Salvius the recycled and economically friendly robot

Hundreds of dollars can be saved by recycling used electronics.

Since the beginning of the Salvius robot project it has been a major goal to spend as little money as possible. Although at first that goal might be said to be the equivalence of "cheaping out" on the robot, but in my opinion the price of a few hundred dollars far exceeds the price you pay for spending thousands. Many companies and laboratories have put millions of dollars into the development of robots only to have their design become obsolete the following year. 

As Salvius becomes inevitably obsolete it will be no great loss to anyone who contributed money to the robot's creation. The fact that very simple and easy to replace parts were used in Salvius's construction also weigh greatly in the economic equation. Accidentally burning out a $100 controller is a waist but at this point in the robot's construction no controller has cost over $30. Salvius's plywood frame, although lacking in appearance compared to the laser-cut plastic housing of other robots, is composed of industrial scrap that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill.

Many of Salvius's other components including plexiglass and PVC plastic parts are all odds and ends of other projects that would normally be thrown away. So many parts of this robot have been recycled from other projects that if they were to all be purchased brand new the total cost would be over $2000 but by recycling Salvius has only costed a mere fraction of that amount. It goes to show that ingenuity and determination can easily triumph over economic barriers.