The Delta Unit Development

As the ROMP evolved, I added a shell to protect the electronics and a home-made security camera to house a small camera on a pan tilt mechanism. This system was based on the E-Maxx RC vehicle and so aftermarket parts were readily available. I essentially upgraded everything including the wheels, motor, drive train and suspension to support the new camera shell, and equipment. The chassis was made entirely from CNC machined aluminum components, the motor Brushless and the power supply- Lithium Polymer.

The chassis of the Delta unit was entirely Aluminum. Hundreds of working parts all needed to work perfectly. Some of the challenges with this model were its complexity- It did not scale up very well. - It was time consuming to assemble by hand. The limited visibility for the user required them to make a multi-point turn in a dark crawlspace or restricted access area. And so, the evolution of the idea continued.

On the upside it did offer Ackerman steering- the same type found in modern autos. This “Camera Crawler” Concept eventually would evolve into the more portable and user-friendly Minibot line with skid steering. I did, however, sell several of these including one to the group that inspects the national power grid in Romania. I also shipped one off to London for an article in Wired Magazine.