How to Make a Basic Robot That Can Stand Up

Determine the dimensions of the robot. The size and weight will suggest what type of materials and actuators you will need.

Build a structural base with moving legs. A simple standing robot base can be modeled on human anatomy and include mechanical equivalents of feet, legs and hips. The feet can be made large so as to reduce the need for balancing.

Attach actuators to the structural base. The are several types of robotic actuators suitable for standing robots, including electric motors, pneumatic artificial muscles and hydraulic systems. Your choice of actuators will depend on the size and weight of your robot.

Add a balance sensor to the robot. There are several types of sensors that can be used for balancing your robot, including accelerometers, gyroscopes and tilt switches. Each type has advantages and disadvantages. Accelerometers and gyroscopes are accurate, but may require complicated software to process output signals and may be more costly than tilt switches. Tilt switches are inexpensive, but lack resolution and may offer a lower response frequency than accelerometers and gyroscopes.

Connect the actuators and balance sensors to a computer. You can use an on-board microcontroller or single-board microprocessor system to control the robot. Alternatively, you can connect the actuators and senors to an off-board computer via a wired or wireless tether. In the tethered design, the processing is done off-board and control signals are sent in to direct the actuators.

Program the computer. You will need software to process signals from the balance sensors and to generate output signals to control the actuators.

Test the robot. Load your software into the computer controlling the robot and power up the robot. Verify that the robot can stand. Make any necessary changes to the hardware and software.