Our Robot

This started out as an idea for an educational project for both myself and my children, something that we could do together and all learn at the same time. Whilst both myself and my children love Robot Wars, my thinking was more along the lines of a DIY Mars Rover , rather than something designed to inflict damage on other robots. I wanted to build a robotic platform onto which various modules and sensors could be added for experimentation.

NASA  had a slightly larger budget available to them, with which to design and build the Mars Exploration Rovers . I've gone for relatively heavy, cheap components in comparison and our robot is not designed to power itself from the sun. When the batteries go flat, I bring it home and recharge them! Having said that, I'm keeping one eye on power consumption with a view to making the next version self sufficient in power.

For now, I've gone down the big and heavy route, with loads of power. The basic design uses two 400W dc motors to drive six wheels, three on each each side in 'tank drive' format.

Future Stuff

What's New

Serial comms link is now working!