How do I make an aesthetically pleasing robot?

[Aidan-Mundy]

Not to derail the thread, but oml, modern sedans are just so uncool! I love the older style sedans that are a bit longer and boxier and much less this:

That being said, part of aesthetics and coolness is personal preference. @ADA1 build a robot that looks good to you and makes you feel good. The most important part of building a good looking robot is organization and planning. Also, a robot that is falling apart on the field will not look good, even if it is beautiful when standing still. FRC is a competition where “function over form” isn’t necessarily true, but it is certainly something to consider.

[waialua359]

Teams 254, 696, 968, and 1538 all make beautiful robots. And its no mistake the mentors are all connected back in the day.
118 makes beautiful robots AND videos too.
Many other examples already shared.

[EveryLittleBit]

Opinions on design trends (look in to the history of american product styling) will vary, but above all good design is timeless.

Style how you like, but design with elegance, design for your manufacturing capabilities. Curves or no, painted or bare: a dysfunctional robot is a ugly one.

In this context, I recommend a modernist form-directly-to-function approach. Team Dave does this well.

[Doug_Staunton]

The overarching principle 2767 uses is what I’d like to term “deliberate design.” This is further broken down into the following points related to aesthetics:

1. As others have mentioned, form follows function. If it doesn’t have a function maximizing the scoring of points or meeting another program requirement such as sponsor nameplates, get rid of it. Ex. I know lots of people love them, but LEDs that don’t communicate information to the drive team or illuminate something for gameplay reasons are visual clutter, a distraction from the things that matter, and add weight/complexity/get in the way of robot maintenance. I’d rather see them in the pit or on the robot cart. Another saying/groaner pun we have on our team that relates to this is “make your mass matter.” An extension to the mass issue is that mass should be kept as low and central as possible. This control of the center of gravity performs and looks better/right. Try to avoid chasing robustness issues with additional mass–use designed-in flexibility and structure (increased cross sectional moment of inertia & triangulation) rather than rigid, thick walled/solid structures. This’ll help on robot weight limit challenges as well.
2. Consistency. With multiple “cooks in the kitchen” its easy for a FRC robot to look like it was “designed by a committee.” The antidote is to settle on a few standards regarding design elements. Ex. To reduce stress concentrations, sharp corners are replaced with radii everywhere–even in spots where it might not be strictly necessary. Lightening holes/trusswork and rivet patterns are similar. Likewise, if the angles of robot structures are close, make them the same. If parts are colored, limit the number of colors and control them. Few things look worse than two yellow parts next to each other that are similar but not the same. This is one reason we generally print our 3D printed parts out of black material. In my opinion, the crazy toy colors common in 3D printed filament usually don’t come off looking great on a robot. On the spray paint issue: We powder coat because we have access to it through our primary sponsor and powder coating is much more durable than paint. That said, we’ve also spray painted. The keys to spray painting are clean parts and several light coats of good quality paint. For some materials, primer is needed. The rubber armor spray coat can also be a good trick for 3D printed parts because it is thick, fills the FDM grooves, and is durable.
3. Contrast. If two things are different, then give them separation. On the radii mentioned above, we use a limited set of doubling incremental values like 1/8", 1/4", 1/2", 1", etc. Its a similar thing on lightening hole diameters and angles. From a color perspective, high contrast “pops.” A combination of safety yellow, black and raw aluminum for example are visually striking, and sponsor logos are easily legible when printed in black on yellow background (or white). An alternative would be to reverse it (yellow or white on black). For those looking for a more complicated color palate, contrasting colors (those across the color wheel from each other ex. green and red, blue and orange, or yellow and purple) will also work well for this reason. Primary colors (red, blue, and yellow) can work, but some may see these as more toy-like because that scheme is common in toys & elementary education.
4. Symmetry. We joke about appeasing “the gods of symmetry” on our robots. While not always possible, symmetric designs often perform better because they are balanced. In many cases, it also allows parts to be mirrored, saving design time. As a side note, one of the things I preach to my design students is to explicitly define part symmetry in CAD–it usually is the design intention and enforcing it through constraints can avoid problems as designs evolve.
5. Cleanliness and attention to detail. This is a lot of little things but here are a few related to aesthetics. Consistent wire types/size/color by function. Eliminate extra wire. Bundle runs of wire, but remember to think through maintenance issues when doing so. Flexible cable races and wire loom can both look good and reduce wiring failures. Wash off the manufacturing markings on raw aluminum using acetone and de-bur the parts after machining/fabrication. Although we haven’t bothered, sanding or bead blasting and then clear coat spraying or anodizing aluminum can keep it looking good if you don’t want to color it. If the loads allow it, belts are less messy than chains (oil and wear debris) and generally safer from a pinch perspective. A common mistake with belts and chains is using too small of a diameter on the pulleys/sprockets. This leads to a need for extra tension and sometimes a bunch of claptrap to maintain it. Servo-latch deployable mechanisms in between uses so they don’t bounce around (looking sloppy) and cause failures due to shock loading.

[ns3517]

I’d also add clean wiring.

[Attention]

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