Top Open-Source 3D-Printed Robot Projects
With the rise of 3D printing in the last decade, one’s imagination is limited by what one can achieve with this beautiful piece of equipment. However, the open-source community in the technology field has produced notable projects for tech enthusiasts and hobbyists, allowing them to replicate and modify the original designs.
Open-source 3D printed robots are more popular in the tech communities as they provide them with all the necessary instructions and design files to start building their robot. Furthermore, hobbyists can share and modify the designs according to their linking and can also program the robot as they like.
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Nybble OpenCat DIY Robot Cat
Petoi’s Nybble is a palm-sized programmable cat robotics kit running on open source robot framework OpenCat. This robot kit is like the cat version of Boston Dynamic’s quadruped robot dog Spot Mini. But it targets kids aged 10+ interested in STEM or anyone interested in building and programming their own programmable robot pets.
A DIY version of Nybble, designed by hackoholic on thingiverse.com, allows users to 3D print the parts for the robot. In addition, this robot is compatible with the electronic hardware designed and sold by Petoi. The robot cat uses 11 servo motors to move around and perform different poses and motions, such as wagging its tail. The robot also features an ultrasonic sensor enabling it to avoid objects in front of it.
You can use Petoi’s Nyboard V1 microcontroller, a customized Arduino board that supports C++ and Python programming languages, or other compatible boards. Users need to use the OpenCat software from Petoi as the brain for the DIY robot. Petoi mobile app is compatible with any OpenCat-powered robot. The robot can be controlled by the mobile app with Bluetooth. You can also visually design new robot skills with Petoi Skill Composer.
Why It Stands Out
- Simplifies biomimetic robotics with a feline twist
- Designed for learning about animal motion.
- Uses a powerful, open-source NyBoard V1 and a friendly programming environment.
What You'll Need
- DIY Nybble 3D-printing files
- A 3D printer
- Petoi Nybble robot kit's core components: NyBoard microcontroller, servo motors, and battery. You can try to use other components, but there's no guarantee that they will work well.
- A computer with the Arduino IDE to upload OpenCat to your robot's microcontroller
What You Can Do
- assemble your robot cat with the 3D-printed parts and your choices of hardware components
- tune your hardware to work with OpenCat firmware
- program it to perform graceful, fluid movements.
- design and print new parts for your cat, such as a Nybble robot cat stand.
What You'll Learn
- Biomimetic Assembly: Build a robot that mimics the anatomy and movements of a cat.
- Hardware integration: Pick hardware components to integrate with the 3D-printed structures and OpenCat firmware
- Servo Motor Control: Control multiple servos to create dynamic, graceful movements.
- Motion Programming: Develop actions that create realistic and expressive behaviors.
- 3D-printing Design: Adjust the existing robot cat design to fit your needs and design new parts
Learn more about the OpenCat DIY robot dog and robot cat projects now!
Arduino robot project - how to make OpenCat robots with 3d printer
An OpenCat DIY robot By KJG DIY
Dream of building your own robot pets?
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OpenBot
OpenBot is a 3D-printed robot designed by Intel. The robot uses your smartphone and can navigate autonomously. It can also track and follow people using the Mobilenet SSD detection model that computes the output bounding box and class of an object from an input image. The performance of OpenBot may be limited as the robot uses a smartphone as its CPU.
Poppy - Interactive 3D Printed Humanoid Robots
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Poppy project
Poppy provides an open source platform for the creation, use, and sharing of interactive 3d printed robots. The hardware(3D-printed parts), software(library, simulator, controller), and mechanical(actuator) parts of the Poppy robot are available to the public via open source, so it's easy for everyone to create their own robot. Poppy robots can be 3D-printed, or you can modify the 3D-printed files to hack to suit your needs. Its target audience includes computer science/robotics educators, artists, scientists, and hackers.
Poppy project - don't show this header
Why It Stands Out
- A great platform for exploring human-robot interaction and artistry.
- Promotes learning through an open and creative community.
- A perfect project for combining computer science with creativity and education.
What You'll Need
- A 3D printer for all the frame and chassis components.
- Dynamixel servo motors for precise movements.
- A Raspberry Pi for the brain, and an Arduino board for low-level motor control.
- A computer and a good understanding of Python and C++ programming.
What You Can Do
- To assemble a multi-jointed robot and then program it
- To make the robot perform different gaits through robotics programming
What You'll Learn
- Advanced Mechanical Design: Build complex robotic components.
- Kinematics: Understand how to calculate joint angles for specific movements.
- Wireless Control: Learn to remotely control your robot via Bluetooth.
- C++ Programming: Write code to manage a large number of robot components. Learn how to manage the synchronization of many joints to achieve stable walking.
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ODRI’s Robot Dog
The Open Dynamic Robot Initiative is an open-source 3D printed robot designed to look like MIT’s Cheetah and cost a fraction of it. This robot is specifically designed for research purposes and uses custom-designed brushless actuators for moving the legs of the robot.
The robot uses a custom board designed by ODRI with an embedded esp32 chip, allowing users to control this robot over WIFI. Users can also write custom programs to operate this robot, making it perform different functions.
Otto DIY - The Bipedal Dancing Robot
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Otto DIY
Otto DIY is a simple, charming, and highly accessible bipedal robot designed specifically for beginners, great for parenting and school education. This project is the perfect entry point into 3D printing and coding for robotics, especially for younger learners or those with no prior coding experience.
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Why It Stands Out
- Parts are easy to 3D print on almost any home printer.
- A fun way to learn the basics of servo motor control and motion programming.
- A fantastic stepping stone to more complex robots.
What You'll Need
- A 3D printer for the body parts.
- An Arduino Nano microcontroller.
- Four mini servo motors.
- A computer and a good understanding of block-based coding or C++.
What You Can Do
The main challenge for a beginner is assembling the robot and then writing the code to make it walk without falling over:
- Carefully sequence the movements of each servo motor to maintain balance and achieve a forward gait.
- Use the Otto mobile app to control it.
- Program it to dance, walk, make sounds, and avoid obstacles using the Otto Blocky coding app, which is beginner-friendly and easy to learn.
- Design your own Otto robots using the resources from Tinker CAD website.
What You'll Learn
- Mechatronics: Combine mechanical parts with electronics to create a functional robot.
- Basic Coding: Write simple programs to control robot movements.
- 3D Printing: Gain hands-on experience with the entire 3D printing process.
- Simple Kinematics: Get an introduction to the movements required for a bipedal robot.
- Robot timing and coordination: You'll quickly learn that timing and coordination are everything in robotics.
Summary
3D-print for open source robots has provided a great way for anyone to start their own robot building project.
This project list provides you with a starting point to get yourselves started in the world of robotics or to inspire young minds to create their very own first robots.
If you are a beginner, it'd be much easier to start with Nybble and Otto as they are very beginner friendly. Otherwise, all the projects are great to tinker with.
How to build a Nybble Robot Cat
Dream of building your own robot pets?
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