Robotics Can Be As Easy As Lego

A step by step guide for how to build a personalized robot.

Supplies

1. Parts for the body (e.g. Tetrix)

2. Power source

3. Controller

4. A creative mind

Step 1: Planning

1. The first step is to decide what movements you want your bot to complete

2. Draw up basic plans and ideas for the robot (components may include driving, an arm, pulleys, motors or joints)

3. Double check your design trying to find flaws. Look at it from all angles and perspectives

4. Figure out what parts you may need to complete the build. Don’t blow your budget right away, you may find that you need extra parts later during the build (make sure to order lots of screws and nuts, you can never have enough)

Step 2: The Build

1. Order any parts that you decided are necessary

2. Once you have all the parts you can start following the plans you put into place earlier

3. Don’t be afraid to improvise, things don’t always go the way you want them to (don’t get impatient, take your time)

4. Build supports, make sure it’s structurally sound

5. Make sure your robot is balanced, you may need to add counterweights

6. Once you are finished, move on to coding

Step 3: The Code

1. Decide what language and platform you will be using

2. Find a helper or youtube tutorial to help you along the way

3. Decide what kind of controller you will be using

4. Decide on one aspect of the robot to code

5. Work on the code until you finish, testing occasionally to make sure it works

6. Be sure to save your work before changing anything or moving on to the next code (take screenshots for extra insurance)

7. More testing

8. Repeat previous steps on all aspects of the robot that need coding

9. You may need to make adjustments on the physical robot to compensate for limitations in the code

Step 4:

1. After finalizing the robot test everything to make sure everything runs smoothly before displaying to the public

2. Practice with the controls a lot and find a designated driver (this should be whoever is strongest and the driving)

3. Reveal your project to the world