Build Your Own Combat Robot

FIGURE 14-1
Chew Toy
Chapter 14: Real-Life Robots: Lessons from Veteran Builders 307
before you begin your design. The rules do change slightly from year to year, so it’s
best to make sure you’re current.
Aspiring robot builders can obtain rules, information on robotic design and
competitions, and building tips from many Web sites. On these sites, you can
gather information on which engineering efforts have worked in the past and
which efforts haven’t. One of the best “unofficial” places to look is the BattleBots
Builder’s Forum at www.delphi.com, where you can read conversations between
experienced builders and find other tidbits of information that should prove helpful
to fledgling designers.
It is also worth sending e-mails to builders you might come across on the
Internet, asking whether they’re willing to share videos or other information with
a newcomer. Many people in this community are open and welcome discussing
ideas and questions with those interested in participating in robot competitions.
More experienced builders can provide the names of reliable suppliers, and information
about where to get good-quality, radio control (R/C) radios and speed
controllers, and sometimes will even critique designs for a first-time competitor.
In addition to the Internet, other good sources of information are magazines
such as Robot Science and Technology and other hobbyist magazines that deal
with radio control and similar electronics scenarios. Ordering the parts catalogs
advertised in these publications can be extremely useful. Some robot parts are just
exotic enough that the average hobby, electronics, or hardware store won’t carry
them, but a larger catalog company might. If you have access to a university library,
especially at a school with an engineering program, chances are it will have
periodicals and books that may be of use.