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How to Build a Homemade Robot Using Robotics

The laws of robotics in science class can be a difficult topic to explain and teach. An effective method to teach and learn the laws of robotics is by building a small robot. Although most people do not have the level of expertise to build a full-fledged robot, a smaller and more cost-effective version that requires little technical training is created by using common household items such as a toothbrush, pager or cellphone motor and a battery.

Things You'll Need

Toothbrush
Scissors
Pliers
Double-sided foam tape
Vibrating cell phone or pager motor
3-volt coin-cell battery

Instructions

- 1
  Select a toothbrush with angled bristles of uniform length. If the bristle length is nonuniform, use scissors to cut the bristles and make them all the same.
- 2
  Cut the head of the toothbrush from the toothbrush with a pair of pliers. Leave approximately 1/2-inch of the neck still attached to the head.
- 3
  Place the toothbrush head on a flat surface with the hard plastic top facing upwards.
- 4
  Cut a small piece of double-sided tape. Remove the peel off from one side of the tape and stick the tape across the flat hard plastic top of the toothbrush head.
- 5
  Remove the peel off from the other side of the tape. Affix the motor to the tape with the turning shaft facing away from the toothbrush neck. Make sure the two leads of the motor are facing upwards.
- 6
  Bend one of the exposed leads from the motor down flat against the tape.
- 7
  Stick the coin-cell battery on the foam tape behind the motor on the opposite end of the toothbrush. One of the sides of the battery should press against the motor's lead that is flat against the tape
- 8
  Bend the motor's second lead so it clamps down against the top of the battery to activate the robot. When both leads from the motor touch the battery, the motor will run and allow the toothbrush head to vibrate across a flat, smooth surface.

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