Tracked Robot Chassis with BLDC Motors: Community Feedback Appreciated

We’re considering the development and release of a tracked robot chassis for hobby and educational use. Applications are indoor/outdoor on surfaces of all kinds. The basic details of the product would be like this:

• Aluminum chassis with track segments cut from extrusion
• Delrin sliders (but with front and back sprickets)
• BLDC anti-backlash motors with 16:1 gearbox
• 12V power supply, LiPo battery provided by customer
• Control electronics would be Parallax BLDC Motor Driver P2 Add-on Board or similar Electronic Speed Controllers (ESCs)
• Length 24″ and width 18.25″
• Open source design
• Approximate cost $500-600 without electronics
• Simple assembly instructions, no educational curriculum

Here’s a working model you can manipulate online.

You’ve seen many similar-looking robot chassis from Amazon and other places. Such kits are often not sustainable and have no replacement parts. And the actual manufacturer may not be accessible.

Not here. This product would be a long-term American-made investment from Parallax. It would be designed and manufactured by our partner DOCO Engineering in Red Bluff, California. DOCO’s shop is in Parallax founder Chip Gracey’s building and we work closely together. They make our Gripper 3.0 and contributed to the super-sized cyber:bot this summer. Our collaboration has been in place for over 20 years already. 

We’d like your input on this concept. We welcome all comments, questions, and contributions below. Tell us what you think!

Thank you, 

Ken Gracey
Parallax Inc.