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We need to design a robot that is specially made to carry trash out from the kitchen to the trash-can efficiently, by October 30th, 2024, for homeowners by doing research and coming up with ideas in order to come up with the invention.

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Robot - Automation, AI, Programming | Britannica

Parts of a Robot

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We sat down with Sphero team members Rabia Aslam, a Firmware Engineer, and Bryce Gaston, an Electrical Engineer, to learn more about their experiences. Below, we share everything we learned and fill you in on what you need to know to get started working with kids to build robots as part of a STEAM activity , including what tools, materials, and supplies you need, which steps to follow, and why programming is the next area where kids can engage after building their robots.

What Do You Need to Know to Build a Robot?

Learning an embedded programming language

Learning how to make a robot chassis based on provided specifications

Learning how to choose electrical components based on mechanical constraints and then wire everything up

Learning how the firmware, electrical system, and mechanics integrate

The cost that you can personally spend for a home project with your kids or that your school has in its budget for projects will determine how complex the robot can be. So will the time available to you as a parent, or as an educator under your school's schedule.

Still, there's a project and a set of goals for everyone. For example, a robot with less complexity, which is cheaper and takes less time to build, may be best for beginner or younger students or a single student working on the whole project independently. On the other hand, a higher complexity robot project, which costs more and takes more time, would work well for an older or more advanced student or a team of students working together, like in a robotics club.

Another aspect of building a robot that you should figure out before starting your project is the objectives or capabilities for the robot you want to build. Will it move on its own? How will your kids communicate with the robot or control it? Will the robot be able to avoid obstacles? These are just a few points to consider.

What Tools and Materials Do You Need to Build a Robot?

Once you, as a parent or teacher, have answered these questions about the nature of the robot project, such as its capabilities, the educational goals for your kids, and the resources available, you can start getting materials together.

There are several pieces of hardware to consider as components when building a robot:

Servos - sensors or guides for movement

The robot's brain or "microcontroller" - this could be a Raspberry Pi affordable, compact development processor board, which is the size of a credit card - or a similar device

- effectively the "chassis" for the robot - the framework and wheels; or a similar manufacturer's chassis

Tensorflow or a similar open-source offering for programming, managing data flow, and creating machine learning capability for the robot (to perform tasks like finding objects in a room)

Input/output devices - can include sensors

How To Make a Robot With Home Materials

You do not need any sophisticated tools for building a robot, just a set of screwdrivers, a laptop running your favorite operating system, and a development processor board (as mentioned above; other processor choices include TI, ST, Nordic, and BeagleBone).

Of course, building a robot can get as elaborate as you wish. For more complex projects, the materials will vary. It's possible to include a robotic arm, use Lego bricks for the body (with Lego Boost and Mindstorms among the products available to integrate motors and microprocessors into the bodies), or even get an Ikea-style kit from RobotShop or elsewhere that can customize a robot for different tasks.

How Do You Build a Robot?

You can start building your robot with these three steps: set a process, work together with others, and remember the importance of prototyping. Here is a step-by-step guide for actually building the robot:

1. Set a Process to Build a Robot

When building the robot, you aren't just thinking about and working on the physical construction. It's also about the process that you use and how you work with your team, whether in a professional, industrial setting or with students for educational purposes.

2. Get Teams to Work Simultaneously

Sphero robots are a good example of how to get concurrent teamwork. We build parts for robots but also build complete robots, kits, and educational modules. Sphero has distinct teams for firmware, electrical, and mechanical elements. First, engineers analyze what physical bodies work for a robot's capabilities. Then, the teams work together to choose components. The key here is that the separate teams all work on their tasks simultaneously, so all the parts can be ready to assemble when they're done. For example, firmware teams can write code before they even have the electronics.

Also, after assembling all the teams' efforts, they must again work together to debug the finished product.

3. Build Prototypes to Troubleshoot

For student projects, as for the professional robotics industry, building a prototype robot makes everything a team or an individual student imagines come alive. They can determine if the design is working to fulfill the goals of what they want the robot to do. Then, testing that prototype provides feedback on what is working, what isn't, or what they can improve. The first prototype shouldn't be the last one, either.

A good process for building a robot should consider various approaches to the problem or goal the robot is meant to solve or achieve.

Programming Your Robot for Kids
Sphero team members Rabia Aslam, a Firmware Engineer, and Bryce Gaston, an Electrical Engineer, contributed their expertise and insight to this article.

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How To Build A Robot: The Complete Guide | Sphero

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We sat down with Sphero team members Rabia Aslam, a Firmware Engineer, and Bryce Gaston, an Electrical Engineer, to learn more about their experiences.

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The way we will have this travel in order to successfully do its job is by having it be a wheeled robot. By having the trash robot be wheeled, it will have the best balance and keep it from ever falling over and spilling out dirty trash. As well, the wheels will allow it to move across the house whether its carpet or hardwood. The wheels also allow it to be able to travel through grass or concrete efficiently to get to the trash-can.

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The hands and tools this robot will have will include hands like a claw in a claw machine in order to get a good grip on the trash bag and put it inside of the robot. Furthermore, since it will be a robot that travels inside and outside it will have a tool at the bottom near the wheels that will wash and clean all dirt off the wheels before going back inside so it doesn't bring any bacteria and dirt into the house.

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This robot will include a modern white color so that it can blend in with the house and just look like decor when not working. Another aesthetic it will have bumpers that will blend in with the robot but keep it from damaging the house and making it still look good. It will be a rectangular/square shape to keep it basic and pleasant to human eye. Lastly, the robot will have sensors in order to keep the homeowners know they're safe from it harming them or their furniture, pets, etc.

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Website 1: Moravec, H. P. (2024, October 23). Robot | Definition, History, Uses, Types, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/technology/robot-technology/Robotics-research

Website 2: Team, S. (2021, October 19). How to Build a Robot: A Step-By-Step Guide for Beginners. Sphero Team. Retrieved October 30, 2024, from https://sphero.com/blogs/news/how-to-build-a-robot

Website 3: Parts of a robot. (n.d.). https://mind.ilstu.edu/curriculum/medical_robotics/parts_of_robots.html