Real Robots
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Real Robots was the name of a fortnightly partwork magazine by Eaglemoss Publications, established in May, 2001.Developed in partnership with Reading University, it allowed the reader to build a robot, "Cybot", and later a companion robot, "Tom". This series, which was released in eight countries, is now discontinued.
Construction phases
There were 96 issues of the magazine, divided into 5 phases:
- Phase 1 - Issues 1 to 17 - Cybot is built, and is able to follow lines on the floor, and sense light and objects.
- Phase 2 - Issues 18 to 40 - A remote control is built, along with a docking station, allowing Cybot to be programmed. Some issues also contain alternate body pieces, transforming Cybot into a 'Team Cybot', a formula-1 styled robot.
- Phase 3 - Issues 41 to 55 - Cybot becomes voice controlled with the addition of a headset to wear and some additional components for the remote control.
- Phase 4 - Issues 56 to 70 - Cybot learns to play 'football'. Infrared location sensors are added to Cybot, as well as Infrared beacons in the form of a ball and a goal.
- Phase 5 - Issues 71 to 96 - TOM (Tracking Orbital Module) is built. TOM is a smaller robot than Cybot, with a similar look. Its features include scanning sonar, a higher speed, full programmability, 'emotions', and interaction with Cybot.
Issue contents
Phase 1
| Issue | Parts included | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chassis, gearboxes, drive wheels | Contents inferred from build instructions |
| 2 | Motors, battery box, grease sachet | Contents inferred from build instructions |
| 3 | Castor wheel, bumpers, switch | Contents inferred from build instructions |
| 4 | Motor power board, motor tester board | Contents inferred from build instructions |
| 5 | Front shield | Contents inferred from build instructions |
| 6 | Shield top support, 9v battery box, rear panel | Contents inferred from build instructions |
| 7 | 2x Light sensors (A), 2x Sensor caps (B) | Hereafter parts from rear checklist |
| 8 | 1x Light I/O board (A), 2x Screws (B) | |
| 9 | 1x Light processor board (A), 2x Screws (B), 2x Nuts (C) | |
| 10 | 1x Piezo speaker with connector (A), 2x Self-tapping screws for speaker (B), 1x Dome (C), 2x Side panels (L&R) (D & E), 4x Screws for side panels (F), 2x Nipples (G) - one is for spare | |
| 11 | 2x Antennae with wires & connectors (A), 2x Line follower housing sections (B & C), 1x Rubber O-ring (D), 2x Self-tapping screws (E) | |
| 12 | 1x Line follower sensor with wires & connector | |
| 13 | 1x Sonar processor board (A), 2x Metal posts (B), 2x Short screws (C) | |
| 14 | 1x Sonar I/O board (A), 4x Metal posts (B), 4x Small screws (C) | |
| 15 | 1x Sonar transmitter (white wire), 1x Sonar receiver (green wire), 2x Self-adhesive insulation strips | |
| 16 | 1x Sonar transmitter (white wire) (A), 1x Sonar receiver (green wire) (B), 2x Self-adhesive sound insulators (C) | |
| 17 | 2x Flexible side insert panels, 1x Flexible top insert panel |
Phase 2
| Issue | Parts included | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | ||
| 19 | ||
| 20 | ||
| 21 | ||
| 22 | ||
| 23 | ||
| 24 | ||
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| 26 | ||
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| 35 | ||
| 36 | ||
| 37 | ||
| 38 | ||
| 39 | ||
| 40 |
Phase 3
Phase 4
Phase 5
Praise
Especially during Phase 1, the magazine was very popular, as the reader quickly built a working robot, with new features added at a fast pace. The magazine was generally considered interesting and educational. As such, a large and active community built up around the magazine, including a couple of notably active websites, Realcybot.com(not online now), and Cybotbuilder.com. The latter was renamed www.robotbuilder.co.uk and remains active and online.
Criticisms
At £3.99 per issue many subscribers complained that the building went at a slow pace, making it expensive (fewer parts per issue of the magazine). This was mainly caused by a continuous evolution of features of the project, meaning that there was no rigid timetable. A prime example of this was in Phase 2 - with 5 more issues than Phase 1, the main additions to the series were a remote control, contrary to the goal of building an autonomous robot, and a docking station which was largely unnecessary, and the "Team Cybot" customisation which was very unpopular and required a rebuild of significant parts of the robot.