Robots!

Jen flew off to North Carolina to visit her mother for Mother's Day.  I had my booklet, one page for each day she was gone with instructions: address to Blueberry Farm, dentist appointment, pickup and drop-off times.  I was good.  I could do this.

Suddenly Scarlett said, "Daddy, my big robot project is due this week!"  I smiled confidently and flipped through my packet.  There was no mention of robots.  She was quite insistent and after a dig through papers on the desk we produced the neglected task.  It was indeed due Monday morning!

It's okay, we'll keep it simple . . .

Objective / Market / Requirements / Brainstorming

Make a big demo robot with poster and four little robots with four little posters for the robot market.

Concept Selection

We almost went for the little garden helper with grass on his head and a gardener's belt complete with seeds and a water hose.  I was rooting for the glowing mechanical butterfly with the fiber optic wings.  This was the point where Scarlett realized she couldn't make all of these but had to choose.  It was time for some tough decisions.

Preliminary Layout

Scarlett went away on her own and came back with this adorable fellow.  The "go-to-bed robot", note the lighted eyes and the singing along with rocket fire from the bottom or I suggested possibly adding wings.  Either way we had the vision and spent the rest of Friday procuring the needed materials.  Construction would start right after church.

Detailed Drawing

I may have pulled this together at church with my iPad . . . what? I was listening. 

(The rocket fire is last week's father-son upside-down-camping-trip fire.)

With the definitive layout in place it was time for the shop.

Scarlett is doing a great job learning to solder.

Caution: Watch out for flying molten hot metal!

Ooooohhhh!

This girl is having too much fun.  She repeatable kept giving me little hugs, telling me how much fun she was having and what a great dad I was.  I'm not going to lie it made me feel all warm and fuzzy :)

It's alive!

Carving his model number

Dream Bot: Little Blue 553

And now a word from the engineer

Project Documentation & Marketing

(No job is finished until the paperwork is done.)

One of the items she was required to put on her poster was the warranty.  After I explained the concept she wrote at the bottom, "Warranty:  if my falt I will fix. if your fault you fix."

Now that the demo model is done, all we have to do manufacture the robots required for her market day . . . there's still time . . . back to the workshop!

She calls the little ones "Mummies"

This girl is ready to share!

All packaged ready for sale!

Good luck Scarlett! I'm sure we will make a profit.  

At least we would if they weren't using fake market money! 

Thanks for letting your Daddy help out.