Initial Brainstorm

In order for the robot to draw certain letters or words, there are 3 necessarily components.

It must be able to move.
The pen must be able to retract away from the ground.
The robot must have a base to each component.

Addressing these basic requirements, we brainstormed a square body for the robot in which the pen would rest in an inch wide hole in center, with it’s tip pointing towards the ground. We decided on two powered wheels one on the left and right and two support wheels in front and back of the robot.

We designed the square body of the robot in auto cad with the plan of drilling holes into the acrylic to attach the motors and wheels to the body.

We went to the designed studio and cut out the CAD drawing.

Rethinking our Design

We initially wanted to drill holes into the acrylic to hold the motors for the wheels but realized, when the parts came, that just drilling tapped holes to attach the motor and the robot was not secure enough, nor was it as sturdy as we wold like. The attachment on the motor was different from what we expected.

With that unforeseen setback, we had to decide where to design another body for the robot and in doing so using more acrylic. We had already purchased more acrylic in advance for security. We decided to cad another piece to hold the motors onto the body in addition to the taping the motors. We also decided to glue the motors in addition to the attachments.

Even with that slight setback, our robot turned out well.

From that setback, we learned that planning and designing is crucial. We should have allocated more time in envisioning each step and its execution so that we minimize mistakes. However, we realized that mistakes will happen but if we have checkpoints throughout the process, we can catch the mistake on time and amend it.

Applying this new way of thinking, we realized that making the support wheels from acrylic would have the same effect as using legs to the robot. We can use screws so that it would be able to support the robot if it were to tilt to one side. In addition, if we screw the screws in, we would be able to adjust the height of the screws to match that the height of the robot.

Final Planning and Execution

After thorough planning, we decided on keeping the square body, adding two attachments, and using screws as legs for support. We will likely make better legs later, if possible.

We designed the attachments for the motors on AutoCad and proceeded to the design studio to cut them out with LaserCAMM.

To further increase the motor and wheel attachment, we also used acrylic glue to glue the motors onto the robot. Assembling the robot went as planning and the screws supported the robot beautifully.

Overall, assembling the base of the robot was difficult at first, but we learned from this experience and ended up with an awesome product. Next part will be the initial programming aspect of the project!