How do I build a bot in the Factory?

Building a bot takes two steps. First you design the machine, then you build a bot from that design.

1. Lay out the machine

1. Open the Factory tab. The platform starts with a light chassis (CHS-L) carrying a scanner (SCN-1) and a laser (WPN-1). Click Clear if you'd rather start from a bare chassis.
2. Stock parts sits at the top. The first row is Sensors, tools and chassis. The second row, CPUs, engines and totals, starts folded: click it to open it.
3. Drag a part onto a socket on the Build platform, or click it to put it on the first free mount that takes it. The platform has three layers, top to bottom:
   • Sensor & tool deck: the chassis's mounts.
   • Chassis: the frame, and its CPU (the ROM size).
   • Engine bay: the engine.
4. To take a part off, drag it back to the shelf or click its ✕. Drag a part to another mount to move it.

Hover over any part to see its panel: Features, Benefits, Risks and Limitations. A part the chassis can't take is greyed out on the shelf, and hovering over it tells you why.

2. Check the totals

Open CPUs, engines and totals to see the machine's Totals: mass, top speed, acceleration, turn rate, how steep it climbs, hull, ROM size, I/O cycles per loop and each part's reach. After each change, a coloured number shows how much a total went up or down.

3. Save the design

Type a name in the box next to Save design and click it. The design is kept under your account. If you already have a design with that name, the button turns into Replace design: click it again to overwrite that design, or pick another name to keep both.

4. Build a bot and code it

• In the Designs tab, click Build next to the design, type a name for the bot and click Build. Or, in Brain code, click + bot next to the design.
• Code the brain → (next to Save design) opens the saved design in Brain code, where you write the bot's program.

New to all this? The Tutorial button in the top bar walks you through building a robot, coding it in Python and testing it.