Hardware The Toddler is a high quality robot CNC-machined from aluminum and brass. The aluminum parts are brushed, anodized, acid-etched to make the perfect finish (put the legs on a buffing wheel for a silver shine!). The package includes body parts, legs, ankles, control linkages, screws/nuts/standoffs, etc. Requires 2-3 hours to assemble and tune. The aluminum parts have holes, slots and configurable mounting angles for your own customization. A complete parts listing is available in Appendix A of the Advanced Robotics text.

Electronics The Toddler is controlled by a surface mounted BASIC Stamp 2 module. Four infrared sensors and receivers, LEDs, servos for tilt and stride, resistors/capacitors, speaker, photoresistors complete the control system.

Documentation Includes the 155-page Advanced Robotics text in the Stamps in Class style and the 351-page BASIC Stamp Manual.

Education Walking robots have mechanical and software interdependencies that require in-depth examples and explanation. The Advanced Robotics text is a 155-page introduction to the Toddler's basic movements. Students using the Toddler will learn advanced embedded programming with BASIC, efficient code development, sensor feedback, and general control. Because of the number of possible movements (34) we consider the Toddler to be appropriate for those aged 14 and above.