What’s a Sumobot Jr? Only one of the most awesome robots you can find in a tiny 10cm x 10cm package! Sumobots are competitive robots that are built to push an opponent out of a ring, just like real sumo but without the mawashi.
Watch a minute of this video, and you’ll get the idea.
Those were all autonomous (pre-programmed) and not remote controlled. Amazing! Even more amazing is that you can build one of your own for under $60 with just some basic craft skills (gluing, cutting, and screwing). All the plans and instructions can be found right on the SumoBot Kit website. But when I first visited that site, I was overwhelmed by the amount of material there. So I’ve decided to break it all down into a simple step-by-step guide.
Prerequisites
This walk-through assumes you have a Mac computer with a recent version of OS X installed. Instructions for Windows and Linux will be coming in the future.
Shopping List
You can order all the parts yourself from various sources (below), or just buy our handy kit for $59+shipping.
- Arduino Uno R3 compatible – $15.99
- 2x Spring RC SM-S4306R Continuous Rotation Robot Servo – $16-20
- Battery Holder for 4 AA Batteries – $2.49
- Solderless Flexible Breadboard Jumper Wires – $4.60
- Ball Caster (for the front wheel) – $1.99
- Mini breadboard – $5.99
- Lasercut Wood Robot Chasis –
- Jumper wires (included with the breadboard above)
- Thick rubber bands
- 3/4″ Wood screws