Ever since my trip to Calgary for the Western Canadian Robot Games I’ve been thinking about a new mini sumo robot that would be competitive with the best robots I’ve seen. My current top-contender Velox really hasn’t been very competitive for quite a while now but I wasn’t sure I really wanted to build another mini sumo. After all, I’ve also got a few other projects on the go already…

Last weekend I finally decided to start building. My new design puts emphasis on a low profile and speed. My goal is to make a thin wedge that is less than 3/4″ tall and moves at 5 inches per second. It’s going to be a very challenging project. I’m starting with a block of aluminum that is a little over 10cm square and 3/4″ thick, and I’ll cut and mill away most of it, incorporating the motor mounts, front scoop, PCB mounts, etc. into one frame. I’m also planning to design my own PCB that puts all the electronics (including sensors) onto a single board.

The machining should be complete in two weeks or so (mostly evenings and some time on the weekends) then I’ll start on the PCB design. I plan to compete at Robothon in Seattle in the first week of October so there is no time to spare – especially since I need time to prepare my other robots too!