FUNCTIONALITY AND BUILD PROCEDURE
Functionality
The robot walks via bipedal movement and detects distances with it's ultrasonic sensor "eyes".
The robot moves by using 4 Servo motors (with 2 motors as hips, and 2 motors as ankles) attached to 3-D printed body parts (e.g. legs, head, feet). By using distance-values received from the ultrasonic sensor, the robot will walk or turn depending on the distance.
A 5th motor is also attached, in order to give the robot the ability to swing an arm. This arm is not only used as a counter balance, but also as a weapon for the robot. The arm is swung when the robot detects an object within a certain distance threshold.
Build Procedure
The robot took approximately 1 month to build. It took several days to 3-D print the body parts for the robot. The head, legs and feet of the robot were 3-D printed.
The 2 feet and 2 legs had a Servo motor attached to each of them via screws and Servo holders. These Servo motors moved the legs and feet, which provided the robot bipedal movement.
An additional motor and ultrasonic sensor was then attached to the head, to provide the robot distance-detection and a combative weapon, respectively.
All the motors and sensors were then attached to an Arduino UNO board, and given power via a reusable, external battery.
After the main construction process, we then coded a program for the robot to follow. The rest of the time up until the competition was spent troubleshooting.