How to “Make” Friends – 4 Clever Companion Bots
It’s never been easier to join the growing Companion Bot family; here’re 4 clever creations from some of our favorite bot makers!
animatronics
From WonderLab to Kickstarter: The Small World of Garner Holt’s Animatronic Songbird Kit
Just over a year ago, during the grand opening of WonderLab at Give Kids The World Village, Dale and I first saw an interactive fabrication and robotics activity that would later become the Garner Holt Animatronic Songbird Mini STEAM Build Kit. Last week, I stumbled across this hands-on robotics project on Kickstarter. Then the communication […]
Bringing an Animatronic Thing to Life for Netflix
Building the “impossible” robot hand.
How to Animate a Sloth Puppet
Kinetic artist Jim Polk created the mechanisms to animate a three-toed sloth puppet, giving it a head that can turn and eyes that blink.
Build an Animatronic Raven Kit
Animatronic Raven DIY Kit $255–$375, Mr. Chicken’s Prop Shop, chickenprops.com Pololu Mini Maestro Servo Controllers $30–$50, Pololu Robotics and Electronics, pololu.com Here’s an awesome small-batch kit that’s got all the hardware and feathers you need to assemble a well-articulated animatronic raven that would fit into any imagineer’s menagerie. Includes laser-cut acrylic chassis parts, vacuum-formed […]
Mechanical Monster Hands, Run for Your Lives!
How to make a working pair of giant monster hands and arm extenders for a costume.
Finding Jim Henson in Junk: Animatronic Bots Will Make You Smile
Using junk to build animatronic bots is whimsical and amusing. These cobbled-together bots are just filled with personality.