Page 117 - Robot Builder's Bonanza

86 BUILD A MOTORIZED WOODEN PLATFORM

Motors and
drive wheels

Figure 8-9 Concept of the
“T- bone”-shaped robot, where— like
the PlyBot— the wheels are located on
Caster
one end of the base, and a balancing
Bottom Top caster or skid at the other.

An advantage of this style of robot is that it’s easy to construct using common materials.
The motors attach to the top of the “T,” and the caster or skid to the opposite end. As shown
in later chapters (see, for example, Chapter 14, “Rapid Prototyping Methods”), you can often
find materials that are already in this shape. Just stick on the caster and the two motors and
wheels, and you’ve made yourself a robot.
The exact shape of the base is not relevant to the function of the
robot, though for best results smooth or round contours work best. The
corners of square robots can snag on furniture and other objects. Though
it’s a bit more work, smoothing out the shape of the base provides a more
streamlined look, and it allows the robot to navigate more easily, and with
less potential damage to its surroundings.

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