Page 42 - Robot Builder's Bonanza

DO IT YOURSELF, KITS, OR READY- MADE? 11

Bioloid
The Bioloid robotic construction sets are engineered for serious robot building. Using a mixture
of fabricated metal and plastic parts, Bioloid pieces can be combined to create both wheeled and
walking bots, as well as fully functional grippers and arms. The sets include special high- torque
digital motors plus a central microcontroller for operating all electronic components.

Pitsco/FIRST Robotics FTC Kit
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an organization
cofounded by inventor Dean Kamen, of Segway fame, to develop ways to inspire young adults
in the fields of engineering and technology. The organization hosts national competitions,
such as the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), where teams of students are required to build, pro-
gram, and demonstrate a robot that completes a certain task. The task changes for each year,
to keep things interesting.
In order to provide a level playing field for all teams, FIRST limits robot construction to a
preapproved kit of parts; the latest kit is assembled by educational equipment giant Pitsco. In
the case of the FIRST Tech Challenge, the kit incorporates metal and other building parts.
If you like the parts that come with the latest FTC competition kits, you can purchase them
G separately without going through the FIRST organization. Visit www.pitsco.com, and do a
search for TETRIX. Their channels and brackets are designed to interface with R/C and DC gear
motors (see Figure 1-7) and can be used for all kinds of nifty projects.

PROJECTS TO MATCH YOUR SKILLS
Whether you choose to buy a robot in ready- made or kit form, or build your own from the
ground up, be sure to match your skills to the project. This is especially true if you are just

Figure 1-7 Some assembly required: precut and predrilled parts allow you to construct robots by
piecing together metal or plastic components. (Photo courtesy Pitsco Education.)

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