A TETRIX™ robot cruises the tundra on the Creator’s Guide cover shot.
Click thumbnail to view larger version.
Robot teams and technology classes are discovering a new robot platform: Pitsco’s TETRIX™ Robotic Design System.
Designed for the FIRST Tech Challenge, which includes the system in its 2008 competition kit, TETRIX had to meet some extreme standards for the FIRST organization.
“Past systems were more similar to toys. One of the visual images we used when developing the kit was a ‘throwable’ robot,” said FIRST Tech Challenge Director Ken Johnson. “The TETRIX kit is tough enough so that teams can build robots that can take a lot of abuse, operate in various terrain, and be reused many times over.”
Made of heavy-duty aluminum, the shape of the structural pieces lends extra strength to the system. Plus, metal gears and strong drive motors and servos provide above-average power.
Another advantage TETRIX has over other robot building systems hinges on – of all things – its holes.
The system’s patented hole pattern enables structural pieces to be connected at many angles, not just 90º and 180º. “To get creative with it is very easy because of the way it is connected,” said Paul Uttley, Pitsco research and development manager and TETRIX designer.
“This system enables students to experiment and build robots on a real-world scale,” Uttley said. “They are working with structural elements like those they would use if they were robotics engineers.”
Students can operate a TETRIX robot by remote control or can add other electronics to create an autonomous robot. The TETRIX Base Set comes with approximately 600 parts, including structural pieces, servos, motors, wheels, and hardware. The included Creator’s Guide covers how to build robot subcomponents, leaving students’ imaginations to discover how to combine and reconfigure these into their own unique robot designs.
In January 2009, robot builders can use the unique TETRIX hole pattern to attach the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT Intelligent Brick, sensors, and any other LEGO Technic element to the TETRIX system via a custom connector.
To learn more about TETRIX, visit www.shop-pitsco.com or call 800-835-0686. For more information about the FIRST Tech Challenge, visit www.usfirst.org.
By PJ Graham, Pitsco technical writer