Scuttle

This is my walking ring-spinner. I built it to compete in local robot combat events in Seattle.

Most places allow a weight bonus for walkers - in my case, 100%. So, this 24lb robot fights in the 12lb weight class. Unfair? Well, yes and no. The robot hits like a freight train, but it has a very poor win record. Its maneuverability had a lot to be desired. The outer ring spins with a tip speed of about 50mph, and weighs 11lbs.

Much of the machining for this project was done before I had a proper mill, and before I built my CNC. A lot of the metal parts were made using a band saw, drill press, and a lot of hand filing. I've come a long way.

The electronics live on a custom PCBs. It holds a pair of Arduino Pro Micros. The primary microcontroller listens to the radio receiver and calculates all of the servo positions for walkiong. The secondary microcontroller is dedicated to taking those calculations and talking to the servos.

The weapon's drive wheel is made using polyurethane casting. I made the molds out of aluminum, and cast the tires using Smooth-On Simpact.

After I got my mill, many of the parts were upgraded. The impactors were changed from rectangular blocks to triangular teeth. The 1/4" thick aluminum base plate was heavily pocketed to save weight.

I have some future plans for this robot. The ring has seen a lot of abuse, so I've got a few new ones with welded mounts for impactors, which can then be replaced with laser cut AR500 teeth with different profiles. This would allow me to change up the robot for different opponents. The welded mounts were positioned using 3d printed jigs.

Here's a youtube video I made that goes into great detail about how it works: