I was in Calgary for Comic Con and I met DJ Sures. I was impressed with EZ-B and I bought the EZ-Robot kit. I only just got home and I scoured the local stores for a suitable donor toy to convert. No luck so far. It was killing me to play with the system so I looked around the house and found something to convert into a robot so I can play with the system until I find a better home for the EZ-B kit.
Here it is, Junk-bot 1.0 It's basically an empty wipes container and some hot glue. I didn't have anything for a front wheel so I made a skid out of a bottle cap.
I am amazed at how easy it was to get this going. In less than half an hour I was remote controlling a robot through a video feed and chasing the cat.
Awesome!
The ARC software is amazing. This is the robot kit I've been looking for! It get's the details out of the way and lets me create working robots!
Thanks DJ Sures!
UPDATES
As I still haven't found a toy worth converting and Mechano/Erector sets are not to be found either, I'm continuing to experiment with little Junk-Bot.
- I finally replaced poor Junk-Bot's peg leg with a real wheel.
- I'm converting some old PC motherboard cables (like HD LED, etc) for use with the SONAR sensor since I didn't want to cut up the supplied extension cables. The scavenged PC cables work great.
- Working on converting some L brackets to servo mounts. Not sure it I want the camera or the SONAR on this though. And I want to do it in a way that doesn't destroy symmetry on the bot as I'm OC about things being symmetrical.
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What an awesome little bot! Great test bed to get used to the system. Welcome to the site!!!
That is a GREAT bot for a first one!
Way to go.
Mel
;)
Tachyon says it ! The only robot kit that you can have something running in 1/2 hour ! Great start Tachyon !
Thanks guys. I know this thing's a total hack, but I thought it was worth sharing. I mean heck, if I can turn a wipes box into a working robot in 15 minutes on my first try, imagine what you can do with an EZ-B and a little time, thought, and effort? It blows my mind thinking about it. ARC is the really exciting thing. It means my imagination becomes the limit of my robot building, not my PIC programming skills. Honestly I can't believe EZ-Robot isn't getting more press, it's a game changer. It literally means that anyone with $235 and a glue gun can build their own custom robot.
The most creative robot i think i've seen
Although there is an ice cream container robot on here that's good competition
Thank you for the compliments. Words like that make the hard work worth it
Very cool first bot. What ever gets you started is good. Better to start small and then no limits when you see what you can do. Had you started with a giant robot you would be waiting for motor controllers and and bigger batteries. Small bot gets you started with real fun to keep things going. I didn't have anything handy so I used a small 1/4 inch thick board. Hot glued the servos on and had it tracking with video and using sonar as it drove around. Control it with voice? Oh Yes!!! No other robot kit can do that in such a short time. I love EZ-B and will buy more.
Congratz Tachyon ! It seems to me that you have a very creative mind..... I'm looking forward to see more of your creations,
Best regards,
PhG
Oh, BTW, that robot is just Dying for some Crab claws. It would make a nice crab. I guess you would have to change the directions of the wheels. But, even with it operating like that, it would be cool with two little arms and two little claws. It is cool now.