The SumoBot is a competition-ready robot that builds upon the ideas introduced by its counterpart, the entry-level Boe Bot, and takes robotics to a whole new level. By incorporating a spirit of healthy competition it drives robot builders to give all they've got in the creation of their electronic wrestlers. Robot Sumo, akin to its human cousin, was born it Japan where it is still popular; however, the trend caught on quickly in other parts of the world as well.
The Parallax SumoBot Robot Kit
The SumoBot features a surface mount Parallax's Basic Stamp 2 module, which gives it its intelligence. The kit comes complete with everything you need to build and program a rolling robot. It uses a sturdy aluminum chassis and the same differential drive mechanism as the Boe Bot, but incorporates two basic rules for its Sumo competition:
- it has to fit into a 10 cm x 10 cm footprint
- it has to weigh no more than 500 grams
and advanced programmers can later on add the following features as expansion: ultrasonic or infra red distance measuring, tilt sensing and motor current sensing.
The text included reviews and adds to the BoeBot's manual, and presents principles that are of value to robotics students and enthusiasts in building and programming their robots. These principles are employed in a way so as to enhance the SumoBot's performance with the intent of knocking out the opponent robot.
Some robotics topics explored are
- basic locomotion
- edge avoidance and opponent detection using infra red sensors input data
- opponent seeking
a few of the electronics topics covered include
- LEDs
- servo motors
- Infra red receivers
and some Physics fundamentals introduced are
- force
- mass
- acceleration
- friction
A few of the programming concepts explored are loops, conditions, subroutines, and compiler directives. The SumoBot is programmed using Parallax's PBASIC language. Well-designed programs are very easy to tune and follow certain coding conventions that allow for faster debugging and code reuse.
Whether in competition mode or solo, the SumoBot Robot Kit is guaranteed to provide the stimulating and fun experience that is typical to hobby electronics.
