by David Geer
Contact the author at geercom@windstream.net
Discuss this article in the SERVO Magazine forums at http://forum.servomagazine.com
Boca Bearing’s Robot
Contestants — Part 1
Boca Bearing — a maker of miniature bearings for industry, hobby, and
recreation — is holding an on-going contest through 2012 with monthly winners
to celebrate their 25 years in business. Contestants building and entering
innovative mechanical projects including robots will vie for a piece of over
$20,000 in cash and prizes. Participants enter videos of their robotic (or
mechanical) creations that use “ball bearings, roller bearings, linear bearings,
or any form of full ceramic or ceramic hybrid bearings.”
Monthly winners will receive an iPad 2. Boca Bearing will ultimately select a
Grand Prize winner and two runners-up from the monthly winners. Runners-up
will each take home a 3D printer from Makerbot Industries. The Grand Prize
winner will take home $10,000 in cash. “The Boca Bearing Company believes
in supporting individuals and companies who focus on art, science, technology,
engineering, and math. These are the creative people who push the limits of
new technology and will drive our economy.” You can get more details about
the contest at www.bocabearings.com/innovation-contest/default.aspx.
Let’s meet a couple of the entrant’s creations ...
QuadPod in hand.
The Snellfight
QuadPod Miniature
Robotic Copter
Phil Jermyn from England
submitted the Snellflight QuadPod
miniature robotic copter. Snellflight
intends for the four-rotor copter to be
a hobby flight device for now. The
copter uses small, brushless motors
and is a low cost mechanism.
Jermyn kept the copter low cost by
employing three common methods for
reducing production cost: the design,
parts sourcing, and manufacturing.
“Our extensive experience in the toy
business gave us an edge when
choosing parts to design into the
product,” explains Jermyn. Jermyn and
Snellflight understand the features and
10 SERVO 05.2012
