Win a Paper Robot signed original!
I have a made up Paper Robot looking for a new home.
This competition is open to paid member (both standard and membership plus) and is free to enter. If you'd like to win this signed, made up model drop me a line by email or add your name to the comments below. I'll have Son #1 draw a name out of the proverbial hat at the end of June.
Good luck everyone!
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It's all very well designing artwork for paper projects on the computer but until you print it out you really can't tell if it is is going to work. The first box design I created for the hammerbot had rivets half the size of these ones. They looked great on screen but when I printed the parts out the rivets were far too subtle. I'm pleased with this version though - looks a bit Chris Foss I reckon.
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This is a fun mechanism. I like some of the ideas that people left in the last post about it. I've completed it as a hammerbot but expect to see it used in the future. Perhaps as a caveman / mammoth model.
I reckon I could link an object being hammers to the crank so that it dodged out of the way at the last moment. All sorts of possibilities!
Colour next.
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One of the aims of the robives.com blog is that you can follow the progress of new projects as they are being designed. Obviously, if I stopped and blogged at each stage it would slow down progress to a ridiculous degree. While I was working on the paperbot I tried out a new, snappier technique for keeping up to date using social media. I took pictures on my phone and uploaded them to Instagram with a quick note. I then tweeted these pictures. Simple!
If you'd like to join in the fun you can follow me on:
twitter at @robives and on,
Instagram: robivescom
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access to this and other files on the site.See the Membership page for more details.
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Look out puny human! The paper robots are on the march. Download and make this paper robot and help destroy the world!
Nah. Don't panic, these are in fact friendly robots. Honest.
Print out the three pages of the robot onto thin card (230 micron / 67lb) Score along the dotted lines and cut out the holes before carefully cutting out the pieces.
Fold the arms in half and glue them down to make double thickness card. Once the glue is dry carefully cut out the parts.
Fold round and glue together the legs.
Join the legs with the leg top.
Fold round the and glue together the two legs lining up the edge of the leg with the leg top.
Glue one of the tabs of the legs outer to the top of the legs lining it up in the position shown.
Wrap the part round and glue it to the top of the legs.
Glue the leg guides into place. using the grey areas for alignment.
Fold round the tab at the end of the body parts to make a triangular end stop.
Glue the two body parts together.
Thread the legs down through the hole in the top of the body.
Thread the arms up through the arm holes and glue the tabs to the top of the legs as shown.
Glue the body top into place.
Glue the feet to the end of the legs.
Fold up and glue together the head.
Glue the head to the body. Complete the model by gluing the eyes into place.
"Make me, puny human, and I will destroy you all!"
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The four bar linkage is a simple mechanism with a whole variety of interesting uses. I'm working on a project that uses a four bar linkage to power a hammer wielding robot. A similar layout was originally shown on this mechanism page. I am provisionally calling it, The Hammer Bot.
The two vertical linkages, two and three, are roughly the same length. Linkage four is a lot shorter that the fixed linkage, linkage one, so as the mechanism moves the arm linkage (one) rotates and with it, the arms and hammer are rotated downwards.
I have put together a fairly two dimensional version of the mechanism to see how the linkage will work. Looking good, I think you'll agree.
Next step is to give everything depth, a 3D head and hammer and a solid body, after which I'll be deciding whether to drive the mechanism with a crank and handle or a push button.
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Another fabulous stop motion animation by Michael42er. This terrifying scene of nature red in tooth and claw features the Apatosaurus being hunted down by two T.Rexes. Nice one Michael! There are more still pictures here.
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I have the two made up T.Rex projects that I used for photography looking for new homes. Here's how to win one of them.
New Members:
To enter, sign up for either a standard paid membership or membership+ then drop me a line or leave a comment below and let me know you'd like a chance to win one of them. I'll choose a name out of a hat at the end of the month. Good luck!
Already a member?
If you are a current member, don't panic, you can still have a chance to win! Drop me an email or leave a comment if you'd like to enter and I'll pick a name from another hat at the end of the month.
Good luck everyone!
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access to this and other files on the site.See the Membership page for more details.
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This project is a cam powered T.Rex automata. The head and lower jaw are driven by separate cams which can be interchanged to change the way the T.Rex moves and so tell a different mini-story.
The T.Rex is a fascinating project to make with students aged twelve and up. By building this model, students will be improve their skills in accurate cutting and scoring. Students will also learn how cam profiles can be used to create movement and how these movements can be used to act out a story.
The project parts come as a downloadable file. Members of robives.com can download the file for free. Non-members can download the file for a payment of just £2.50.
Print out the parts onto thin card. (230 micron 67lb). Score along the dotted lines and cut out the holes before carefully cutting out the pieces.
Make up the base and the top in the same way as shown in the picture above. Make sure that the edges are at right angles.
Glue together the four parts of the body.
Assemble the lower jaw.
Glue together the head.
Fold round and glue together the head inner.
Glue the head inner into place so that it is lined up with the crease across the top of the head.
Glue the two tabs on the lower jaw to the top back of the body. Make sure that the lower jaw is free to move up and down.
Glue the head tab into place on top of the lower jaw tabs.
Fold the legs and arms into half and glue them together to make double thickness card. Once the glue is dry carefully cut out the pieces.
Glue the lower legs to the grey areas on the body. Note that the legs bend forwards at the joint, use this to get the right leg on the right side.
Glue the two arms into position as in the picture above.
Thread the jaw push rod up through the body and glue the tab to the grey area on the underside of the jaw.
Thread the head push rod up through the body and glue it to the head support piece as shown.
Glue on the feet and glue the feet to the box top so that they are one on either side of the hole with the back of the foot just touching the back of the box top.
Fold up and glue together the two cam followers. Notice that the triangular section at the end of the cam follower use valley folds.
Glue the cam followers to the grey areas on the front of the box top.
Glue the end of the push rods to the cam followers.
Assemble the two parts of the box.
Glue the box body to the base. Make sure that it is straight and square.
Glue the top to the box again making sure that it is straight and square.
Glue together the drive shaft tube. Glue the washer to the end.
Thread the drive shaft through the holes in the box and fix the second washer into place. the drive shaft must be free to turn.
Assemble the handle in three steps. Fold over the two sections and glue to make square section tubes.
Fold on section into the other and glue them at right angles.
Roll round the long tab and glue it down.
Glue the handle to the drive shaft.
Making the interchangeable cams.
This project features easily interchangeable cams. Make a set for each story you want to tell. There are two cam sets already included in the pack as a well as a blank set of cams for you to design your own.
Fold round and glue together the cam shaft. Line up the stop with the grey line and glue it into place.
Thread the head cam into place on the shaft. If you are experimenting with cam profiles, don't glue them on yet. Thread the lower jaw cam onto the shaft. Make sure that the read line on both are lined up so that the parts are in sync with each other.
Once you are happy with your cam design glue them to the shaft.
Lift the cam followers out of the way and thread the cam shaft into the drive shaft so that the stop butts up with the box.
This cam pack makes the T.Rex eat. Nom nom nom!
Don't forget to complete the model by gluing the eyes into place otherwise it won't be able to track down its prey!
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And Goat works in the same way as the computer And Gate. Press either button on its own and the goat doesn't nod.
Press one button AND the other button and the goat nods.
For a limited time everyone can download the And Goat project for free!
And Goat is part of the Logic Goats collection. Click the banner above for more details.
Download the file. Print out the parts onto thin card. (230 micron 67lb) Notice that the part sheets are marked front and back. Print out one side, flip the card over, return it to the printer and print the other side. Let the ink dry completely before starting to make the model.
Score along the dotted and dashed lines before carefully cutting out the pieces.
Fold up and make the box as shown above.
Find four coins to act as weights. UK one penny pieces are perfect. 20mm diameter / 4 grams.
Wrap each coin in a coin holder.
Assemble both the buttons as shown and glue one of the coins into the marked area.
Glue the pushrod onto the grey pad.
Assemble the box top stiffener and glue it to the grey area.
Glue each of the assembled buttons onto the colour matched tabs making sure that the push rod is threaded up through the hole in the box top.
Make up the pivot and glue on the hinge.
Assemble the two lift links and glue them to the grey areas on the pivot.
Fold round and glue together the neck. Glue the heck to the hinge as shown.
Glue the two push rod ends to the lift links as shown.
Glue a coin pack to each side of the lift links in the position shown.
Fold round and glue together the side inners and glue them to the inside of the body.
Glue the legs to the grey areas.
Glue the alignment piece to the inside of the body.
Assemble the head and glue on the horns.
Glue the head to the neck.
Glue the head assembly to the alignment piece.
Join the two parts of the pushrods together.
Glue the feet to the box top.
Fit the body end into place and glue on the tail.
Done! Press one button AND the other and the goat nods.
Logical captain!
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