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How to… Make a Mini Robot

December 30, 2011

diy robot mini robot Today I have a fabulous fun little Mini Robot craft for you! It is absolutely riveting and both my little ones love the final result, as well as the tweens next door. I think this really is something for all age groups! A few weeks ago, Em from Unruly Media invited me to one of their events to make a mini robot. Em designed this robot herself and shared it with a group of their contacts. I grabbed my neighbour and off we went. We had a wonderful evening and have been playing with our robots ever since… And you know what, it isn’t that hard!!! This is a perfect Craft for Tween Boys and girls!

***New to Red Ted Art?! Would LOVE for you to either subscribe to the blog (top right hand corner) or join  me on Facebook – never miss out on the latest groovy craft again!***

I have amended the instructions from Em slightly, as I found you could simplify it just a little, to make it more suitable for homecrafting. But overall it is all Em’s brainchild.

diy robot

Materials: 2 x bits of wire, 1 x 3v motor, 1 x AA battery, 3 x beads (a third one too if wanted), 2 x pieces of foamboard (or more if desired), Some legs (your choice what materials – we used paper clips, the instructions so toothbrush heads, the above show drawing pins). A Hot Glue Gun.

diy robot diy robot

1. Securing the battery to your motor: Glue the bigger piece of foamboard onto the Motor with the metal contacts at the top. Glue the bigger piece of foamboard onto the Motor with the metal contacts at the top.

diy robot

2. Unbalancer: Now this step may seem a little random.. but what you are doing is “unbalancing” the motor, which in turn creates the movement of the little thing. So make sure you don’t skip this bit! Glue a small piece of foam board onto the end of the motor to help unbalance your robot. You can also stick a bead on if you wish. Leave this all to dry for a couple of minutes.

diy robot

3. Legs: You now need to stick your robots legs onto the bottom of the motor. If using toothbrushes, you might want to stick some foamboard in between. Leave to dry for a couple of minutes.

how to make a real robot

4. Connecting to your Motor: You can either “twist” them on or solder them on. Soldering will probably give your little robot more longevity, but isn’t strictly necessary.

Take your pieces of wire and solder one of each onto a metal contact on the motor. This is quite fiddly so be careful. The best technique is to hold the iron on the metal Contact and bring the solder towards it, letting it melt onto the  contact and form a seal. Make sure that you frequently wipe the solder iron with a sponge to get any burnt solder off it.

how to make your own robot

At this point your little robot should look something like this.

how to make your own robot

5. Connecting to the Battery: Using your hot glue one of your wires to one end of your battery, your choice which one. It is very important that you create a contact between the wire and the battery – too much glue and you will seal the wire… for some reason, I “just couldn’t get this bit right”, so on MY mini robot, I used some electrical tape. Glueing is better though.

6. Eyes: Now stick your robot’s eyes on the appropriate end of the battery. Either end is fine, just choose and end that you like!

how to make your own robot

7. Final Connection: Now to make your robot move! Take your second wire and stick it to the non wired end of your battery using some tape. By doing this rather than using the glue gun you have flexibility on when the motor is on or off.

And there you have it! Your own mini robot!

Here is what we made:

how to make your own robot how to make your own robot

And the neighbour’s boy saw ours. Went off. Found “some bits” and made:

how to make your own robot

And he is only 8!!!! How cool?

 

A little video of them in action:

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Filed Under: How To's, Kids Craft 79 Comments

Comments

  1. Emma @Mummymummymum says

    December 30, 2011 at 10:05 am

    oh wow, that looks amazing! I want to make one. xx

    Reply
    • coolgurl says

      December 6, 2014 at 1:27 am

      ha the robot worked great

      Reply
      • Holie johnson says

        December 6, 2014 at 1:30 am

        hay where did u learn how to make theses things my son loved it and he’s 3

        Reply
    • Jason says

      December 15, 2014 at 3:57 pm

      How do u turn it on ?

      Reply
      • Red Ted Art says

        December 15, 2014 at 4:16 pm

        You connect the wires and then disconnect them again to switch it off.

        Reply
      • jhon says

        December 18, 2014 at 1:22 am

        where can i get the motor and i got a 1.5-3vdc motor is that good? plz reply right away

        Reply
        • Red Ted Art says

          December 18, 2014 at 10:02 am

          Have you tried Amazon or your local hardware store?

          Reply
  2. Isil says

    December 30, 2011 at 10:24 am

    These look amazing and great fun!

    Reply
  3. Red Ted Art says

    December 30, 2011 at 10:48 am

    Thank you Emma and Isil. They were great to make and my 2yrs old in particularly loved playing with it.. It was called our bee (due to the sound it makes when on!)

    Reply
  4. camille says

    December 30, 2011 at 4:40 pm

    love these, we made \’bristlebots\’ a couple of years ago from tooth brush heads and watch batteries, the kids loved how fast they moved.

    Reply
  5. Red Ted Art says

    December 30, 2011 at 8:12 pm

    Oooh they sound fun! 🙂 great idea to use watch batteries!

    Reply
  6. PinkOddy says

    January 2, 2012 at 8:58 am

    That is fab! You must be very proud.

    Happy new year.

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      January 2, 2012 at 9:32 am

      Thank you! We had lost of fun! And it is easier than you think!

      Reply
  7. Milly Gandy says

    January 2, 2012 at 8:44 pm

    My Son\’s 7th Birthday this weekend and we\’re having a robot party … Great timing, I am sure we can squeeze this one in 😉 off to find some cheap motors …..

    Reply
    • Jignesh M Solanki says

      June 9, 2017 at 9:13 pm

      Did it work? I am also planning for birthday party

      Reply
      • Red Ted Art says

        June 11, 2017 at 9:27 pm

        Yes, you can see the little video?

        Reply
  8. claire says

    January 2, 2012 at 10:24 pm

    These look great,Thanks for joining us at Creative Mondays 🙂

    Reply
  9. Janel @ Hating Martha says

    January 4, 2012 at 1:54 am

    These are great! I made one of these for a library program last summer and the kids just loved watching it walking around. Great post!

    Reply
  10. Michelle Breum says

    January 5, 2012 at 6:24 am

    These look so fun!!!! My kids have hex bugs we bought from the store. These robots remind of them. We ARE going to make these. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  11. MillyGandy says

    January 12, 2012 at 1:33 pm

    We did it! Chaos, noise, pizza, Lego robots and a mini electronics project … what more can a 7yo want for his birthday party. Total joy 🙂

    Lots more inspiration
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcone/wallaceandgromit/hands-on/

    Reply
  12. Red Ted Art says

    January 12, 2012 at 1:39 pm

    Oh wow! Sounds fabulous!! Have you got a picture!?

    Reply
  13. Kari says

    February 15, 2012 at 2:27 pm

    Where\’d you buy your motors?

    Reply
  14. Red Ted Art says

    February 16, 2012 at 4:54 pm

    In the UK:

    http://www.rapidonline.com/Electrical-Power/3V-13100-Rpm-Dc-Motor-37-0140/?sid=c90f44ef-fed6-41df-b63b-97d155687604

    Or http://www.maplin.co.uk/small-motor-3738

    Reply
  15. Max says

    March 4, 2012 at 9:56 pm

    I don\’t have a soldering iron, how can I do this.

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      March 4, 2012 at 10:28 pm

      Yes, you can make this without a soldering iron! The official instructions say use one, but you can attach the wires to the motor by twisting the wire on and attach the wire to the battery with tape and the hot glue gun. My robot does not use a soldering iron! Have fun!

      Reply
  16. Helen says

    March 5, 2012 at 1:46 pm

    Hello, just wanted to say \’thank you sooooo much\’ for these instructions. We spent a lovely afternoon making one with our son yesterday and he is thrilled to pieces with the robot he made. He\’s even taken it to \’show and tell\’ at school today. Thank you so much!

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      March 5, 2012 at 2:02 pm

      Aaaaah I am SOOOO CHUFFED! Thank you for coming back and letting me know! Hooray for Mini Robots!

      Reply
  17. Lindsey says

    May 14, 2012 at 3:12 am

    Awesome!! I have been searching for hours for a science project for my 3rd grader! We were given a motor and 2 AA batteries and told to do something with it. This will be perfect for her! Thank You!!

    Reply
  18. dharm says

    July 29, 2012 at 4:34 am

    it was really awesome i would really like to make one.

    Reply
  19. Darci the STEM Mom says

    February 3, 2013 at 9:49 pm

    Amazing project. I’m loving the idea of a mini robot! I am looking for great engineering and technology posts for a week-long linky I’m hosting this week. Would love if you could link up this idea!

    http://www.stemmom.org/2013/02/stem-themed-linky-party-2.html

    Darci the STEM Mom

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      February 4, 2013 at 9:51 am

      Oooh thanks will pop by!

      Reply
  20. Jola says

    April 2, 2013 at 7:07 pm

    This is awesome! 🙂

    Reply
  21. Hyman Barrett says

    April 13, 2013 at 4:44 pm

    Most important thing to be kept in mind when working with soldering iron is not to touch the tip of the iron as it is extremely hot. Soldering material used for the purpose is an alloy of tin and lead and is called flux. Before you put solder over the required area, heat up the surface to be soldered by touching the tip of the hot iron. Application of the solder is called “tinning”since percentage of tin is more in the flux. However, flux can be of various types depending upon the things to be soldered.

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      April 13, 2013 at 5:46 pm

      Or you could just not use a soldering iron, but a hot glue gun!

      Reply
  22. babise says

    April 30, 2013 at 9:37 am

    hey they are cool

    Reply
  23. vince says

    July 4, 2013 at 1:06 pm

    does it walk?

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      July 4, 2013 at 1:11 pm

      They buzz around. Have added a little (old) clip of them in action.

      Reply
      • Kasturi Natalie says

        October 2, 2013 at 5:35 am

        hey,can you tell me,what do i have to do to move it?

        Reply
        • Red Ted Art says

          October 2, 2013 at 6:30 am

          If you have made it correctly, it should move by itself, when you attach the final wire.

          Reply
          • Kasturi Natalie says

            October 2, 2013 at 7:53 am

            um,okay..and to stop it moving?

          • Red Ted Art says

            October 2, 2013 at 8:35 am

            You remove the little wire

  24. Sofi says

    October 19, 2013 at 2:05 pm

    We’re can I find the 1x3v motor?

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      October 19, 2013 at 3:51 pm

      Try on Amazon? They seem to have EVERYTHING these days!

      Reply
  25. mano kick says

    October 27, 2013 at 9:51 am

    u can make male and female bees . it’s looks awesome !!!!!!

    Reply
  26. Jenny @ The Brick Castle says

    January 16, 2014 at 9:27 pm

    It’s so creative and nice, I can’t wait for my 2 youngest to reach this stage – I loved it when my teenagers were experimenting with making robots 🙂

    Reply
  27. jeannine: waddleeahchaa says

    June 19, 2014 at 9:46 pm

    My son made a very similar robot all by himself. He asked for a toothbrush and found one of those small round batteries. Then, he took apart one of his broken airplane toys. He put them all together and connected the wires to the battery. It worked! He’s so much smater than me. 🙂

    Reply
  28. marzia says

    June 21, 2014 at 11:54 am

    mine isnt working!! can u tell me the way how it moves??

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      June 22, 2014 at 9:15 am

      Have you connect the wires correctly?

      Reply
      • emeka says

        July 28, 2016 at 4:12 pm

        that is exactly what i meant

        Reply
    • emeka says

      July 28, 2016 at 4:11 pm

      because it is not connected well

      Reply
  29. clement says

    May 8, 2016 at 1:21 pm

    can i use AAA batteries,i love your robot

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      May 9, 2016 at 8:46 am

      So long as the battery is compatible with the motor!

      Reply
  30. clement says

    May 8, 2016 at 1:51 pm

    where can i get 1 x 3v motor,please answer immediately.

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      May 9, 2016 at 8:47 am

      ebay, amazon or maybe your local hard ware store!

      Reply
  31. Akhil.A.V says

    May 24, 2016 at 10:17 am

    This is the first robot I made

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      May 25, 2016 at 9:34 am

      awesome!

      Reply
  32. emeka says

    July 28, 2016 at 4:07 pm

    what does the robot do?

    Reply
  33. emeka says

    July 28, 2016 at 4:09 pm

    it is anice robot i love it
    can you make more

    Reply
  34. Shouma Davis says

    January 4, 2017 at 10:50 pm

    Awesome

    Reply
  35. NA says

    August 23, 2017 at 11:08 pm

    Where can you get bits of wire?

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      August 27, 2017 at 10:10 am

      Try amazon or a hardware store?

      Reply
  36. Curious says

    October 12, 2017 at 4:49 pm

    What is the average amount of time it takes to build this? Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      October 12, 2017 at 6:11 pm

      half an hour? 20 min?

      Reply
  37. Louise Burrows says

    December 20, 2017 at 2:11 pm

    Where can I get the mini motors for the robots, please?

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      December 20, 2017 at 6:14 pm

      Try amazon?

      Reply
  38. tori hudson says

    December 28, 2017 at 6:54 pm

    can it avoid walls?

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      December 29, 2017 at 4:03 pm

      No

      Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      December 29, 2017 at 4:03 pm

      No I guess it may buzzzz around them?

      Reply

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