Project 2-RobCom: A Combat Robot
Introduction
If you have dreamed of crea ting a combat robot that
ca n des troy or knock out th e enemies, rival s, space
in vaders, or oth er supern atural crea tures, you must
tak e a look at this project. RobCol11 is the answer for
your aspirat ions-your dream coming into rca lity.
Using inexpensive anel C0111111 011 parts, even inexperi-
Q enced readers who may not yet be prepared to build
o complex circuits wi th microprocessors ca n build the
RobCom.
The evil genius will be ab le to bui ld th e RobCom
and challenge his or her friends to a real combat of
robots. You ca n also invite your colleagues to bui ld
comba t robots. Ask th em to put into the project all
.Q thei r imagi nation. to crea te weapons. and to build
defenses so th ey won 't be kn ocked out in th e first
o encounter.
R obCom was one of the proj ects proposed by th e
author to his pupils of th e mechalronics course at
Colegio M ater Amabilis in G uarulh os, Brazi l. Figure
3.2.1 shows some of th e projects made by th e stu -
dents. You ca n see how these evil geniuses con-
•
structed their des tructi on machines.
Figure 3.2. 1 Close-lip sho lving (1 1'0 robo(s in
combat.
22 Mechatronics for the Evil Genius
What Is RobCom?
RobCom is a remote-controlled robo t buill with
common part s. In th e basic version, it is bui lt to calTY
a rubber ba lloon th at it is protecting and three nee-
dles as wea pons. The reader can add ot her weapons,
of course, depending on th e rul es o f combat agreed
upon by the oth er competi tors.
To make th e project easier, th e remote control
uses a cable. Some advantages ex isllo using a cable
in place of other remote conlrolmea ns,such as
infra red ( I R) or radio/reqllency (RF). Beyond the
simplicity of the ca ble meth od (no spccial circui ts are
requ ired), th e problems of interferences and noise,
common in the places wh ere th e combat takes place•
don't exist.
RobCom has two small D C motors di rectly driv-
ing two rea r wheels, whi ch arc made of standard CD s.
The single front wheel is able to turn freely in an y
directiol1. 1l1e recommended fron t wheel is one that
can be fo und in old office chairs or ot her furniture.
Figure 3.2.2 shows the wheel used in th e robol.
Figure 3.2.2 From whee/used in fil e RobCol1l.
The control unit , which is placed at th e end o f a
cable, is simply a small box with two special switches
,. and a joysLick. 1l1c switches can control two circuits
(two po les) at the same lime, and each switch has
three positions. When th e j oysti ck is in th e central
position. the con trolled ci rcuit is disa bled; no power is
releascd to th e motors. Cert ain positions of th e
switches con trol cert ain fu nction s of the 1110 tor, as
shown here:
 Position Motor
FOlward Molor flln s forward

Released r...I OIor off

Backward Molor runs backward
CI>
Combining the three posit ions of the switc hes, o
the robot can run in any direction. as the fo llowing rt
tab le shows.l11e arrows indica te the direction of
movement.
Fig ure 3.2.3 Th e arena IIsed in the combat is a
sqllare made by fOllr pieces of Ivood.

Robot
Switch R Switch B Symbol Movement
the explosion. A cloud of smoke wi ll the n announce
Released Released Stalled
that the balloon is popped and the combat is over.
~
Pressed
forward
Pressed
forwa rd t R un fo rward in
st raight linc
A normal combat session usuall y lasts from 1 to 5 o
Pressed Pressed Ru n backward in
minu tes (see Figure 3.2.3). [n an orga nized compe ti-
tr
backward backward
•r- stra ighlline
ti on, a simple eliminati on process can be used.
Rules are very important in ord er to avoid major
()
o
Pressed
fo rward

Pressed
Released Turn right forwa rd differences among the competitors and to level the
playing fi eld. Rul es include specifications for maxi-
a•
•
backward Re leased L. Turn right backward mum d imensions of the robots, the size of the ru bber
ba lloon, the use of defense screens, the le ngth of the
Pressed
Released forward ~ Turn left forward
needles, thc typcs of motors used, the power suppl y
voltage, and so on.
Released
Pressed
backward .J Turn left backward Rules for the actual combat are necessary, too. At
()
the e nd of this project is a list of ru les that we have o
Rob Col11 is powered by four AA cells placed in
the contro lun it.lllis placement reduces the weight of
the mobile unit, increases th e mobi lity, and is very
found are usefu l in our combat.
&
P.I
important in comba t.
rt
~
Obj ectives-The Combat o
tr
Th e basic idea o f robot co mbat is to put two R ob- o
Coms in an arena form ed by fo ur pieces of wood , as rt
shown in Figure 3.2.3, and let them try to pop the
oth er's ba lloon using needles as weapons. Winner

Cont ro lling the forward and backward move ment

of the robot, the playe r can find the best position for
an attack without exposing his or her own balloon to
the attack of th e enemy. Strategies must be crea ted
by the RobCom evil ge ni us to wi n the combat.
The wi nner is the fi rst robot to pop the enemy's
balloon.llle balloons ca n have a tin y amount of flour Figure 3.2.LJ Scene of combat IVhere IIVO
RobComs (es( (heir pOIve /:
or talc injected in them, adding a realisti c effect for

•
Secti on Three Th e P ro j ects 23
 S1

The Proj ect

The RobCom is a robot that runs on three wheels.
The fro nt two are used to turn the robot in the
desired direction, a nd the third is a free wheel.
61 +
Two small DC motors are couplcd directly to the 6V -
wheels, which are made with CDs or some other
material of the reader's choice.
T he motors a re controlled by a remotc cont rol,
Figure 3 .2 .5 Schemmic diagram fo r th e electric
wired to the robot by a 3-meter cable. As indicated
circuit of the RobCom.
previously, the use of a cable makes the project easy
to bui ld and very inexpensive, as no special materials
are needed. TIle remote control also houses the cells S1 and S2 determine the direction of the motors.
that power the motors. Two switches allow the robot The switches send the power to the motors by a spe-
to move backward and forward and to cha nge direc- cial four-wire cable. TIle recommended length of the
lion. 4 X 26 Americon wire gauge (AWG) cable is 3
The chassis can be made using common materials meters.
such as cardboard, CD boxes, plastic, wood, and so The switches are pl aced in a small box (plast ic or
on. It is up to the reader to use his or her imagi nation other material) form ing the joystick. TIle different
to create his or her own version while fo llowing the colors of the cable wires a re important and will help
ru les of the compe ti tion. the reader know whe re each must be soldered. Figure

u When crea ting your RobCol11, it is important to

reduce the weight, making it as fast and well bala nced
3.2.6 shows the electric circuit assembled.

as possible .

••

o
e Building the RobCom
U TIle basic RobCom is the one described in the intro-
..0 duction. Of course, the evil genius can change the
o RobCom by adding new weapo ns or defenses
according to the combat rules.
~

I The Electric Circuit Figure 3.2.6 The electric circllit ready to be

installed in rhe RobCom.
Begin your project by building the electric circuit.
Thc simple schematic diagram for the RobCom is
shown in Figure 3.2.5. Parts List-The Electric Circuit
As we can see in the fi gure, the single power sup-
S1, S2 2 poles x 3 through switches (see
ply is formed by four AA cells. TIlis suppl y powers
text)
two small , 6-vol1 DC motors via SI and S2. SI and S2
are a special arra ngement o[ two switches with three B1 6 volls of power (4 AA cells with
positions each. In the middle position, the switches hOlder)
are off. MI , M2 6-voll DC motors

24 Me c hat r onics for the Evil Geniu s

 3 meters o f four-wire cable (4 x 26 AWG)
Plastic box
Solde r
u.

The Mechanical Part

Figure 3.2.7 shows the basic moun ting of the robot ,
deta iling how the motor is coupled to the wheel. Fig- Figure 3.2 .9 InserriJlg a metal sheet between/he
ure 3.2.8 shows a rea r view of the robot. CD boxes before gluing thell1 logelher.

Cable CD Cardboard ·V·

insert a metal shee t between the m to keep th e struc-
ture rigid. ~
Figure 3.2.10 shows how to add an isolation sheet o
to the CDs to increase the adherence. Rubbe r bands tr
glued to the C D ca n a lso be used to acco mplish this. ()
TIle reader is free to create the best way to increase
o
the adherence, making th e robot fa ster and agile.
a
••
Figure 3.2 .7 Side vie.v oflhe RobCom shGlving
hall' Ihe 1I1010r is COliI' led 10 the CD.

. - - Insulation
Rubber Band Tape
/ CDBOX or
Glue Friction Tape
CD
~~lt==;±:i, ~ TubeOf
Spherograph Pen

CD Box Figure 3.2 .10 Placing all isolalion sllee/to the CD

to increase Ille adherence.

~
_ CD
The plast ic wheel, taken from a toy, is glued to the
End 01 Axis CD. Small plastic cars a nd other toys are good o
Protection
sources for this wheel. I prefer the type with metallic tr
Figure 3.2 .8 Th e molars are gilled 10 the CD box. ax les. Figure 3.2.11 shows how to glue the wheel. o
They are kepI ill contact lVith Ihe CD by Ihe force of Pieces of ca rdboard can be used to make supports rt"
a rubber balld. This makes it possible 10 trallsmil all fo r the wheels. The spi ndles of the wheels are
the pO lva (0 the robol, inserted into the drinking straws. At the end of the
spindle, a small piece of a plasti c cover connects th e
spi ndle to the cardboard support , as shown in Figure
3.2.12. This cover can be a small piece of the tube
Putting the Pieces Together from a ball point pen or even th e casing from an elec-
tric wire.
The next fig ures show the seq uence of operat ions to
111e motors are gl ued to the box. 8 e sure that the
mou nt the robot. F igure 3.2.9 shows the free wheel
motors' sha ft s will be aligned with the wheels (the
fixed to the CD box used as a chassis and how to

Section Three The Projects 25

 llsing a piece of plastic tube tak en (rom a ballpoint
pen or even a plastic cover from an electric wire.

T11 e arms of th e robot are made wi th needles,

placed in a piece of ca rdboard as shown in Figure
3.2.14. Figure 3.2.15 shows the RobCom ready for
combat.
Finally, you can attach the rubber balloon to the
robot using a rubber band.

Figu re 3.2 .11 Gluing the wheel to th e CD.

~..- _ _ Rubber
Balloon

Drinking
Straw ~>L--r;:.-._ Cardboard

cr:::> - -
t
Glove
Wheel

Figure 3 .2 .14 Th e a/'lliS are placed ill the frolll of

a Figure 3.2 .12 The Ivheel is collll ected to a th e RobCom. This piece of cardboard also serves as
u cardboard support, which is glued 10 the chassis. ({ screen, protecting againstlhe atfacks of lit e enemies.

Motor

••
ea Rubber Band
co

U
a
tx: \
Hole
0
I Figure 3.2 .13 Motors in place.

CDs). Figu re 3.2.13 shows the motors glued a nd con- Figure 3.2 .15 RobCom ready for combat.
~ tacting the CDs. The motors are forced to maintain
r contact with the CDs by a rubber band holding them
Q) in place.

'r To increase the transmission power of th e motor Testing the Combat Robot
to the CD, the spindle is covered with a small glove.
As mentioned previously, the glove can be made Insert the batteries in the cell holde r. Pressing the
switches in th e control unit , the motors should be

26 Mechat r onics for the Ev il Genius

 acti va ted. If not, check the solder and the cable. If and the competit ion. The robot charac teristics should
one or both motors run in the opposite directions be as follows:
tU
t1
(e.g., forwa rd whe n you press backward) , invert the
wire of the motor.
• The lengt h of the robot must be be tween 15 o
and 25 centimeters. u.
With the robot o n the ground, test to see if the
robot will move freely in a ll directions whe n you • T he maxi mum number of needles used as CO
press the controls. If the motors have difficul ties in
arms sho uld be three. o
moving th e robol, verify that th ey arc pressi ng • TIle maximum le ngth of the need les should be t
against the CDs with the necessa ry fo rce. If all the 20 centime te rs (includ ing the support ).
movements are sa tisfactory, yo ur RobCom is rea dy • -n,e scree n in front of the robot should be lim-
for combat. it ed to 10 X 15 centi me te rs.
• All the robots should use the sa me type of
motor.

The Combat • The power suppl y must be fo ur AA ce lls fo r ::0

a ll robots. o
Th e reader is certain ly free to crea te his or her own • The rubbe r balloons must be equal in size.
ru les for competit ion. H owever, we call o ffer some
• 0 other weapon is allowed (or o therwi se
suggesti ons based 0 11 the experience of many combat
combi ned) .
sessions orga nized in th e school where the au thor
teaches. Figure 3.2.16 shows several RobComs in a n • The arena is formed by four pieces of wood
with the d ime nsions between 3 X 3 a nd 4 X 4
•
arena, wait ing for the beginning of the contest.
meters.

Combat Rules and Combat Rules

Specifications for the
Robots
To avoid major differences among the robots, it is
important to establish some ru les rega rdi ng the robo t
• T he co mpeti to rs cannot enter the arena.
• The compe ti to rs ca nnot pu ll the robots by the
remote-co ntrol cable.
• T he co mpetitors must begi n at opposite cor-
ners of th e arena.

• The comba t begins when the referee gives the

order.
• TIle combat ends when the balloon of one
compe titor is pop ped.
• If the two ba lloons are exploded at the same
tim e, the robots must compete against each
o ther in a second round to determine th e
wi nner.

Figure 3 .2 .16 Corr/bat of Rob Collls at Co /egio

Mtller AlI1abilis in Gaara/has, Bra zil .

•
Section Three The Projects 27

t
 Exploring the Project Additional Circuits and
Many changes can be made to the original proj ect
Ideas
specificat ions. 1l1c fol lowing are simple examples of
l1le basic circuillised in the proj ect is very simple. It
the changes that can be made:
lIses no electronic pieces and no complex clements.
• Wood rods can be used to substitute fo r thc TIle reader who is experienced in electronics ca n
plastic chassis. upgrad e the circuit and create some interes ting proj-
ects.
• A plastic chassis with different fo rmats call be
used.

'Tnc same project ca n also be lIsed with vehicles Using a Joystick

oth er than combat robots. ~1l1 e reader can mount his
or her own walki ng robot lIsing the control sys tem Figure 3.2.18 shows how a common joystick, such as
described he re. Figure 3.2. 17 shows such a robot. th e ones found in video games or pes, can be used to
control the two motors in the Rob Com.
TIle circuit' uses four relays to controllhe two
o motors. ll1e fou r switches o f the joystick arc used to
power the motors on and off or to reverse th e curren t
ac ross them.ll1e position of the joystick affects what
happens to th e motor:
o
u t
Cells and
Joystick
Position
Left
Motor
Right
Motor
Switches
Cente r Locked Locked
Gear BOl(
Up Forward Forward
• • Figure 3 .2 .17 A common robollfsillg the remote
Down l3ackward l3ackward
control described in this project.

o Righi

Left
Forward

Backward
l3ackward

Forward
U Upper ri ght Forward Locked
..0 Cross Themes
o Upper left Locked Forward

~ TIle control of movement is a th eme that translates Lowe r right Locked Backward
easily in to the physics curriculum. Teachers who wan t
Lower left Backw<lrd Locked

I to explore this as a cross theme can invite th e pupils

to resea rch the nex t items:
Parts List- Using a Joystick
• A nalysis of movcmcnt : Describe the type of
movement th e robot makes during combat 01 to 0 8 1N914 or e quivalent si licon diodes
and how fast changes in direc ti on or speed
+J can alter the equ ilibrium .
Kl to K4 6 V to 12 X 50 mA reversible
0 rela ys (select voltage acco rdin g
(1) • Friction : Analyze th e effect of fr icti on in th e the motor)
robot mObility.
'r
0 • Transmission : Find th e bes t way 10 transm it
th e power from the 1110tor to the whe els.
~ Think about the use o f gea rs.
p.,

28 Mechatronics for the Evil Genius

 +
6/12V
tU
D3 D4
....
t1
0
I~
U.
-
K1 D1 D7
K3 t ro
0
Ri9ht~ rt
~fO,-~
~
K2 D2 D8
K4 It ~
- I\.)

D5 D6
,-
,~

Left Motor
Down
1 ~
o
o
0"'
o ()
Right Motor
o
Figure 3.2.18
-- -- - -
Controlling the combnt robot Ivith a game joystick. a
••

Adding a Pulse Width Adding Weapons

Modulation (PWM) Control
The reader can put his or her imagin ation to work
A PWM control for the motor wi ll allow the reader creating new weapons fo r the RobCom. Of course, it
is important to be sure th e weapons mee t combat
to change the speed of the RobCom. The PWM con-
rul es.
trol is described in detail in Project 3.3.
Figure 3.2.19 shows how to add a I'WM block to Figure 3.2.20 shows how a small DC motor can be
the RobCom. Notice that only one I'WM control is used to add movement to the needle, making it much
more dangerous as a tool aga inst the enem y_
necessary to change the speed of both motors. Or if
th e rea der wa nts, he or she can use one PWM control Another idea is to couple a rotary ball wi th nee-
~
fo r each motor. dles, as shown in Figure 3.2.21. In this case, the reade r
must take care that the ball does not pop his or her
o
0"'
81
own ba lloon.
o
rt
Drinking
Straw Solid Wire
+ Motor
I t
~r:::::)/~\ ~·<ltit=Tt~
81

- _ _ Needle
I( •

Figure 3.2.20 The mOlOr coupled 10 the needle

Figure 3.2. 19 A PWM control is added to the can be activated by diodes when the RobCom runs
RobCol11 10 control the speed. fo rward.

3~------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________
Section Three The Pro jects 29
 Rdding Sound
Figure 3.2.23 shows a simple so un d-effect circui t fo r
the R o bCom .
....- - - Molor
If a 47 oF capacito r is used, th e circuit ge nerates
sounds like a siren produces when th e motors are
acti vated. If a 10 f.LF capacitor is lIsed, th e circuit gen-
------.~ erales pulses imitating a machine gun .

Figure 3.2.21 A rOlary weapon fo r Ihe combal

113
robol. From To
+.l Switches "",---<~_+-_ Ml or

o 214 M2

..Q Rdding a Death Circuit

o 4X

et: An interesti ng improvement fo r th e project is a dealh

IN4148

circuit. This circuit is fo rmed with two reed switches SPKR

4/Sn
and a magne t, placed as shown in Figure 3.2.22.
As we call see, th e current flows across the motors C2
47 nF
and passes thro ugh th e reed switc hes. 111e magnet is
attached with a ru bber band inside the balloon. If the Figure 3.2.23 SOllnd-effect cirCllit for RobCom.
o balloon is full, the magnet to uches th e reed switches,
U and the motors are powered.
If th e balloo n pops, th e magne t fa lls and the reed
switches open. TIle motors are no longer powered, Using an H-Bridge
and the ro bo t stalls.
111e d igital contro l o f th e Ro bCom can be imple-
•• mented by usi ng an H-bridge. Th is idea is based on

e
o
SWl
the fact th at fOllr transistors can be used to con trol
the current across a motor in th e sa me way a double-
pIIII/dollble-thrOlv (DPDT) switch cont rols the cur-
U SW2 rent. 111e circu it proposed in Figu re 3.2.24 is a full
..Q
o bridge o r H-bridge using fou r D a rli ngto n transisto rs.
Using an H -bridge for the control has two advan-
et: tages. First, th e curre nt across the cable is reduced.
Second , logic signals can be used in the control. In
I th is case, even a computer can be used to control th e
RobCom.
'1l1e circui t works as follows: When the forwa rd
Magnet (FWR) in put is hi gh, Ql a nd Q 4 are o n and th e cur-
rent fl ows across the motor in the direction indica ted
Saloon
by a rrow 1. When the rewind ( R EW) input is hi gh,
Q2 and Q3 are on and the current flows as indicated
Figure 3.2.22 Placing the magnet in the balloon. by arrow 2.
Notice th at Ql an d Q 3 can 't be turn ed o n at th e
same ti me, as can Q 2 a nd Q4, because th at wo uld

30 Mechatronics for the Evil Genius

 o +V
Input R Input B Motor "0
Low Low Stalled t;
J
FW High Low Run forward o
o-
A ......--'IMr+-l:
Low H igh Run backward
u.
(I)
H igh H igh Forbidden

B
o
JRW Figure 3.2.25 shows how to add a fifth transistor rt
a nd a logic system to avoid this forbi dden state.

Parts List-Using an H-Bridge

lCl 4011 -4 NAN D gates (CMOS inte-
grated circuits [ICs])
Figure 3.2 .2lj The circuir for an f-1- bridge. Q l to Q5 TIP122 negative-positive-negative :;tJ
(N PN) D ar lingto n tra nsisto rs o
R l to R 5 10 kfl X 1/8-wa tt resistor (brown, 0-
mea n a short circuit [or th e curren t be l wee n + 12
vo lts and ground . It is a fo rbidd en state that ca n
black, orange) n
cause the transistor to burn. The circuit can be con- M D C motor (u p to 500 m Al o
tro lled in th e fo ll owing ways: a
••
+v
o

n
+v
R3
o
A
4
Rt
10kfi Qt
TI P122
Q2
TIP122
10 kfi

&.
~
M
rt
R4
10kn
Q4 :;tJ
Q3
TIP122
TIP 122
o
0-
o
rt
R3
10 kG
QS
o o-----JtN~-_+K

Figure 3.2 .25 I-I-bridge wilh logic.

Section Three The Projects 31

 The bridge works in the following manner: the RobCom can be powered by small gearboxes,
increasing the effic ie ncy and allowing the robot to be
built in a more compact manner. Th e gea rbox can be
used to power the CD wheels or plastic wheels.
Hi gh Run forward

Low H igh Ru n backward

x (don' t care) Low Sta lled Remote Control

This same bridge can be implemented using the Starting with the ideas in this project, the reader who
same bipolar transistors used in the BD13S (500 rnA ) knows a lot about electronics call easily install a wire-
or T I P31 (2 A) , as shown in Figure 3.2.26. less remote control in th e combat robot. Small trans-
~ mitterlreceiver modu les, such as the ones shown in
o Figure 3.2.28, are idea l for this task .
..0 When using wireless remote controls, care should
o lkn
Rl be taken by the builders to choose diffe rent freq uen-
et: A o---+J\N\r-+K cies fo r the systems. If two robots use the sa me fre-
que ncy, interfe rence problems will put the comba t in
R2 jeopardy.
lkn
B e>-<t-+J\N\r-+K

Figure 3.2.26 H-bridge using com l11OI7 bipolar

transistors.

Figure 3.2.28 Common hybrid modll ies fo r

•• transm itters and receivers.
e
o Using Gearboxes
U The mechanics o f the RobCom can also be im proved
Technology Today
..0 with the use of gea rboxes. As shown in Figure 3.2.27,
o Combat robots are rea l these days. Mili tary robots
et: Common ca n be used to fight, to carry resources, on rescue mis-
Plastic sions, or to go where it is too dangerous fo r a human
Gear Boxes
I Wheel
soldier.
I

~
u
Q) ~ Motors
~\
Figure 3.2.27 Gearboxes can be used to pOlVer
the robot. The photo sholVs a gea rbox suitable for
th is project.

32 Mechatronics for the Evil Genius