what makes a good robot

[George1902]

boy... you've asked the mother of all questions here! =-]

you realize asking over 4000 people "What makes a good robot?" is like asking them "What kind of pizza should i order?" hehe... what i mean is, it's all a matter of taste.

as for my personal taste, it's all about the drive train. It's like the offensive line in football. your drive train does most of the work and usually doesn't get as much credit as the fancy arm (aka the quarterback). as for specific types, 4 wheels, 6 wheels, and tank treads are all great. stay away from casters. they only cause headaches.

3 things are key to a drive train: Speed, Power, and Maneuverability. try to get the best mix of these 3 elements, and you won't go wrong.

one more thing that i *always* look for in a robot whether it's mine, my partner's, or a future opponent's is reliability. whatever you build, build it to last. this machine is gonna have dozens of hours of run time in its life. you don't want a chain to snap or a belt to pop off at a bad time, do you?

with all this being said, and with whatever anyone says following here, please remember the most important thing is to have fun.

and pass me a slice of pepperoni and sausage, please!