Octabot II, a 3-deck expandable robot
Our best-selling Octabot just got better! This expandable robot platform provides not just one or two decks, but three -- all at one low price. Measuring 7 3/4" at its widest and 5 1/2" high, this three-wheeled mobile robot is driven by two modified R/C servo motors.
The Octabot II gets its name from its unique octagon-shaped decks. The bottom deck includes cut-outs for the two 2 1/2" diameter rubber-treaded Double O-wheels. With its high floor clearance, the Octabot II travels over all kinds of surfaces -- wood, concrete, asphalt, tile, vinyl, or carpet.
A quality 1 1/4" ball-bearing swivel caster provides balance for the robot. The Octabot II can be driven forward or backward simply by reversing the direction of its motors. The robot turns and spins about the center axis of the motors.
Even with all three decks the Octabot II weighs only 1.2 pounds (without batteries). You can readily add several more pounds in electronics, batteries, and other components, without worry of overloading the robot. Bear in mind that the heavier the load the slower the robot will travel. We recommend a maximum of about 4 pounds total weight.
The affordable Octabot II comes with:
- Two already-modified R/C servo motors (they're ready-to-run--no disassembly or soldering required). Click here for technical specifications for the servos we use
- Two heavy-duty 2 3/8" diameter rubber-treaded X-Wheels
- Precision cut three-deck base made with rigid expanded PVC--strong but very light
- 1 1/4" aluminum deck risers
- Ball bearing swivel caster
- All assembly hardware
Just add brains and you're ready to go! The Octabot II kit works with dozens of microcontrollers, such as the Basic Stamp, Parallax Board of Education, IsoPod, Basic Micro Atom, OOPic I and II, BasicX, SIMMStick, PIC, AVR, and many others.
The Octabot II is easy to assemble--takes less than 20 minutes, and requires only a screwdriver.
All-hardware construction make
the Octabot easy to assemble...
and disassemble.
As with most of our kits, the Octabot II can be completely disassembled -- that's great news for teachers on a budget. No glues or tapes! You can purchase one Octabot II kit for the class, and students can take turns building it. When they're done, just take it apart for the next set of students.
The base panels of the Octabot II are designed with 3D CAD, and cut using a high-speed precision computer-controlled router. Mounting holes are provided, and you can readily cut and drill the panels to suit your needs.
The Octabot II uses sturdy but lightweight
1/4" PVC for ultimate expandability
The body of the Octabot II is made with rigid expanded PVC. This material provides the perfect balance between light weight, strength, and ease of modification--we recommend it over acrylic or even aluminum.
With the three decks of the Octabot II, you have over 120 square inches of mounting area. But should you need more space, you can order extra decks. The decks include the necessary riser hardware. Each deck provides about 40 square inches of usable surface area, or double that amount if you mount to the underside of the deck.
Please select the color you want. Click here for sample colors (colors shown are approximate).
Note: Illustrations show a different wheel than what is now included in the Octabot II kits. We now include a pair of our rugged Double O-Wheel wheels.
SKU Number:KIT-360-II
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