How do you make a good robot?
To make a good robot, it depends on what you want your robot to do. If you want it to race to retrieve an object, you probably want the robot to have an extensive amount of speed. On the other hand, if you want your robot to do something precise, such as picking up an object, then you want accuracy. To build a good robot you need to plan on what your robot should look like. You don't want your robot to break easily when performing a task.
Building tips
- Start with a strong chasis that connects the two motors.
- Decide the size of wheels you want to use. (bigger wheels increase speed while smaller wheels are slower but increase accuracy)
- Make sure your wheels are locked in place and won't slip.
- All the pieces are put together in a way that they are bonded with glue (Just don't actually use glue!) and won't break.
Wheels
Wheels are one of the most important components of a robot. Without the wheels or treads, the robot can't move. There are many different types of LEGO wheels on the market. There are giant wheels with a lot of air in them to wheels with the circumference of the motor. Big wheels increase speed, but make it harder to stop and be accurate. Small wheels are much more accurate because since they are smaller, less of the wheel touches the ground, therefore making it more accurate. If you want to use small wheels, but still want the robot to move quickly, you can use gears to make it move faster. If a bigger gear is turning a smaller gear, the wheels will move faster. But beware if you have a huge gear moving a tiny gear, the gears may slip when turning and affect the robot performance. Another aspect of Lego wheels are their tires. If you plan on having a robot climb surfaces, you probably want to tire with a lot of air in it and a good amount of tread. If you plan on having your robot follow a line, you want to have tires with no air in them because the air in the big tires don't make the robot that responsive. The wheels that come in the EV3 set have air in them, but are small too so they are good for all around use.