Mechanical Design of Robots

High School Competitions

In my opinion PSU students should build as good robots mechanically as the high school students

Looking just one on a good design can be very useful ! Why I did not come with this idea? This is so smart and simple! Oh, this can be done with Lego? This can be done with Tetrix?

Show of Tetrix robot built by Pitsco

Mobile base with two controlled wheels and the arm, see use of gears.

Attachment of components.

Three wheels on each side, but only one or two may be controlled Three wheels on each side, but only one or two may be controlled. They can be also geared together Arm with parallelogram

Robot with 6 wheels controlled by 2 DC motors

Arm construction. Batteries located on robot.

Pucks container. Motor controller on a robot. Brick.

Robot from top. Note the arm to push pucks.

Another idea for arm construction and attachment to robot’s body

The same robot. Using DC motor on the arm

More details of the same robot

One more idea to construct the arm. Different wheel mechanism.

This design has lighter body and large arm This design has lighter body and large arm. Stability problems, center of weight is high.

Two controls on wheels. Large arm

Strange design of controlled wheel plus four wheels

You can use similar construction for the caster (free) wheel

Details of puck container

Arm construction

Please observe the construction of the arm.

Vex robot with arm to handle tennis balls, from other competition.

Problems for design Create a plan of a robot with four wheels, skid steering and a robot arm on top of it. The arm should be able to grasp an item and transport it to other place, then put it on the floor surface or a small desk. Assembly of such robot took about 10 hours to a high school student.