How to build your first robot

A guide to help first-time robot builders get started with their own project

BY JEFFREY BAUSCH

Want to build a robot but don’t know how to get started? You’ve come to the right place. To begin, robot building uses tools and skills from a wide range of fields: mechanical tools for building frames and mounts, electronics gear for wiring circuitry, and software to write the code that makes everything work.

Interested in learning how to build a robot? Read on! (Credit: letsmakerobots.com)

Ultimately, the goals of taking on this project are simple — have fun and learn things like how to program, use new tools, and so on. It’s a great hobby regardless one’s personal level of experience, and if it’s something you’ve been thinking about getting into, here’s how to get started:

Do your research

Robotics is not like collecting baseball cards or joining a book club. It’s a fairly complex task, one that involves three separate skills in order to be successful: mechanics to build the robot, electronics to hook the robot up, and software knowledge to program the robot. If you lack experience or knowledge in any of these areas, you might find the overall project to be a bit more demanding than originally anticipated.

So how do you learn more? Well, for one, there’s the web. It’s chock full of robot tutorials and robotics galleries that you can draw upon for inspiration. You can also check out robot blogs, robotics websites, and videos of experts building robots. You can even join robotic forums and speak to other robotic enthusiasts — robothusiasts, if you will. Pick their brains and get tips on how to build your first robot. You’ll be surprised at just how welcoming this community is to first-time builders.

There are, of course, the other obvious resources for information books and magazines. It can be incredibly useful to read the work of experts in the field to see what their approach is. Depending upon your level of experience in this field, there’s everything from robot building for beginners to advanced-level robot construction.

If available, you can also join a local robotics club. Often they have all the equipment you need to make your first bot, and members will provide you with an endless resource of advice and information. This can be a major help as it’ll save you the frustration of having to shop and also save you a TON of money (more on that later on.)

Keep things simple

Save the city-destroying, world-dominating robot for your next project. Building your first robot is a learning process. It will take time and it will be frustrating, so scale down your ambitions and opt for a simple project. Sure, it might be a little less satisfying, but you need to learn how to make a robot walk before you build one that can run. If you aim too high, you may well end up wasting your time and money.

So what do you want in your first robot? Essentially, you want something with two wheels that can drive on a basic algorithm. You want to create something whose wheels can move forward (at the same speed), go in reverse, turn left, and turn right. If you’re feeling really ambitious, you can try incorporating curved paths, but you’re probably going to want to keep your first program simple.

Whatever you do, don’t give up like all the others who thought this would be a cool idea, but then bowed out when they realized there’d be some work involved. The first robot is ALWAYS the hardest, so self-motivation is very important. When the lights go on and the robot starts functioning on its own, it makes all your efforts worth it. Stay patient.

Design…then re-design…design again…then build

Design is an area where a lot of first-time builders fail. That’s because most spend about 90% of their time building their robot and only 10% designing it. In comparison, the very best robot builders out there spend their time the exact opposite way: 90% design, 10% construction.

Why do most first-time robot builders avoid design? For one, it’s hard work. Also, they don’t know what’s going to work and that lack of confidence/knowledge hinders the development of their project.

The best way to approach design is to look at it as a balancing act between planning and part selection. You, the robot builder, will juggle between what you want the design to look like and the affordable parts on the market that you are going to use to build the robot. You will end up redesigning the robot each time a new part is picked out to accommodate for the item’s unique specs. This can be a long and arduous task, but it’s crucial to ensuring that you create a robot that can actually function.

All of this being said, be prepared to modify the design of your first robot. A lot. To make things easier, you should come up with a design that is easily modifiable. I know I’m stating the obvious here, but oftentimes first-time builders will stick a little too close to what they want and not make the accommodations necessary in order for the robot to function properly. Be flexible with your design.

Now, before you put pencil to paper, you should figure out the purpose of your robot. What do you want it to do? What is going to be the meaning of its life? If you’re not sure and are just interested in getting into robotics as a hobby, some of the more popular types of robot include:

• Land-based, wheeled and tracked-legged robots

• Aerial planes and helicopter

• Stationary robot arms and manipulators

Land-based, wheeled robots tend to be the most popular mobile robot for beginners. That’s because they require less investment of time and money, yet still provide a reasonable amount of exposure to robot building. Once you’ve decided on its purpose, you can then begin to design the bot and start figuring out what shape you want to go with, parts location, connect spots, and so on.

During construction, some designers use Legos to prototype and catch design flaws early on. Many also use Velcro and double-sided sticky tape for parts to allow for modifications before everything gets screwed or soldered into place.

If there’s one thing to remember in this section, it’s that you can never overdesign your robot. The more time you apply to designing it, the less time you’ll have to spend (re)constructing it.

Be prepared to spend (a lot)

You’ll spend a lot of time and money on this project. The time investment is pretty obvious: you’ll be spending a large chunk of it experimenting with different processes and learning the basics of robotics. A lot of first-time robot builders, however, are often surprised to find out how expensive their new hobby can be.

Parts are pricey and few people who are starting out have enough tools in all three areas of robotics (mechanics, electronics, software) to put a legitimate first robot together. Don’t worry: this gets easier with time. An experienced roboticist can build a robot for next to nothing — typically $50 to $75 total. That’s because they don’t need to buy parts since they have leftovers from previous projects. In some cases, they even know how to build parts instead of buying them pre-made. This skill in particular, improvisation, is a terrific talent to have, as it’ll save you money and a ton of headache.

In total, you’ll probably spend a few hundred dollars on your first robot — $100 to $200 if you’re a savvy parts shopper. Some of the parts you’ll have to buy include a capacitor, regulator, battery, photoresistors, wheels, and motors. You’ll probably need tools, too, like wires, screws, a soldering iron, and more. These lists vary, as they’re all dependent upon the type of robot you’re building. A good rule of thumb to remember here is that as the size of the robot gets bigger, the cost and difficulty level of building the robot increases too. So, for your first go-round, try and make your robot as small and light as possible.

Shopping for affordable parts and making sure they’re the right specs is a time consuming challenge. The more you do it, though, the more you learn what brands are reputable and which parts tend to break easily. Since you’re just starting out, try looking for structural parts in scrap heaps, old toys, and on used parts websites. Also, a lot of suppliers offer free samples, so make sure to be on the lookout for those kinds of opportunities. There’s no sense in buying high-end parts for a project that you’re trying to learn from.

Don’t forget to budget for software, too. A lot of first-time builders will often invest all their money in top-of-the-line parts and then purchase some run-of-the-mill software program at the end just to get the code in there. This does not work. A good-looking robot with top-of-the-line parts will just sit in the corner staring at you if the robotics program you purchased is no good. Perform your due diligence in researching the right computer program for your robot.

Conclusion

There you have it: tips on how to build your first robot. If you take anything away from this piece, remember to keep things simple and be patient with yourself. View this as an opportunity to learn new and valuable skills which you can build upon and use on future projects. ■