This project is pretty cheap, if you have a mouse to use the other parts can be obtained for less than ten dollars.

Mousebot from Make vol 2 is a fun introduction to robotics. So fun
that I’ve created this expanded documentation of a Mousey build from
start to finish, with a few extra little tips you won’t find in the
mag. This how-to is best understood after reading the original article
from page 100 of Make vol 2 however it is probably not required.

Mousebot is a simple bot that uses two "eyes" to sense light and then
turns towards the light. A single large "whisker" is mounted on the
front of the mouse to detect collisions. A collision with a wall will
cause the mouse to reverse and turn then take off in another direction.
This project is pretty cheap, if you have a mouse to use the other
parts can be obtained for less than ten dollars.

If you have any questions or comments you can get me at [email protected]

Step 2 Scavenge some parts

The Mousebot requires several parts which we can conveniently borrow from the donor mouse, its eyes and its whisker.

Open up the mouse and locate the components that we’ll be harvesting,
the momentary switch and the infrared emitters (the clear ones).

Remove the PCB and desolder the push switch and both IR emitters.

i

Here is how you do the rest….