Tips to make your robot look good.

[bobrenjc93]

I have realized that most robots, even the more complex ones like 16, 148, and 114, all look relatively good. You rarely see wires scattered all over the robot, and in most cases, you really don't see any wires at all. So my question is: How does your team design and build a good looking robot?

[robself705]

The first thing in my opinion that differentiates a "good looking robot" from a "not as good looking robot" is the use of machined parts. Finding a sponsor that can cut out parts for you is a very important team goal. We are fortunate enough to have a CNC plasma cutter available for use at our school. We try to use it as much as possible because this allows for very precise design of parts. The first step to getting machined parts is having a student or students who know how to use CAD software. Not only does this allow for quick prototyping and proof of concept but it also allows quick editing and very easy "export to reality." Once the part is completed and works correctly in the CAD software all you need to do is send it to a sponsor (even via e-mail) and they can cut it out in a day or two. This allows for very efficient build time. Theoretically you could even build your whole robot in CAD, watch it drive around and work and then send it to a sponsor to cut it out, get the parts and simply assemble it with bolts. I know that this is what 217 and 148 do. If you look them up, they have beautiful robots. Everything is fully drawn up in CAD, tested for proper function and then sent away to be cut. If you can't find a sponsor to cut out parts for you. Try to make your robot as shiny as possible. When I say this, I mean make everything as polished and clean as possible. This means stay away from lots of visible hack saw cutting, glue, tape and visible "oops I accidentally drilled in the wrong spot" holes. Clean lines, symmetry and as little "jank" as possible make a beautiful robot. I consider "jank" to be something that looks like it was thrown together without thought and planning. Finally, wire everything at the end and at one time. Planning the wire routing should be done after everything else is done, this eliminates the "lets move this wire over here because its in the way now." Mount all of the jaguars and victors in the same spot and close to the power board. This means less wiring over all and all of the similar wires can be zip tied together into sections. Planning makes a robot looks good.PLAN PLAN PLAN. And then of course add some LED's at the end (check out ebay, search for led strip, search by lowest price and order a 40 in strip for $6 shipped directly from China. It will take two weeks to arrive however).

Let me know if you have any more questions.

[Foster]

1. Prototype before final design
2. Design before build
3. Build to the design
4. Accuracy and neatness counts

I'm on the electrical team so we run wires neatly and together. We use #10 wire for primary power so an extra inch or two won't make an electrical difference. Label everything, cable ends, connection points, Jag/Spikes/etc. Zip tie the power wires into neat bundles and the control wires into different neat bundles. Zip ties every 3-4" keep things neatly together.

Devices like Jags are mounted on panels close to their motors. This year the 8 Jags are mounted on the sides of the robot in a neat row.

[NOV8R]

We won the 2010 - Xerox Creativity Award at the Denver Regional. Our robot has no CNC machined parts nor are there many metal parts in general. The main material used in its construction is 1/2 inch baltic burch plywood. It does have holonomic drive, and several other unique features, but the best way to describe it (and the words used to describe it in the award) is "simple and elegant". Your grandmother knows what those words mean and can identify a good looking robot when she sees one.

[thefro526]

Personally, I'm a big fan of colorful robots.

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/34364

[sanddrag]

Lots of CAD design revisions, a strict attention to detail, a high standard for manufacturing quality, powder coat, anodize, tinted polycarb, and vinyl cut stickers.

[Jon Stratis]

I really have to disagree with robself705. Machined parts can make a robot look good, but put those same parts in the hands of another team, and the robot won't look nearly as good.

The biggest thing you need to have a robot looking good is attention to detail, from the beginning through the end. If you're putting something together and you finish by saying "well, that's good enough", it's not going to look all that great, although it may function just fine.

For electrical, wire routing is incredibly important, yet most teams don't spend any time on it and end up with a "rats nest" of wires. To alleviate this, there are a couple of practices every team can do that will really clean things up:
- Making everything co-located as much as possible (on one board, for example) will allow you to spend the time to route the wires properly and secure them with some simple, cheap plastic p-clamps. You can get nice, neat, straight wire runs that way.
- Before you put any wires in, determine one or two "wire highways". essentially, bundle the wires together as much as possible (simple zip ties at regular intervals work great, or you can go with a braided sleeving or, if possible, plastic wire ducting), and branch off that main bundle when needed.
- Getting wire for your power needs that has a relatively stiff jacket lets you put some nice, semi-permanent bends in the wire, which can help a lot with routing.


Unless you really want to show something off, you can generally cover most things. This year, our robot has a nice aluminum hood that really makes it look nice (not that things beneath look bad).

Work with a professional print shop for your sponsor sticker, and learn the proper way to apply it to avoid air bubbles. If you have enough room, use a single sticker. A nice, bright sticker with crisp edges and cool logos really helps.

And finally, do some searching on the web and figure out how to make your materials really look good. If you're using wood, you can paint or stain it to look even better. For aluminum, you can spend some time working with it to really make it shine with bright, neat circles in it (polishing compound, a circular wood block, and a drill press). After a full build season, even the best of teams end up scratching up their materials... time for "beautification" at the end really makes things pop.

[=Martin=Taylor=]

Carefully design your robot in CAD.

Then: poorly machine the parts (make sure to drill a lot of unnecessary holes). Do a terrible job welding (the key here is to make sure nothing comes out 90*, while maximizing burnthrough and blobbyness). Duct Tape. Use it wherever possible. When wiring, make sure to use as much wire as possible and tie it in great nots all over the bot.

...Then cover everything in plastic panels so no one notices






What? You think I'm joking?

[fordchrist675]

675 won the 2010 Xerox Creativity award at SVR. We have a couple mentors that can CNC parts, but primarily our robot is student built. A big thins is measure twice cut once. We won for being the only team there with a ramp. But we thrive on building great robots with little sponsorships or anything. I think its really a design and an ability to work together as a team. Combing the experience of seniors and mentors with the ideas of newer members allows for an efficient work environment. It doesnt hurt to powder coat everything though.

[MarkoRamius1086]

Keep all the electronics organized and compact. The one thing that most people blurt out first when they see our robot though is "POWDER COAT"!

Powder coat or Anodizing is really nice unless you're looking for a more metallic look. I remember this year 75 has a really nice shiny aluminum look.

(I mentioned anodizing because in Atlanta last year, I saw 148's robot... I was speechless. The black anodizing was so insane I could feel my jaw drop. If you want to model your looks after a team, 148 is a great place to start!)

[MrForbes]

Anodizing, powder coating, and CNC machining can really improve the looks of a robot, especially when seen up close. But the key to making a good looking robot is careful planning, which includes the schedule, so you can take the time to do a neat wiring job, paint the parts (if you can't manage to get them machined/coated/treated), and generally make it look finished.

Last year our robot looked pretty good, it was made mostly of plywood, which we spray painted. A couple of coats of spray paint, sanded between coats, can be hard to distinguish from powder coating!

[fordchrist675]

Also a designed layout for electronics condensing and organizing helps make it look professional and efficient. It may be tedious but its well worth it.

[Vermeulen]

Added bonus to having a nice and tidy electrical board: it takes way less time to pull the electrical stuff, or to fix a problem. It once took me 10 minutes to pull our electrical board while testing, with two people helping me look for wires. Also, try to go away from the "box on wheels" design that many teams are guilty of (mine included). It doesn't even need to be a fancy cnc-milled one-piece aluminum shell. For example, the top section of 2194's robot this year was made out of die-cut cardboard with a design printed on one side.

[artdutra04]

It's all about the small details.

[VanMan]

I prefer the robots that look like they were made with hardly any time or funding. If the robot doesn't look good, people don't expect much and when it does well, people will be more impressed. With powder coated and nice looking robots, people mentally expect them to do better and if they don't preform well, people will be surprised. That's just my opinion. And I don't have any advice on how to make a robot look nice. All of the robots that I've built with my team in the past have looked only half decent although most preformed above average.