Welcome to The Toy Challenge

Now you can both make your first robot, AND win a price!

You are also very welcome to join in, if this is not your first robot.

THE CHALLENGE:

• Find any old (or new & cheap) toy.
• Rip out it´s guts! (just the electronics - but leave motors, lights, sensors etc it might have)
• Insert your brain! (well - not your own, a microcontroller)
• Add sensors!
• Code, test and have fun!
• Film the result at some point, and enter it on letsmakerobots.com!

- It is an extremely fun beginners-challenge to just take a cheap RC-car / boat / tractor / plane? .. etc, and make it autonomous.

All you need could be:

• The toy
• And a microcontroller on a board, cable, and a sensor - actually this beginner-robot will do for all the parts and instructions, just save yourself buying the motors, as you already have your toy. Of course that is just a suggestion, you can also go for Arduino (http://www.arduino.cc/), Parallax (http://www.parallax.com/) or some more heavy heavy stuff that you dig up and show us!

If you go for the Picaxe, this board might have your interest as it can take a little more power


THE RULES:

Toy must show ability to perform task autonomous. That is - to put it simple; if it was an RC-car, it should be a car that drives around by itself!

There are bonus and street-credit for extras, fun and coolness! And also provide us pictures if you are a nice person!

If we ever get 3 such robots in here on letsmakerobots.com, they will get extra focus for one month, and the one voted highest for by all visitors will win.

If we never get enough admissions, or if you do not win, "braining" an old toy is still one of the best ways to get started!! (and fun too)


THE WINNERS PRIZE:

One (cheap) RC-car or other toy of editors choice, send to you by mail. (so you can give it to your brother if he was not happy with you for spoiling he´s toy)

 

I am hoping to see your entry!

/ Fritsl