Introduction: How to Build a Cheap & Easy Vibrating Robot

By www.instructables.com
About: my real name is radney b. garcia, my favorite subject is math

Robots have captured mankind's mind for literally hundreds of years. Ever since we discovered that steam had the power to move the parts of a machine, we've been designing progressively smaller and more effective robotic lifeforms to entertain us and make our lives easier. One of the easiest and most entertaining robots that any layman can build is the vibrating robot, or Vibrobot.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  • Base (toothbrush or sturdy, bendable wire)
  • Adhesive foam
  • Pager or cellphone motor with unbalanced shaft
  • Copper Wire
  • Soldering iron and solder
  • 1.5-volt or 1.3-volt button battery

  1. Bend the wire into a tri- or quad-legged shape to form the base of the robot. If using a toothbrush, cut the head off the toothbrush shaft, leaving only about a 1/8th tip.

  2. Lay a small strip of adhesive foam across the top of the robot's base, making sure to center it on all sides. If you're using the toothbrush, make sure the strip of foam does not overflow the top of the base on any side, as this can unbalance your robot once it's done.

  3. Solder short copper wires to the leads of the pager motor. These will need to reach both sides of the button battery, so make sure the wires are long enough to reach your planned battery placement.

  4. Lay the pager motor on the adhesive foam with the motor shaft facing the "front" of your mechanical creation. This is the direction your robot will move, so keep that in mind when positioning the pager motor. The adhesive foam also provides a barrier to keep the spinning motor from hitting the robot's base.

  5. Stick the button battery to the adhesive foam behind the pager motor, within the reach of the copper wires. The wires should each reach to about the middle of the battery on each side. One copper wire should be pinned underneath the battery when it is stuck to the foam, and one should be left suspended above the exposed top of the battery. To activate your robot, simply bend the top wire down a little bit to make contact with the battery. Your robot should begin buzzing and moving fairly rapidly across the surface it's on.