Notes from MCP BlueToothKiwi, who made a MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo robot for the first time.

”When I started this project a couple of weeks ago I knew nothing about building MINDSTORMS Sumo robots. Through the building process, I discovered that you can’t beat actual trial and error, when it comes to designing the best robot.

Every Sumo robot is different. There is no right or wrong way to design a robot: In my case I went for rubber tracks – though it did not have as good a traction as some of the TECHNIC wheels. Also, I went for four smaller PF (Power Function) motor – even though it had less torque than the NXT motor and the larger PF motor. It does not matter about the choices you make in the design process – as long as you tried the alternatives in a scientific way and come up with a compromise that works best for your robot.

The second thing I learnt is testing. When you first design your robot, it feels great and your robot looks unbeatable. Only when you test it against another NXT robot, that you discover its weaknesses – especially in a home-made Sumo ring. I made dozens of improvements to my design and eliminated all the weaknesses uncovered by the testing processes. For example my motorized lifter I spent ages perfecting turned out to be a liability – and with great reluctance, I had to remove it from the final version of my Sumo robot …”

BluetoothKiwi also gained inspiration from MCP's and MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition Judges Brian Davis, Bryan Bonahoom, and Steve Hassenplug.

You can find out more about BluetoothKiwi and his MINDSTORMS Sumo robots on NXTLOG: BlueToothKiwi
Or on his Blog: http://bluetoothkiwi.blogspot.com


Watch the How to build a MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Robot in 5 steps