to it.
Connecting batteries to the motor controller or microcontroller
Manufacturing the robot involves connecting the power supply. Most motor controllers have two screw terminals for the battery wires, labeled B+ and B-. If your battery came with a connector and your controller uses screw terminals, you may be able to find a connector to connect to the wires.
You can connect the wires to screw connection. Although you may need to find a different way to connect the battery to the motor controller. It is possible that not all electromechanical devices you choose for your robot can operate at the same voltage.
Therefore, multiple battery or voltage control circuits may be required. The following are common voltage levels used in common robotic platform components:
- DC motors - from 3 to 24 V
- standard servo motors - 4.8 V to 6 V
- special servomotors - from 7.4 to 12 V
- stepper motors - from 6 to 12 V
- microcontrollers usually include voltage regulators - from 3 to 12 V
- sensors - 3.3 V, 5 V and 12 V
- DC controllers - from 3 to 48 V
- standard batteries: 3.7V, 4.8V, 6V, 7.4V, 9V, 11.1V and 12V.
If you're building a robot with DC motors, a microcontroller, and maybe a servomechanism or two, it's easy to see that a single battery can't directly control everything. First of all, we recommend choosing a battery that can be directly connected to as many devices as possible.
The battery with the largest capacity should be connected to the drive motors. For example, if the motors you select are rated at 12V, then your main battery should also be 12V. Optionally, you can use a regulator to power the microcontroller at 5V.
Safety precautions when working with batteries
Attention: rechargeable batteries are powerful devices and can easily burn out your circuits if they are not connected correctly. First, always triple check that the polarity is correct and that the device can operate with the energy provided by the battery.
If you're not sure, don't "guess". Electricity is much faster than you are, and by the time you realize something is wrong, magical blue smoke will already be coming from your device.
Connecting motor controllers to a microcontroller
The microcontroller can interface with motor controllers in a variety of ways:
- Standard: The controller has two contacts labeled Rx (receive) and Tx (transmit). Connect the Rx pin of the motor controller to the Tx pin of the microcontroller and vice versa.
- I2C: The motor controller will have four pins: SDA, SCL, V, GND. Your microcontroller will have the same four pins, but not necessarily labeled. Just connect them one to one.
- PWM (Pulse-width modulation): The motor controller will have both a PWM input and a digital input for each motor. Connect the PWM input pin of the motor controller to the PWM output pin on the microcontroller. Connect each digital input pin of the motor controller to a digital output pin on the microcontroller.
- R/C: To connect the microcontroller to the R/C motor controller, you need to connect the signal pin to the digital output on the microcontroller.
Regardless of the communication method, the motor controller logic and microcontroller must share the same ground reference signal. This is achieved by connecting the GND (ground) pins together.
First of all, you need to connect the contacts of the same logical high level. This can be achieved by using the same V+ pin to power both devices. A logic level switch is required if the devices do not share the same logic levels (eg 3.3V and 5V)
Connecting sensors to a microcontroller
When manufacturing a robot, sensory devices are necessarily used - primarily sensors. Sensors can be interfaced with microcontrollers in a similar way to motor controllers. Sensors can use the following types of communication:
- Digital: The sensor has a digital signal output that connects directly to the digital output of the microcontroller. A simple switch can be thought of as a digital sensor.
- Analog: Analog sensors produce an analog voltage signal that must be read by an analog output. If your microcontroller does not have analog pins, you will need a separate analog-to-digital circuit (ADC). Additionally, some sensors with the required power supply typically have three pins: V+, GND, and Signal. For example, if the sensor is a simple variable resistor, you will need to create a voltage divider to read the resulting AC voltage.
- Standard or I2C: The same communication principles as described for motor controllers apply here.
Communication device with microcontroller
Most communication devices (eg XBee, Bluetooth) use serial communication. Therefore the same RX, TX, GND and V+ connections are required. It is important to note that while multiple daisy chain connections can be shared on the same RX and TX pins, reliable control is required to prevent crosstalk, errors, and failures in general.
If you have very little serial devices, it is often easier to use one serial port for each.
Wheels for engines
Ideally, you have selected wheels or sprockets that are designed to fit onto your electric motor shaft. You may have to adjust the holes to connect the motors, steering and various wires into one structure.
Electrical components for frame
When making a robot, you can mount electronic components on the robot frame using a variety of methods. First of all, make sure your fastenings are secure. Basic fastening methods include: screws, nuts, double-sided tape, Velcro, glue, zip ties, etc.
Practical part
In our case, we will use the Lego EV3 set and to create the robot frame we will only need the standard parts that are already included in the set. Making a robot based on a Lego set is, first of all, relatively simple and fairly quick.
Mechanical parts set 45544
To create your own robot, you don’t have to graduate or read a ton. It is enough to use step by step instructions, which is offered by robotics masters on their websites. You can find a lot on the Internet useful information, dedicated to the development of autonomous robotic systems.
10 Resources for the Aspiring Roboticist
The information on the site allows you to independently create a robot with complex behavior. Here you can find example programs, diagrams, reference materials, ready-made examples, articles and photographs.
There is a separate section on the site dedicated to beginners. The creators of the resource place considerable emphasis on microcontrollers, the development of universal boards for robotics, and soldering of microcircuits. Here you can also find source codes for programs and many articles with practical advice.
The website has a special course “Step by Step”, which describes in detail the process of creating the simplest BEAM robots, as well as automated systems based on AVR microcontrollers.
A site where aspiring robot creators can find all the necessary theoretical and practical information. Also posted here a large number of useful thematic articles, news updates and you can ask questions to experienced roboticists on the forum.
This resource is dedicated to a gradual immersion into the world of robot creation. It all starts with knowledge of Arduino, after which the novice developer is told about AVR microcontrollers and more modern ARM analogues. Detailed Descriptions and the diagrams very clearly explain how and what to do.
A site about how to make a BEAM robot with your own hands. There is a whole section dedicated to the basics, as well as logic diagrams, examples, etc.
This resource very clearly describes how to create a robot yourself, where to start, what you need to know, where to look for information and necessary details. The service also contains a section with a blog, forum and news.
A huge live forum dedicated to the creation of robots. Topics for beginners are open here, discussed interesting projects and ideas, microcontrollers, ready-made modules, electronics and mechanics are described. And most importantly, you can ask any question about robotics and receive a detailed answer from professionals.
The amateur roboticist's resource is primarily dedicated to his own project"Homemade robot." However, here you can find a lot of useful thematic articles, links to interesting sites, learn about the author’s achievements and discuss various design solutions.
The Arduino hardware platform is the most convenient for developing robotic systems. The information on the site allows you to quickly understand this environment, master the programming language and create several simple projects.
I decided to smoothly transition to dynamic moving models. This is a project for a small homemade IR-controlled robot, assembled from simple and readily available parts. It is based on two microcontrollers. Transmission from the remote control is provided PIC12F675, and the receiving part for the motor controller is implemented on PIC12F629.
Robot circuit on a microcontroller
Everything went smoothly with the digital part, the only problem was in the “propulsion system” - small gearboxes, which are very problematic to make at home, so I had to develop the idea " vibrobugs"The micromotors are controlled through amplifying transistor switches on the BC337. They are replaceable with any other small npn transistors with a collector current of 0.5 A.
The dimensions turned out to be very small - in the photo there is a comparison of it with a coin and another nearby matchbox. The robot's eyes are made of super-bright LEDs, tucked into a housing of small electrolytic capacitors.
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