Symet

Symet

Introducing... (drum roll).... SYMET! This was my very first ever BEAM robot! He's made up of various pieces of old electronics scrap and an expensive solar panel. The same stuff most of my other bots are made of. This is another robot built directly from the pages of Junkbots, Bugbots, and Bots on Wheels.

Symet (top view)

Even though Symet's solar panel is big, the FLED SE limits his ability. Movement is dismal and even in full noon day sun he doesn't move very fast. I seriously doubt that he even has enough power to work the way a symet is supposed to. Symet style robots are named so because of their symetrical construction. The idea is that if he bumps into an obstacle, he will simply rock onto a different pair of capacitors and move in a new direction. It is a balance thing, you see? But in this bot's case, he'll usually just get stuck against the obstacle. Oh well, he's my first bot. I might make a few adjustments in the future but for now he remains an infant in my care.

Symet (another side)

In these pictures, you can see the SE under the solar panel. The caps are each 1000uF for a total of 3000uF. This bot uses servo tape to hold the solar cell in place. For more info on the solar panel mount, see my Techniques section.

Symet (underside)

Here you can see the casette deck motor and the "wheel". The "wheel" is actually a pencil eraser that has been glued on and shaped like a cone with a blunt end.