Design and Build a Robot in Less Than an Hour With Tinkercad & Arduino

I teach robotics and enjoy inspiring my students' creativity through challenges. One such task for my first-year students involves designing and constructing a robot within a tight time frame—just under an hour. The catch? They can only utilize a single actuator, a lone sensor, and one Arduino.

To add a playful twist, I create a sample robot myself and share a brief video, playfully challenging them to "Beat that!"

The robot I make is a character in itself—it's aptly named THE GRUMPIEST BOT EVER. Attempting to pick it up results in a comical attempt to nip at you, making the whole experience quite entertaining!

Supplies

Here's the list of components you'll require to assemble the robot:

1. Protoboard
2. Power supply (I prefer a Protoboard power supply, but you can opt for a battery connected to the Arduino or power the Arduino through the USB cable)
3. Arduino Nano
4. SG90 Servo
5. HC-SR04 ultrasonic distance sensor
6. Cables
7. 3D printed chassis (Alternatively, you can get creative and use cardboard along with some tape!)

Step 1: Design and Wire Your Robot

I opted for Tinkercad to craft this robot, mainly for its speed, user-friendly interface, and, of course, it's free!

Take a look at the model here: Grumpiest Bot Ever on Tinkercad.

You'll find three distinct versions to pick from. For some design inspiration, check out this video:

Robot Design Inspiration Video.

Step 2: The Code!

Open the file here below. Each line is explained.

Upload the code to your robot and you are done!