3rd Robotics Report - 2014

Some kids finished and practicing driving.  Others applying robot bling.  This gives me time to concentrate on a few kids with more ambitious projects that need the extra help.  And gives me a chance to snap a few quick pix here and there.

While work is in progress kids need a box to keep their stuff in.  This reduces but does not entirely eliminate important little components going missing.  I used to ask kids to bring a box from home but it seemed like one more bother.  Besides, I found where the custodians toss all the boxes on their way to recycling.  Now I just grab a bunch of these for the kids to use.  Now and then a kid gets the idea to have the box actually become his/her robot.  As seen here,  Wheels are inside, well protected.

Not sure he read the label.

This robot is being built by two kids who seem to have radically different design ideas.  When one of them is absent the whole thing changes.  Next session the disagreements return and it gets torn up and rebuilt.  Here it has acquired a menacing sword made out of polycarbonate.  The water squirter weapon has been pulled off and is off to one side.  One of the kids is a bit excitable and wanted to take the sword home "to work on it".  Yah, right.  I could just see him waving it around on the school bus.  Back in the box it goes.

Another four wheel drive pusher robot.  And again made from recycled stuff.  I am always looking for free plywood.  This slab came from the wooden crate that held the metal lathe down in my basement. It had been sitting around for many years.

Here is an odd one.  Two wheels but offset.  I did not see any advantage to this design by the young lady wanted to see how it would work out.

Most kids are for the first time trying things like splicing, crimping and soldering.  Here a rather nasty spinner weapon is being wired.  There will be no authorized powering of this thing until safely in the arena.  But she did get to test drive a little with weapon unpowered.  The diagonal configuration makes for some wonky steering issues.  I told her we had time to slap the components onto a more conventional frame if she was so inclined.