How to Build a DIY Inch Bot With Your Kids

In honor of the new BattleBot episode on The Science Channel, our Maker Dad is here to show you how to build a super-cool DIY Inch Bot with your kids. During this week’s episode, Shannon LaNier and his daughter Madison teach you how to make an Inch Bot.

What exactly is an Inch Bot, you ask? Made with parts provided by LittleBits, it’s an easy-to-build robot that crawls along and, if you have two of them, can engage in epic wrestling battles.

You will need the LittleBits servo, LittleBits P4 power, LittleBits battery and cable, two bamboo skewers, three AA batteries, a paperclip, cardboard, a utility knife, a hot-glue gun, and pliers to make your Inch Bot.

And how to build it? First, cut out a 12-inch by 3-inch piece of cardboard, and decorate as desired. Fold the strip in half so that the narrow ends touch (hamburger-style) to make the body. Fold two inches of the paper up on either end to create feet.

Second, cut three skewers to the length of half of the body, about four inches. Use the hot glue to attach them to the edges. Hot glue the 9-volt battery to the top of one of the legs. Third, cut a small window above the battery that allows for the mechanical arm to spin, about half-an-inch by two inches. Hot glue the servo next to the window so the arm goes through it.

Fourth, insert a straightened paperclip through the end of the mechanical arm and, using pliers, twist its end so it is firmly attached to the arm. Poke the other end of the paperclip straight through the other side of the bot, bend it down, and tape the outside to secure it.

Fifth, connect the LittleBits P4 power to the servo, and the battery snap to the battery and the P4. Hot-glue some weight, like extra batteries, on top of the front leg. Then finally, put two Inch Bots on an elevated surface and turn them on each other. The first to fall off loses!