To build your robot you will start prototyping, which means you need to be able to assemble and disassemble multiple times. This means using a breadboard. These are plastic boards with holes in that allow you to plug in and remove wires and components.
Once you are ready to make your robot mobile it will need some kind of platform or chassis to assemble the motors, wheels, brain and sensors onto. There are many commercially available pre-built designs, and you could use wood, cardboard and lego of course, but we are going to show you a couple of cheap and fun options using foam board and 3d printing.
Lastly, you won’t want to be tethered to your computer to provide power, so you will need batteries. In the RC copter and car world they tend to use LiPo batteries, which are commonly available, but many people (rightly) have concerns about them setting on fire since the well-publicized mobile phone news and other problems. A great alternative that is a little more consumer friendly is the phone battery booster USB batteries which use similar technology but in a more consumer-accessible packaging. These also have the advantage of using USB as the connector.
