For geeky engineer sorts (we all know our readers), the BattleBot idea is among the most interesting “sports activities” conceivable. Operating round whereas holding a ball is boring athleticism. However designing and establishing robots that combat to dying in a contemporary televised Colosseum? That takes brainpower and fabrication talent, which turns into particularly obvious within the decrease weight courses. In order for you some proof, check out Crew Panic’s antweight duplicate of Hacksmith’s Orbitron.
Crew Orbitron is a gaggle of scholars from Ontario, Canada’s College of Waterloo. In 2023, the huge Hacksmith Industries YouTube channel mixed forces with the workforce. The ensuing Orbitron BattleBot is a 250-pound behemoth that competes within the heavyweight class. Its distinctive weapon setup consists of two chain-driven vertical spinners, which flip over opponents. Orbitron even has autonomous functionality and might assault different BattleBots with out direct management from a human operator.
As a enjoyable solution to work together with followers, Crew Orbitron launched a small 3D-printable scale mannequin of Orbitron. That may’t combat and even transfer underneath its personal energy, but it surely gave Crew Panic the thought to construct an antweight model of Orbitron that may. Guidelines for antweight courses differ, however Crew Panic determined to stick to the standard 150g weight restrict. That’s a few third of a pound, which is extraordinarily restrictive and difficult.
Just like the heavyweight Orbitron, this antweight Orbitron is a four-wheel drive BattleBot with two spinner weapons. 4 tiny DC gearmotors sit within the robotic’s 3D-printed plastic body to drive the wheels. Every spinner has a extra highly effective brushless DC motor, like what you’d discover on a small drone.
And that is the place Crew Panic began to get intelligent with weight discount. The spinners and their motors connect to mounts produced from PCBs. Not solely are PCBs robust, however this additionally eliminates some elements. The spinners themselves have been fabricated utilizing PCBWay’s metal 3D printing service. That allow Crew Panic design them to be very light-weight, but additionally robust.
Crew Panic doesn’t specify the controller used for this construct, but it surely seems to drive the wheel gearmotors instantly. The 2 brushless DC motors appear to have devoted miniature ESC (Digital Velocity Controllers). Energy comes from a pair of itty-bitty lithium batteries.
In testing, the antweight Orbitron labored properly. It’s nimble and the spinners again an enormous punch as they rotate at very excessive velocity. That’s spectacular contemplating it is just about 1/750th the burden of the true Orbitron.