Build A Brushbot
Build A Brushbot
Build A Brushbot
Brushbots are a simple, fun type of robot that you can build out of arts and crafts materials.
They are easy to build and you do not need any previous experience with robotics. You can
build them yourself, build two robots with a friend and race them against each other, or even
make them sumo wrestler!
➢ MATEERIAL REQUIRED:
o AA batteries (2)
o 2xAA battery holder
o 3 volt DC motor
• You will also need the following supplies (not included in the kit):
o Scrub brush
o Double-sided foam tape
o Optional: Hot glue gun (adult supervision required)
o Tape (any kind will work)
o Cork
o Small Phillips-head screwdriver
o Scissors
o Optional: Materials to decorate your robot (googly eyes, pipe cleaners, etc)
➢ PROCEDURE
❖ Insert two AA batteries into the holder .Make sure ‘+’ signs on the batteries line up with ‘+’sign on
the holder
❖ Press the cork onto the motor shaft. Make sure cork is off –centre
❖ Turn switch ON. Cork should spin and motor should vibrate. If not, double-check your
batteries and wire connections. Turn switch OFF when done.
a. If your brushbot stops moving suddenly, check to make sure that one set of wires did not come
loose. If you did not twist the wires tightly enough, the vibrations may cause them to come apart. If
necessary, take off the tape, tightly re-twist the wires, and then reapply tape.
b. As your robot wobbles around, some pieces may fall off. If necessary, use more tape or hot glue to
reattach them.
c. Always turn your robot off when not in use to help conserve battery power.
➢ What Happened?
When you turn the motor on, it makes the robot vibrate and move across the table. This happens because
you attached an off-center weight (the cork) to the motor's spinning shaft. If you removed the cork, the
robot would not vibrate at all. This is the same concept used to make video game controllers, electric
toothbrushes, and cell phones vibrate; they have little spinning motors with weights inside!
Your robot probably did not move in a straight line. In fact, it probably buzzed all over the place, and
crashed into things! This is because your brushbot's movement is random. There is no computer "brain"
telling the robot how to steer. More-advanced robots rely on computer programs to help them avoid
crashing into things.
➢ Digging Deeper
When you connected the battery pack and motor's wires, you completed a circuit. This allows electricity to
flow in a loop from the battery, through the red wires to the motor, and through the black wires back to
the battery. Electricity needs a closed circuit (or a complete loop) to flow. If you only connected one set of
wires, the motor would not turn on, because you would have an open circuit.
The metal wires of your circuit are conductors, meaning they allow electricity to flow. They are surrounded
by colored (red and black) plastic, which is an insulator, that does not let electricity flow. Electrical tape is
also an insulator. You used electrical tape as insulation to help prevent the exposed metal parts of the
wires from bumping into each other and creating a short circuit. Short circuits are bad because they can
cause your battery to get very hot.
• Try using other materials to make the body of your robot instead of a scrub brush. For example, can
you make a "junkbot" out of recycled materials like plastic bottles and cardboard?
• Brushbots generally go faster when they have slanted bristles. Can you permanently bend the
bristles of your brush so they all face in one direction (for example, leave the scrub brush under a
stack of heavy textbooks overnight), or use scissors to trim them and create a slanted surface?
• Your bristlebot kit has enough materials to build two brushbots. Have a friend build a brushbot and
race them against each other, or make them sumo wrestle by seeing which one can knock the other
robot over!