Can You Build a Robot Under ₹100? We Actually Tried It

Yes, you can, but not the Kind You're Imagining

When someone mentioned building a robot for under ₹100, I laughed. I assumed robotics meant ordering expensive Arduino boards, motor drivers, and fancy sensors.

But then curiosity got the better me. What if I treated this like a problem-solving challenge? Strip away all the unnecessary features, focus on the absolute minimum viable robot, and see what's actually possible.  

The result surprised me. And taught me something valuable about what a "robot" really needs to be.

The Harsh Reality of Budget Constraints 

Let me be clear about something: ₹100 is an absurdly tight budget. Even the cheapest DIY robotics kits in India start around ₹2,000-3,000 for basic components. A single Arduino board costs around ₹3,000 in starter kits. A simple motor driver module? ₹80-120.  

So technically, if you walked into an electronics store with exactly ₹100, you couldn't buy a functional robot. The math doesn't work.  

But here's where it gets interesting. What if you already had some stuff lying around? Old toys, broken remote-controlled cars, leftover wires from previous projects ? Suddenly, ₹100 becomes a budget for the missing pieces, not the entire build.  

That's exactly the loophole I exploited. 

What I Already Had (The Unfair Advantage) 

I raided my project drawer and found: two small DC motors salvaged from a broken toy car, a 9V battery with a connector, some jumper wires, and a cardboard box. These were components I'd accumulated over the past year of tinkering with electronics projects.  

The only thing I actually spent ₹100 on? A simple DPDT (Double Pole Double Throw) switch for ₹45 and two toy wheels for ₹55.  

Total investment for this specific project: ₹100. Total value of components used: probably closer to ₹250-300 if you bought everything new.  

Is this cheating? Maybe. But it reflects how most hobbyists actually work—you build on what you already have.

The Logical Constraints Changed Everything 

When you're working with extreme limitations, you strip features until you hit the minimum viable solution. Same principle applies to hardware.  

A robot, at its most fundamental level, needs: power source, motors for movement, control mechanism. That's it. No sensors. No microcontrollers. No wireless communication.  

I designed what's technically called a "manually controlled differential drive robot"—fancy terminology for "cardboard box with two motors that you control with a switch".  

The DPDT switch became my entire control system. Push it one way, both motors spin forward. Push it the other way, both motors reverse. Want to turn? Disconnect one motor temporarily. Crude, but functional.  

Building the Actual Thing 

The chassis came from an Amazon delivery box I cut down to 15cm x 10cm. I mounted the two DC motors on opposite sides using hot glue—definitely not the elegant solution, but it held.  

The wheels pressed directly onto the motor shafts. For a third support point, I added a marble as a caster wheel (yes, an actual marble from a board game).  

Wiring took about 15 minutes once I understood the DPDT switch logic. Battery positive to center terminal, motors to the outer terminals, ground completing the circuit. When I flipped the switch, current flowed one direction. Flip it the opposite way, current reversed, making motors spin backwards.  

No coding. No programming environment. No upload errors or missing libraries. Just pure electrical logic.  

The first test was both hilarious and satisfying. I flipped the switch and the little cardboard box shot forward, crashed into my desk leg, and immediately flipped over because the motor mounting was unbalanced.  

The Surprising Results 

After adding weight to the front (a couple of metal washers) for balance, the robot actually worked. It moved forward, reversed on command, and with some manual motor disconnection, could sort of turn.  

Did it look impressive? Absolutely not. Did it compete with the sophisticated line-following robots or obstacle-avoiding bots you see in learn robotics India forums? Not even close.  

But here's what shocked me: the pure satisfaction of making something physical move using basic electrical principles. Watching a cardboard box roll across my room felt ridiculously rewarding.  

This project stripped robotics down to its mechanical core—power, motion, control. No abstractions. No software layers. Just electrons flowing through copper making motors spin.

What This Actually Proves 

Building a robot under ₹100 is theoretically impossible if you're starting from zero. But if you're willing to reuse components, accept extreme limitations, and redefine what "robot" means, it becomes a fascinating exercise in minimalism.  

This taught me something valuable about the learn robotics India community: constraint breeds creativity. When you can't throw money at a problem, you're forced to understand the fundamentals deeply.  

Commercial robotics kits and Arduino-based projects are excellent learning tools. But there's something uniquely educational about a project where you can literally see every component, trace every wire, and understand the complete electrical pathway.

The Humor in Failure 

Let me share the funniest moment: I initially mounted both motors facing the same direction. When I powered it on, expecting forward motion, the robot just spun in a perfect circle. I spent 20 minutes troubleshooting the wiring before realizing the motors needed to face opposite directions for differential drive.  

Another hilarious failure: my first attempt at a power switch used aluminum foil as a conductor. It worked for exactly three seconds before the foil crumpled and lost connection. Turns out, physical engineering has constraints that software doesn't—materials matter, mechanical stress is real, and hot glue doesn't fix everything.  

Why Coding + Robotics Makes Sense 

This entire project made me appreciate why coding + robotics is such a powerful combination for learning. The physical robot I built taught me electrical basics, but it's extremely limited.  

Add a microcontroller, and suddenly you can implement programmatic logic—obstacle detection, line following, autonomous behavior. That's where algorithms become relevant. 

A ₹100 robot can't do that. But it proves you can start learning with almost nothing. Then, when you add an Arduino board, you're not just buying hardware—you're unlocking the ability to implement logic and behavior patterns.  

This progression makes perfect sense for anyone interested in learning. Start with the physical constraints and electrical fundamentals, then layer in software complexity.

The Bottom Line 

Can you build a robot under ₹100? Technically yes, with caveats. Is it practical? Not really. Is it educational? Absolutely.  

This project forced me to understand robotics at its most fundamental level—motors, power, control. No software abstractions to hide behind. No libraries handling the complexity. Just basic electrical engineering and mechanical construction.  

The cardboard robot sitting on my desk is objectively terrible. It can barely turn, has no sensors, and requires manual switch control. But it moves. And that's surprisingly empowering.  

If you're thinking about exploring robotics and you're intimidated by the costs associated with learn robotics India courses or expensive kits, try this experiment. Raid your old electronics, set an absurd budget constraint, and see what you can build.  

The goal isn't to create something impressive. The goal is to understand that coding + robotics isn't magic—it's just logical systems controlling physical components. Once you internalize that, the path to more complex projects becomes clear.  

My ₹100 robot might be laughably simple, but it changed how I think about hardware. And sometimes, that perspective shift is worth more than the fanciest kit money can buy.