If you're an engineer that’s looking for a project to help get your kids interested in engineering, then building a robot might be just the project for you. It’s a great way to get them involved with construction, programming, and electrical wiring that can set a great foundation for a future career.
In your search to build a robot at home, you may have come across various Arduino builds or insanely expensive Lego kits.
It can be overwhelming to get started, but we've compiled a list of some of the top step-by-step guides around so you can get to work building your robot at home.
Guide #1: Liz Miller and Learn Robotics
Liz aims to help beginners by providing step-by-step guides for building robots out of household items like cardboard boxes and string. She provides a variety of educational materials to help you learn.
She uploads new videos to her YouTube channel every week that are short and super informative.
She has a shop with a variety of kits and books as well. This includes courses, digital guides, eBooks, events, and a wide variety of accessories.
Guide #2: Robotix with Sina
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTnCYYQ9Na-C3mpG2NjwjGA
Dr. Robot teaches you how to become a robotics engineer on his channel. He starts with a simple robot car that’s designed for absolute beginners. He goes step-by-step and walks you through:
Programming languages that control your robot’s behavior. He recommends learning C as a beginner. He recommends taking the C for Everyone: Programming Fundamentals course from the University of California Santa Cruz.
Next, he explains the electronics that you need to consider. He recommends using tools like Arduino kits that come with boards, sensors, LEDs, motos, jacks, and much more. He specifically recommends the ELEGOO Arduino Super Starter Kit and taking the course from edX called Arduino Programming, from novice to ninja.
Then, you can get a robot kit to get started a bit simpler. ELEGOO has a great smart robot starter kit on Amazon that he recommends.
Guide #3: Easy DIY Robots
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Lmw1ys__Wc&ab_channel=SLICKSLIMESAMLive
These videos are designed to be fun for young engineers that want to build basic robots that are powered by batteries. All of the robots are constructed with simple materials that can be easily found at home.
In this video, she’s creating a cardboard robot with glowing eyes, a remote controller, and wheels so it can be driven around. This is a fun project for anyone that’s trying to learn the basics of construction for building a robot at home.
She starts by building the feet with the wheels inserted into them. Then she attaches the legs and runs the wires up them.
Next, she creates the body and arms. She cuts a door into the body to insert the wiring and batteries.
Then she constructs the head and wires up the lighting for the eyes and runs the wires down into the body.
After that she starts working on the remote control and builds it out of cardboard and wires up the joysticks.
And she does the big reveal where you get to see her drive the robot around using the remote.
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