Claws: "Mechadon's claws are made of steel. Their tips consist of a high-strength alloy and are extremely sharp -- not unlike a steel pencil, with 400 pounds of robot energy pushing down on it."
Coordinates: Mark Setrakian, necromat@pacbell.net
At one time, the only people building robots were those who could make the machines from scratch. Not anymore. For the past few years, scores of robot-building kits have come on the market, and many of them are available online from the Mondo-tronics Robot Store. Although none of the following models are going to win matches at BattleBots, they will provide an entry into the world of amateur robotics.
Hyper Peppy Robot Kit ($29.95), from OWI. "This is one of our simplest robots -- no soldering required," says Jason Cooper, 23-year-old vice president of Mondo-tronics. "It has three wheels and looks like a mini-tricycle with a spherical dome. It also comes with a sound sensor that makes the robot react whenever you clap your hands."
Mobile 5 Axis Robotic Arm Kit ($250), from Lynxmotion Inc. Resembling a construction crane on wheels, this robot has an arm that extends to 14 inches, grabs things, and then rotates. "You can program it on your PC," says Cooper, who taught his Mobile 5 to separate different-colored M&Ms. "It's easy to construct -- all you need are glue, double-sided tape, and basic hand tools."
Rug Warrior Pro Kit ($595), from AK Peters. Created by researchers at MIT, Rug Warrior resembles a classic, Jetsons-style robot. You can program it entirely from your PC, and it comes loaded with infrared sensors, a microphone, and a navigational system.
Coordinates: Mondo-tronics Robot Store, www.robotstore.com
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