The Fifty Dollar Sumobot Challenge, Part I

Many readers of this blog have probably either built a mini-Sumobot or watched one in a mini-Sumobot competition.  They are works of art, a tight little bundle of power, sensors and control, with one task in mind: push the other little bugger off the mat.  The designs on these little bots vary widely in design as well as performance.  Did I mention that they can be expensive?  Even ready to make kits are over $100 shipped to your door.  And if you are going to buy a lot of specialized parts online including the right motors, wheels, sensors and a brain can cost you a fair amount.

My fellow LVL1'er Brian Wagner and I were hanging out at our favorite hackerspace one night sharing a couple of beers and wondering, is it possible to come up with a design to use sources that can cost $50 or less?   Surely there are enough deals out there that this would be possible.  Brian is very good at electronics, and I rarely ever pay retail for anything.  Hell, my mother raised me to think "irregular" was a brand name.  So thats the goal.  A $50 mini-Sumo.  So we thought we would put this blog post out there to get the ball rolling.  Nothing makes you commit like some big words posted on a hackerspace site.  We'll keep you posted!