Arsenal: 220lb Combat Robot
My Role:
- Analyzed the 'competitive landscape', including trends, competitors, and best design practices.
- Led concept generation and ideation meetings for robot design.
- Designed and assembled prototype and final components.
- 3D modeled prototype and final components for fit, function and DFM in Solidworks.
- Used FEA and machine dynamics calculations to select materials and components.
- Managed Bill of Materials.
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Project Overview:
When Battlebots first aired on Comedy Central in August of 2000, it popularized the sport of combat robotics among makers both hobbyist and professional alike. In my formative years, I, like many others- was enamored by the spectacle of these giant machines beating the absolute crap out of each other. It wasn’t until I started college in 2015 that I began designing combat robots, and even later in 2018 that I actually started building my first small and large-scale robots.
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In 2018, Andrew Harris and I led an ambitious team of mechanical engineers at Stevens Institute of Technology to build Arsenal, a 220-pound fighting robot for Robogames in California. We endeavored to build something unique that would break the mold most designs tend to fall into. Additionally, we were looking to test the limits our collective engineering skills. The design we settled on was a 3 degree of freedom ‘Swerve’ drivetrain, equipped with a high kinetic energy spinning weapon and a self-righting mechanism.
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*Hover over pictures for more information*
We used Solidworks to model design iterations, component layout and perform stress analysis on pivotal robot parts.
Rough assembly of one of four 'Swerve' drive modules. Translational motion of the robot was driven by brushless hubmotors, wheels with integrated motor windings, commonly used in electric scooters and bikes.
During the build phase of this project, we often worked late nights and weekends. Here we are at the competition venue, making last minute repairs and integrating our electronic and mechanical subsystems.
We used Solidworks to model design iterations, component layout and perform stress analysis on pivotal robot parts.