For years now I have been building tethered mini-sumo robots with my junior secondary students. The robots are a fun way to discuss traction, torque, power, gear ratios, and a raft of other important engineering concepts that all actually come into play in a final competition. The video on this page represents one of my earlier classes to build the robots, and since then we’ve added a few more rules to make the final projects look a bit better. For instance I now ban exposed batteries and weights, and limit tape to being used for electrical insulation only. I also use a piece of welding rod to support the tether wire, as you can see in the very slick looking robot with the rounded front in the video. We’ve also upgraded to cast polyurethane tires, which give much better coefficients of friction than these store-bought tires do. The key rule for all mini-sumo robots is that they have to measure less than 100mm long and 100mm wide in their starting position and weigh less than 500g. To ensure a fair competition in my class, all students start out using a Tamiya Dual Motor Gearbox or a Twin Motor Gearbox. For more details on where I source materials, and how I implement the project, check out my Tethered Mini Sumo lesson plans and Mini Sumo Design Tips.
In the event the video does not show up, try this link: http://www.youtube.com/dtengineering#p/a/u/0/QPaa4Ea8TOo
Mini Sumos can be a lot of fun… give them a try!
Excellent documents! I hope other schools pick this up and offer classes based around mini-sumo competitions. I would like to speak with you about the parts you use in the robots. If you do not receive the email I am sending today, please contact me!
Comment by Kurtis Wanner — December 20, 2011 @ 11:33 am |