Since this project was started before the HackadayPrize was announced, our first project log entry will be more of a 'how we got to here' summation than an actual update. The first thing we did for this project was to make a quick 3D computer model of what the 'bots might look like...

For being a quick and dirty model, it came out surprisingly close to how the prototypes came out in terms of both apperance and size.

After hunting around for appropriate parts, we gathered it all in a pile and breadboarded the drive circuitry. It didn't much look like a robot at this point, but the intention was to make the motors move and make sure the code library we were using would work with the motor driver board. Seeing the motors turn on and spin without an appearence by the Blue Smoke Monster was a relief.