Building a cardboard robot

P Suryanarayana Reddy How to build a small robot Pick one of the exposed wires from the vibrator and stick it to the empty side of the tape so that you can place the battery on top of it to create a connection. Place the battery flat on top of the exposed wire (the battery should also, then, stick to the tape). At this point you should have one exposed wire that is not touching the tape or the battery. Touch this wire to the top if the battery, and the vibrator should turn on. At this point, I like to take another piece of the foam tape and adhere the other exposed wire to the battery. Once you have done this, place the bristle bot (bristles down) on a smooth flat surface and watch it skitter around and turn in circles.

How to Build a Cardboard Robot Building a cardboard robot is a fun craft project for children. It can be easily done with old boxes and a few household items. As much detail as desired can be added once the basic robot is complete. It's perfect for after Christmas due to the numerous empty cardboard gift boxes and decorations available. The following are rough plans to build a basic 42-inch-tall cardboard robot. Measurements are given as an example, but other sizes may be used, depending on the supplies on hand.

Things You'll Need One empty box One empty wrapping paper tube Cardboard (a few square feet) One empty large box of cereal Two empty mini boxes of cereal Scissors and/or utility knife Drawing compass Ruler Glue Silver duct tape Silver paint Firm cutting surfaceInstructions Make the robot body. Find an empty cardboard box (approximately 18 inches square). It can be any clean, dry box. Draw five 3-inch-diameter circles with a drawing compass on the outside of the box--one on top for the neck, two on the bottom for the legs and one on either side for the arms. The neck hole should be at the center of the top side of the box. The leg holes need to be equidistant from the outside edges of the bottom of the box to ensure support for the entire robot. The two arms holes should about a third down from the top of the box and directly across from one another (see the green square in the diagram). Cut out the circles with scissors and/or a utility knife. Smooth the inside edges of the holes by cutting off any uneven pieces of cardboard. Make the robot limbs. Find one empty cardboard wrapping paper tube (approximately 30 inches long, 3 inches wide) or any cardboard tube about that size. Cut the tube into five 6-inch lengths with scissors and/or a utility knife--two for the legs, two for the arms and one for the neck. Smooth the edges by cutting off any uneven pieces. Make the limb-to-body connector pieces. Cut a piece(s) of cardboard into eight 6-inch square pieces. Glue one square to one end of each of the limbs and allow to dry. Tape around the seam between the tube and connector for extra support. Open the box, apply glue to each connector square on the tube side, and push the tube through the holes in the box from the inside until the square is against the box. Press the square firmly against the box until they adhere to one another. Tape the connector to the inside of the box for extra support. Tape each limb to the outside of the box as well. Close the box and tape it closed; this is the back of the robot (the red lines and blue rectangles in the diagram). Complete the limbs. Glue and tape the rest of the connectors to the loose ends of the arms and (The writer is (MS Robotics) CMD of Sri Riddhi Educational Services, Hyderabad. www.sririddhi.com) Ph: 8143753473