The platform

Choose your platform

You've decided you want to build a robot, now the first step is to choose a platform. There are several possibilities:

• 2WD (a robot with 2 motors)
• 4WD (a robot with 4 motors)
• Caterpillar

In addition to the differences in motors, the platforms are also made of different materials. The cheaper models are made of acrylic, while the more expensive models are made of a very strong aluminum alloy. A beginner can build a very nice robot with a simple acrylic platform. If you are already a bit more advanced, an aluminum alloy platform is a better choice. You can expand it much more.

Choose your controller

The next step is choosing your controller. This choice is very dependent on the purpose of your robot. If you just want to build a simple, possibly autonomous robot, then our preference is definitely an electronicsforyou.com /arduino-board/arduino-boards/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Arduino Robot . An Arduino has PWM pins that are very useful for controlling motors. If you want to build a robot that uses image processing, for example, then a electronicsforyou.com /raspberry-pi-boards/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Raspberry Pi Robot is a better choice. The Raspberry Pi boards do not have PWM pins, so take this into account in your choice. If you want to build a very extensive robot, you can also choose to use both an Arduino and a Raspberry Pi board. However, this is definitely not for a beginner.

Choose your components

You now have almost everything you need to make a cool robot. Now you need to pick out the components. To send the signals from your controller to the motors you can use an electronicsforyou.com /arduino-board/arduino-shields/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">motor shield with Arduino. If you use a different controller you can use a electronicsforyou.com /robotics/robotics-drivers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">motor driver . To connect everything you need Jumper wires and a Breadboard. If you want your robot to drive autonomously you need sensors. Two cool sensors are the:

• electronicsforyou.nl /product/hc-sr04-ultrasonic-distance-sensor/">HC-SR04 (To measure distance and detect obstacles)
• electronicsforyou.com /product/digital-line-tracking-sensor/">Line tracking sensor (Ensures that the robot follows a line)

Want your robot to drive in the dark? You can also add lighting.

And start building!