What kind of robot to build for a convention?

[JimWright949]

This is an interesting question. A rolling robot would be cool and it would gather people around it where ever it drove, however you may look at a stationary robot, such as an arm.

The arm could hand people business cards. If a person took a business card it would recognize it and reach back to the stack of cards and select another to hand to someone else.

If no one took a card, it could get 'bored' put the card back on the stack and move a few other objects around the table for a few minutes and then go back to handing out cards.

The display behind it could explain the control loops and systems of the arm, such what type of sensors you are using, what is the gear ratio, and how you chose the sensors and ratios.

I'm part of the Seattle Robotics Society and every year we have a Robothon. Having a little Lego/Vex robot running around the floor attracts people who you can then send to the booth for the heavy information is. One of my favorite displays that we have had in the 8+ years of doing this was a Rubik's Cube solving robot that was stationary.

-Jim

[ChrisMcK2186]

Depending on the audience, you might want to simply make a "flashy bot" that does cute little stuff, like petbot, or dances to preset music with arms that wave and a body that spins.

Given you have not limits, you could essentially build whatever you want with all the noise makers, size, and lights you can fit on it. Have the robot talk like #6 in that movie, forgot the name, where it becomes sentient. You could build a face with servos and pneumatics and have it explain itself to curios viewers, occasionally getting "bored" and singing or something.

What ever you do, have fun with it. If you are enjoying your selves, the audience will be all that happier.


Chris McKenzie
2186

[wendymom]

We have done the pet vex bot before that follows a green light and that was a big hit. The other thing you can do is take 2 vex bots with and play bummper bot. You put a bumper on each one that is programmed to disable the bot for 10 sec. THen you set out a small field and let the conventionairs play with them. See who can knock each other out. That way they get thier hands on the robots.

[Devibeast]

Normally when we go out for publicity events we normally take our 06' robot because we have control over its power when it comes to shooting and also we find that it interacts better in the sense it can shoot balls into the crowd or into a basketball hoop. You really want to go for something kids will want to approach and play with or something that interacts with crowds. In ramp riot for example they have had robots that shoot t-shirts into the crowd and everyone is dying to get a shirt. They roll up the shirt and put it in a plastic bag which is pushed down a tight tunnel and a piston launches it.