ROMRobot Kitobile Robot Kits and Ready-built Robots
Some of the following kits and robots could be used as the basis for an entry in the schools or the maze solving micromouse competition or just for learning about mobile robots.
The list is, I believe, a complete list of micromouse type robot kits and built robots that are available in the UK and on the web. The list gives the prices and specifications with the manufacturer's and retailer's details.
You can create your own simple, white light following robot for around £3 by just using 2 CDs for wheels, a skid, 2 light dependent resistors, 4 transistors, a switch, 2 motors, P-clips to mount the motors and a Vero board. Gearing can be achieved most cheaply and simply by fitting a piece of rubber tubing onto each motor shaft and position each shaft to make friction contact with the wheel rims. Sufficient battery voltage and power can be obtained from 2 AA cells. But for convenience, speed of construction and a guaranteed working robot, pay a bit more and buy one of the following kits.
Kits with minimal electronics
Electric Bug. Technokit £11.25
Designed for age 8 and over. The kit has four wheels, a motor, 2 AA cell holder and frame.
Electric dragster. £14.99
Sold by the Science Museum and the Science Museum in Dixons franchise. Designed by students from Middlesex University. Powered by 2 AA cells. Aimed at age 8+. Uses 2 CDs for rear wheels. Runs in a straight line only. Builders “learn about speed, resistance and circuits”.
Fischertechnik Schools Kits. Basic Kit £90.35
This kit includes sufficient parts to build a governor. The motor and gears kit which has only one motor is £97.58. No electronics.
Madlab
have a large range of kits but the nearest of relevance here is the insectoid artificial life mobile.
Kits with sensors but non-programmable
Minimal mouse. Nelex. £14.69
Follows an aluminium tape circuit of any shape on a black paper surface. Builders must be able to solder and assemble a wooden chassis using a hot melt glue gun. The minimal mouse competition uses this kit, which may be modified. The competition is run simultaneously in various parts of the country with internet links displaying the race imes between centres e.g. Wales and Essex with 6 schools competing in each centre. The organiser is Steve Wooley of Bancroft's School in Essex and the competition is sponsored by the Ford Motor Company. The kit is described in some detail in an article entitled "Rokeby's Racing Robot Rodents" by Martin Smith in the IEE Electronics Education Magazine Autumn 2000, p.8 - 10.
Dash Free 99, Swallow Systemsw£74.85
White line follower intended for the schools micromouse contest. Uses 2 modulated photo ICs to sense the line. The Swallow company is owned by Duncan Louttit who has been generously supporting the micromouse contest for many years.
Line Tracker Car kit, Rapid Electronics £19.90
Follows a black line drawn on a white surface. Uses three infra red light sensors. The car can be started and stopped by a loud clap. Will play tunes while running. Uses 8 AA cells.
Line Tracking Mouse Kit, Rapid Electronics £17.50
A sound (such as a hand clap) activated robot mouse that can follow a black line on a white surface using three sensors and a pre-programmed microcontroller. Powered by 4 AA cells.
Line Tracer, Maplin Electronicsw£49.99ww.maplin.co.uk
Follows a black line drawn on white paper. Comes with a 48 page manual. Powered by 2 AA cells and a 9V battery.
Hyper Line Tracer, Rapid Electronics £39.50w.rapided
Will follow a black line drawn on white surface. Has leds to indicate which sensor is on Powered by 4 AA cells. Size L 157 x W 143 x 97 H mm.
Sumo Man, Maplin Electronics £49.99www.maplin.co.uk
A kit with no soldering. Will drive into a similar robot using an infra red detector which has a 150mm range. Will avoid obstacles. Powered by 4 AA cells.
Brainibot Standard £11.46 www.rapideducation.co.uk
Analogue Information Systems ltd. Edinburgh. Avoids obstacles, steers towards light, one light sensor, 2 whisker contact sensors, one 8 pin PIC. 2 motors, powered by 4 AA cells.
Robot Warrior. Kit Owiw$17.95w.kitsusa.us
Can detect a black line using phototransistors and has a wall sensing contact micro-switch sensor. Has a sonic tracking system. A left hand wall following mouse for mazes. Two motors and 3 speed gearbox.
Wall hugging Mouse Kit. $29.95 www.robotstore.com Negotiates mazes by following the left hand wall. Two motors and a wall sensing switch guide the mouse along walls and around corners. No soldering needed, size 14 x 11 x 6cm. Uses one C cell.
Line tracking snail robot kit. $49.95 www.robotstore.com Detects a black line drawn on a white surface. It uses 2 motors. Clear plastic body. No soldering required.
Robot Kit. $59.95. www.robotstore.com
Pre-programmed light seeking, light avoiding, random wander, wall following finds its way out of mazes includes CD ROM. No soldering required. Two motors, 6 sensors, IR remote control. Powered by one 9V battery and 2 AAA cells. PIC controller. Size 13 x 10 x 3 cm.
Mousebot. Elenco $14.95 or £31.99
Line follower, sound activated 3 opto sensors, 3 leds show what the robot “sees”, 2 geared motors, 2 leds show motor operation, clear plastic mouse shaped body on a plywood base. Uses 4 AA cells.
Weasel Robot. Owi $24.95.www.ibotz.com
Detects and follows a black line, left hand wall hugging.
Pathfinder Robot Kit “Blinky” $44.95. www.hobbytron.net Follows a black line on a white surface. Uses 2 motors, one 9V battery and 2 AA cells.
Tribotz MR-1005. Kit. www.ibotz.com
Sound operated, obstacle avoiding, line tracing. Uses one 9V battery and 2 AA cells. Size 112 x 147 x 152mm.
Programmable Electronic kits with Sensors.
Micromouse Lynxmotionwww.lynxmotion.com
No longer available but the sensor kits are still available hence its included. It used two radio control model servos (which needed modifying) as a source of motors and gearboxes hence it moved relatively slowly. A separate line tracker kit, which is still available, $24.95 with 3 IR emitters enables the robot to follow a black line or white line on a contrasting surface. Another separate modulated IR proximity detector kit $34.95 enables non contact obstacle detection and avoidance.
Lego Mindstorms/robolab
Robotics Invention System. Maplin Electronics £159.99w.maplin.co.uk
Kit includes; CD ROM software, RCX brick microcontroller, 2 touch sensors, infra red transmitter, 727 pieces, 2 motors, 1 light sensor.
Lego Robo Soccer kit K&M wholesale suppliers Ltd. and Commotion w£645.00ww.commotiongroup.co.uk
A kit for building 2 robot football players, a ball and a pitch. A game for KS2 and above where 2 Lego robots are programmed to play a game of football one on one. The ball contains a battery and LEDs. The pitch has a black end and a white end with a linear scale of grey between them enabling the robots to sense position and orientation. Each robot has to be programmed to seek, find and hit the ball in the right direction. Software and teachers guide for control are available.
Boebot Milford Instruments w£179 ww
Similar to micromice. Uses 2 servomotors and a Basic Stamp 2 microcontroller hence autonomous. No soldering required, uses 4 AA cells. Comes with educational course material. Size 15 x 12 x 8 cm high. Widely used in the USA, endorsed by the Board of Education (BoE).
SumoBot. £119. Milford Instrumentswww.milinst.com
Based on the Stamp2 microcontroller hence it is autonomous. The robot is designed to locate its opponent, push it out of a ring while detecting the ring in order to be able to escape being pushed out itself. It is designed to comply with mini-sumo rules. Kit includes “excellent” documentation.
Carpet Rover (kit). Totalrobots and Lynxmotionww£80w.totalrobots.com
IR proximity detection kit £25 can be added as can line tracker kits at £18.50. A host PC is required to download programs to the robot.
ARobot (kit). Totalrobots. www.totalrobots.com
Includes the Basic Stamp microcontroller. No soldering required. A host PC is required to download programs to the robot. Whisker contact sensors, wheel distance encoder. Uses 8 AA cells.
Airat 2 Maze Solving Robot. £399.99. www.active-robots.com Designed specifically for the micromouse contest. Can move diagonally. Uses 6 IR emitters and 6 IR phototransistor sensors, stepper motors, 14.2V battery, 8051 CPU, LC display.
Khepera. K Team corporation. www.k-team.com
Servo motors, incremental shaft encoders, Motorola 68331 processor, 512k RAM, 512K flash memory, 8 IR and ambient light sensors, diameter 70mm height 30mm.
Brainibot Programmable. £16.16 www.rapideducation.co.uk Analogue Information Systems ltd. Edinburgh. PIC controlled One light sensor 2 touch sensors, a sounder, heads towards light, avoids obstacles, powered by 4 AA cells.
Brainibot Simple Programmable. Analogue Information Systems ltd. Edinburgh £14.69
Programmable using the PIC 12C671 controller.
Trekker, Line follower (kit or assembled) $79.00
Uses OOPic processor has options such as IR scanner $17.00 wheel upgrade $14.00, Uses servos for motors and gearboxes. Has options to extend the capacity to line following, Sumo wrestling, compass guidance, fire seeking, fire fighting, ball seeking and fetching and scanning ultrasonic sensing.
Mobile Robot Kit. RMK- D01 and RMK-S02ww
Dajin Systems Co Ltd. Korea. Programmable, 2 servo motor, 2 wheel drive size 15 x 15 x 9 cm.
Robodyssey Mouse. $249.95 www.storesonline.com
Servos, Sharp IR ranging sensor, programming cable.
Kranius. Owi$119.95
33 button programming keypad, can store 60 programming steps, 6 vision sensors. Uses 2 AA cells and a 9V battery. No soldering required.
Digital Programmable Robot “Copycat”www.hobbytron.net Detachable programming keypad to create up to 256 instructions, 2 motors.
Robo-Lefter. £134.99. www.active-robots.com
A left hand wall following micromouse, micro-controller based.
Linbot. £36.99. www.active-robots.com
A programmable white line or black line tracing robot that turns 180 degrees on meeting obstacles. Has one pair of IR sensors facing forward and 3 pairs of IR emitters and sensors facing downwards.
XbotX-Scout. £239.99. www.active-robots.com
Serial LC display, on board 5V DC to DC converter, CD ROM, programming lead, jumper leads.
Micromouse Aimkit MKIT 700. Alpha Innovations Pte Ltd. $635.00
Kit or ready assembled. Uses IR look down wall sensing, 2 directly coupled stepper motors, 32k program, 32k data memory, RS232 serial comms port, 8 led sensor status indicators. Uses 16 AAA 850mAh rechargeable NiMH cells.
Micromouse Aimkit. MKIT 900. Alpha Innovations Pte Ltd. $635.00
Kit or ready assembled. 2 directly coupled stepper motors, 32k program, 32k data memory, RS232 serial comms port. Sideways IR wall sensing, 8 led sensor status indicators. Uses 16 AAA 850mAh rechargeable NiMH cells.
Roamer £85 Commotion www.commotiongroup.com
Supports the national ICT control curriculum at key stage 1. Programmable via on board keypad. Designed for classroom use, children’s information pack available. Circular shape approximately 300mm diameter. Links to a PC.
Ready Built and Programmed Robots
Mr. Line. Microbot. Think Tank Birmingham, £19.99 ready built or £34.99 kit www.microbot.com
“Intelligent” black line tracer with buzzer. For children aged 12 and over. 3 IR emitters and 3 IR sensors and a 89C2051 CPU enable two-speed PWM motor control. Uses 4 AA cells. Downloadable source code.
This survey excludes walking robots as they are be more expensive for a given performance and harder to program. Also excluded are kits which are merely designed to be assembled, and move in a straight line with limited scope for modification, tweaking or tuning for a line following, wall following or maze solving competition. The survey includes kits with and without sensors, and kits that are programmable or ready programmed. Sterling prices include VAT.
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