The purpose of this project is to create a relatively small, long-range- off-road remote control drone. It will have a range of at least 2KM, have four wheel drive, and be equipped with a night-vision camera for day and night capabilities.
 
The machines will be constructed from perspex tubes bolted together using aluminium brackets.
It will be propelled using two planetary gear motors connected directly to the front wheels, with a chain or belt drive linking these two wheels to the rear wheels to provide four wheel drive.
 
Steering will be accomplished using a simple differential steering mechanism: To turn left, turn the left wheels in reverse, and the right wheels forwards, to turn right, do the opposite.
 
The control circuitry will consist of a power regulator, a motor controller, and either an Arduino microcontroller or a standalone Atmel chip.
 
The robot will have a 5.8 GHZ video transmitter as well as a 435 MHZ data receiver.
 
The first step is to assemble the frame. These images document that process, from the initial Inventor Fusion CAD sketches, to the final, assembled frame. I also mounted the camera at this stage. In future, I may mount the camera onto a motor mount that allows rotation and pitch as well.