RoadRoller was my first remote controlled robot. I’m using the word “robot” very loosely here. It essentially was a uniquely designed rc vehicle. It was built for a local competition, where we had to build a remote controlled robot that could navigate through a given arena. The arena consisted of a wide pit, a bump and a ramp. To my surprise, the robot was a big hit and won the first prize at the competition. Most of the other designs were hacked rc cars and couldn’t navigate through all of the obstacles.

The design consisted of two powerful dc geared motors connected back-to-back and embedded within the wheels. The wheels were made out of a combination of PVC pipe and wood. The passive support wheels came out of a old toy car.

Below you see RoadRoller competing against its opposition in the final round. (circa 2002)

I recently made a sketchup model in its memory.