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Page 67 - Toucpad robotics C11
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    Design Considerations: The frame’s design must account for the weight distribution of the components, ensuring the
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                        robot is balanced and stable. It also needs to be strong enough to handle the stresses of motion, especially for fast or
                        heavy-duty robots.
                     Materials: The Robot’s Skin

                     The materials used to build a robot’s frame and other components are chosen based on a trade-off between strength,
                     weight, cost, and ease of manufacturing.
                     Medium-Density Fibreboard (MDF)

                        Description: An engineered wood product made by breaking down wood into fibers, combining it with a wax and
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                        resin binder, and forming it into panels.
                        Characteristics: It is dense, smooth-surfaced, uniform in texture, and easy to machine or shape.
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                        Advantages: Inexpensive, easy to cut with simple tools, and good for rapid prototyping. It’s often used in educational
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                        robotics projects.
                        Disadvantages: Heavy, not very strong, susceptible to water damage, and not suitable for high-stress applications.
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                     Acrylic
                        Description: A type of clear plastic, also known by the trade name Plexiglas.
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                        Characteristics: It is lightweight, transparent, and can be easily cut using laser cutters.
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                        Advantages: Visually appealing, strong for its weight, and widely used for educational robots and aesthetically driven
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                        projects.
                        Disadvantages: It can be brittle and prone to cracking under high stress. It also scratches easily.
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                     Aluminium

                        Description: A lightweight, silvery-white metal.
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                        Characteristics: Strong, durable, and has a very good strength-to-weight ratio.
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                        Advantages: Excellent for constructing the frames of high-performance robots, drones, and robotic arms where low
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                        weight and high strength are crucial. It is also easy to machine and does not rust.
                        Disadvantages: More expensive than plastic or MDF, and welding it can be more complex than welding steel.
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                     Steel

                        Description: An alloy of iron and carbon.
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                        Characteristics: Extremely strong and durable.
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                        Advantages: Unmatched for structural strength, making it ideal for large, heavy-duty industrial robots, large-scale
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                        manipulators, and mobile platforms that carry very heavy loads. It is also relatively inexpensive and easy to weld.
                        Disadvantages: Very heavy, making it unsuitable for most mobile and aerial robots where weight is a primary
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                        concern. It is also susceptible to rust.

                     Wheel Types: The Robot’s Feet
                     The type  of wheels  a  robot  uses  determines  its  mobility,  manoeuvrability,  and  ability  to
                     traverse different surfaces.

                     Standard Wheels
                        Description: Simple, non-steerable wheels that  can only roll  forward  and backward.
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                        They are the most common type and are often used in pairs on a drive axle.
                        Characteristics: A robot with standard wheels can only move forward, backward, and
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                        turn in an arc (by spinning the wheels on opposite sides at different speeds).
                        Advantages: Simple, inexpensive, and efficient on flat surfaces.
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                        Disadvantages: Lacks advanced manoeuvrability.
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                                                                                                              Mechanical System

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