Remote Controlled Robot Spider(Teaching Tool)

Updates will come weekly as the Kids advance thru the project!

I know I know I didn't build everything from scratch. This will be more of a Hack job in service of teaching. Also it is a work in progress and pictures will come in as the kids advance in the project. In the end it should be simple to reproduce at home if you are so inclined. Parts lists, and software code will be added here as we go as well.

What this Project/Build will do is teach several introductory robotics concepts to students. The project is simple by design but serves as a sampling of STEM with a dash of spider coolness.

The Concept is simple.

Phase 1

We begin with a DIY robot kit available from “5 Below” for $5. This Spider robot is exceptionally simple and does not do much as designed. But it teaches a few basic concepts:

1. Following of pictorial instructions
2. Basics of a battery operated motor driving circuit
3. Basics of using gears to transform rotary motion into other types of motion

SO MANY SPIDERS!!

MID-WEEK 2 UPDATE
Blue team has pulled ahead. they have completed 8 spiders!
In a totally amazing build blitzkrieg they have completed phase 1!
I am totally amazed, and now totally untrusting of hour estimates on any child targeted building kits. I have a recording of our preliminary bug race but due to restrictions can't show it until i either acquire permission slips or edit the video to not show students faces. For red team's race i will have the earned foresight to record focused on the spiders exclusively. So stay tuned!

END-OF-WEEK 2 UPDATE
Blue Team Spider Race


Red Team Spider Race



Phase 2 Interim Update
certain components orders haven't arrived yet and the kids have blown past my expectations. so i have opted to mock up a prototype spider to show the concept.
it has issues and is very much an alpha prototype but it moves and the kids will go insane when they see it.

Phase 2 Interim Update


End of week 3 update


19 spiders completed. So ends phase 1


Week 4 Mid-week update
we took a small build break as we wait for components and worked on team building and preparing for our parent night including some fundraising preparation with the laser cut key chains we received.

BIG NEWS a personal friend and the CEO of hte Non-Prfit that founded the school has given us $300 dollars which i immediately spend on a Davinci Jr 1.0W 3d printer. DRM aside the printer is accurate and kid safe. it will do for now while we gather steam.

so this printer opens doors i have designed a gear in FreeCAD to replace the original spider kit's Leg Drive gear. it is a base model that the kids can alter to attach to their motors as their designs need. i expect gear teeth are still too advanced until i can get them more on computers. but they can use the model and change the gear's shaft as needed to attach to their motors of choice.

I created the gear by scanning an image of the kids original gear with a ruler. using a FreeCAD image resizing macro i set the image and drew a sketch over it. after an simple extrusion and some tinkering i have and STL file that can be printed. both the FreeCAD file and the STL are attached in the files section.

Beginning of Week 5 Update

We have Logos. Today blue team will vote on their nominees and the final piece of the club branding will be complete. These team logos will also appear on their respective spiders so as to differentiate them in the soccer field. So this is Technically build related.




*******************Mid of Week 5 Update*******************
Our Logos are ready. the teams are set! Now each team will work on their respective spiders as a team. Some will be offense some will be defense and 2 one from each team will be goalies.



The tables are set for parent night. the student volunteers from each team will setup their respective tables. Visitors will vote for their team of choice by choosing to wear either a blue or red glowstick necklace.



Phase 2 (The Longest Phase)
Now we start cooking/hacking. Using cheap Chinese NodeMCU microcontrollers, an ld293 motor driver and a second motor we will modify the spiders to become remote controllable using a cell phone, tablet or a laptop. In this phase we will explore the following concepts:

1. Basics of wiring both for signal and power distribution
2. Basics of motors and motor drivers ( why we need them and how to get them to work correctly)
3. Basics(Very Basic) of microcontrollers (what they are how to program them).

Phase 3
Now we play!
In this phase the students in teams will play in the first annual Robot Spider Soccer Cup at our school. The students will learn different higher level concepts like:

1. Setting up a wireless WiFi network
2. Troubleshooting RF interference
3. Making repairs on the fly
4. Using robots under real working conditions.