Robot from Household Trash

A few months ago, the New Trail magazine contacted me with an interesting request: They wanted me to design and build a robot out of household trash. At the time, I was right in the middle of writing my thesis, so of course, I jumped at the opportunity for something else to work on.

In order to be able to call the thing a robot, I figured it needed to take in some information about its environment, and change its behaviour based on that input. Making this thing out of household trash and salvaged components meant that I would have to keep it simple… but as with most of my projects, my ideas tend to run away with themselves.

This little guy has bump sensors on either side made from popsicle sticks and carefully placed tin-foil electrical contacts that allow it to switch directions and run the other way whenever it runs into something. The tin-can body turns around based on the same input, using the mechanical linkage to spin a central pencil axis.

The New Trail has issued a challenge to anyone who wants to try building one of their own, and they’ve put together a nice assembly manual for the project as well. If you do end up attempting a build, I will make one suggestion: have lots of glue on hand. The article isn’t joking when it says I used a lot of glue.

Photo and video courtesy of New Trail Magazine.