April 2014
Servo Magazine
Invasion Of The Drones
Features
No PC and You Need to Code Your LEGO EV3? No Problem!
Baked inside each LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Brick is the ability to code primitive programs. See how to use it to perform rapid prototyping “sanity checks.”
MF70 Micro Mill CNC Conversion
3D printers are great for prototyping, but nothing beats the consistency for milling multiple parts like a CNC router or milling machine. Here’s how to have one on the cheap.
The Robot Emoticon
Give your robot a happy face — or whatever look you’d like — with LED arrays.
The Movie ‘her’
The movie 'her' (and yes, they purposefully use a lower case h) brilliantly tells the not-too-futuristic story of a biological male who falls headphones over buffering wheels in love with an artificial intelligent (AI) operating system.
Projects
How to Mount Motors and Wheels to Your Robot
So, you’ve got a nice robot base. You’ve dug up some motors and wheels that you think will be perfect. Now what? Just exactly how do you attach the darn things?
Nuntius — The Garden Avenger: Part 2
Details of the build process are explained for the robot and the controller, plus take a closer look at the software for this telepresence platform.
TheoBot — A DIY StrandBeest Walker
Similar to last month’s SpiderBot hack, see how to take a $10 kit and turn it into programmable bot with a mesmerizing walking action.
Columns
Ask Mr. Roboto
by Dennis Clark
Your Problems Solved Here (04.1014)
Questions on walking robots, bipedals in particular.
Twin Tweaks
by Bryce Woolley, Evan Woolley
Weapons of Bot Destruction
Our favorite hackers continue the revival of their combat bot by reinventing the spinning weapon.
Then and Now
by Tom Carroll
Drones
Bad press, misunderstood information, and abuses of power continue to bring controversy to this otherwise useful technology.
Combat Zone
BUILD REPORT: Spanky Part 1: A Combat Robot Platform
in The Combat ZoneSpanky is the newest robotic member of Near Chaos Robotics. Spanky was designed with two events in mind: DragonCon Robot Battles — an open platform Sumo style event; and the Sportsman class at Motorama — an event with a full arena.
Pushing Power: How Strong is Strong Enough?
This month, we address the other variable: torque. In terms of robot combat, torque is our fancy word for pushing power.
BUILDING TIPS: Balancing a Weapon Bar
A simple guide for balancing weapon bars.
BUILD REPORT: New Builders, Beware!
in The Combat ZoneHere are some tips to avoid some common pitfalls at your first competition.