Print your own life-size robot for under $1,000
January 28, 2013
InMoov robot (credit: Gael Langevin)
Gael Langevin, a French sculptor and model-maker, has created a life-size, 3D-printed robot.called InMoov, CNN reports.
Langevin’s animatronic creation can be made by anyone with access to little more than a basic 3D printer, a few motors, a cheap circuit board, and about $800.
A work in progress, the robot boasts a head, arms, and hands — the torso is not far off. On completion of each body part, Langevin shares the printer files and assembly instructions on his dedicated blog and on Thingiverse — a open-source, digital design file-sharing site.
“I’ve also posted some programming instructions — so you can make it respond to voice-activated commands,” he says. “It can grab hold of things, tilt its head, and move its arms around in various ways … and when I get around to building some legs, that’s when things will get really interesting.”
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Comments (12)
by Cybernettr
Is it that hard to find a narrator to tell us what is going on in the video (and why we should care)?
by Dan Robinson
My sound isn’t working on my videos, if there was any. I assume you mean, rather than print the robot, I can print at least simpler parts and assemble them. Can I then program the robot to run the printer and assemble more?
by GatorALLin
thought this video was interesting to see on the hand movements
https://plus.google.com/109466702837468444192/posts
by Walter Baltzley
We have been making humanoid robots for over a decade now…that’s the easy part…the hard part is providing intelligent programming, and finding a power source that allows it to function autonomously for extended periods.
by David
hope they can do something about all of the noise.
by GatorALLin
for me what is So COOL about this is that anyone (with a low cost 3d printer) can print this…. and then also contribute as it is open source. This is like the first working prototype version….that could have 1,000′s of free upgrades, by 1000′s of people all working to make it better or more useful (for different uses). Love that this can become…. if you were thinking about getting a 3d printer before….just to get in early on the fun and opportunities, I hope this makes you want it a bit more. I grew up with legos and tinkertoys…. this is what our kids get to grow up with already. …Cut to image of 10 year old…”what did you do today? I built a robot….that I printed myself.!”. What will engineers or designers of the future be like in 20 years when they grew up with this as their legos? Just saying…this is way bigger than just this robot…its just the window into the what-if.
by GatorALLin
forgot to post this link.
http://www.thingiverse.com/hairygael/designs
by idlinfarm
But does his brain have a right side to it?
by Gorden Russell
Oh, it’s interesting, alright, Astrojensen. We have to pay serious attention to Gael Langevin. Even though he is controlling the robot from his computer, with WiFi, a robot could be controlled from your desk and perform chores throughout the house. If you put your router in the front window, it could even shovel the walk and mow the lawn. Once all the students at Cal Tech and MIT get into this, the programming will get intense.
But on the downside, the motors are very noisy in this design. It’d be hard to listen to the television while Inmoov is dusting in the living room. Also, this design looks to be too complicated for another robot to assemble it in less than a day on the moon. It needs one piece lower arms and upper arms so that motors can be just inserted and wires and cables stretched through slots to the motors and controlling circuit board. Still, Langevin is quite a pioneer and when a number of people get a hold of his designs, there will be a renaissance of development as ideas are exchanged.
If some people chip in and give him that printer from the other article in today’s postings, Langevin will really go to town.
by Whittaker
The problem with noise is probably trivial to solve, as in the case of development of the much complexier and more heavy-duty Boston Dynamics’ LS3.
by Bucephalos
Great that we can now print out robots at home.
But,this one seems to be just another typical animatronic robot.
We need better, more sophisticated softwares.
And no more patents/”intellectual properties”/hoardings.
by Astrojensen
The future is right here, right now. This was total sci-fi a mere ten years ago. What can we do in twenty years? I’ll be 55 then, not even as old as my father is now.
This could get interesting!