3D Printing

Print your own InMoov animatronic robot

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InMoov is an animatronic android designed and engineered by Gael Langevin
InMoov is an animatronic android designed and engineered by Gael Langevin
InMoov's hands have fully articulated fingers and silicone padding to help it grasp objects
InMoov's fingers are actuated by servo motors located in the forearm, flexing as the nylon threads are pulled
InMoov's arm contains its own Arduino board and 20 servo motors
InMoov's hands can hold a variety of objects, such as this strawberry
A pair of InMoov arms pour a drink for one another
A completed InMoov arm, which can be built from parts shared on Thingiverse and electronics for approximately US$450 dollars each
InMoov is still a work-in-progress
A close-up of InMoov's head and shoulder joints
A rear view of InMoov's upper torso reveals a bundle of wires and other electronic components
InMoov holds a miniature basketball
A close-up of InMoov's hand holding a miniature basketball
InMoov's hand contains dozens of parts, but is cheap enough that most people can build one with access to a 3D printer
InMoov's neck cranes, showing off a head that contains eyes with built-in cameras and a segmented lower jaw
View gallery - 14 images

Now that 3D printing technology is taking off, some truly unique projects are beginning to emerge from all sorts of talented people. Take Gael Langevin, a French sculptor and model marker who has spent the better part of the last year designing and engineering his own animatronic robot called InMoov. And it's open source, so if you're feeling confident, you can try to build one yourself using a list of off-the-shelf electronics and parts he shares on 3D file sharing site Thingiverse.

InMoov started out as just an arm and hand, but Langevin has started to work on a head and torso for his creation. We've seen some remarkable hobby robot projects, but it's rare to see a life-sized android aimed at DIYers. Perhaps it will eventually get a pair of legs at some point in the future.

Considering that much smaller robot kits can cost upwards of two or three grand, it seems almost absurd that you can build two adult size robot arms, with individually-actuated fingers, for around US$900 dollars (excluding the cost of the 3D printer itself). You'll need to download and print parts for the left and right arm, with the head and neck still to come. You'll also need these electronics components:

  • Arduino uno x2
  • MG995 / HK2598 servos x12
  • Hitec HS805BB servos x8
  • 0.8mm nylon thread (fishing line)
  • miscellaneous bolts
  • 3 kg natural ABS filament (various colors)
  • 6V 44A Batteries and charger

Of course, the whole point of building an InMoov is to see it do some tricks. So far Langevin has chosen a combination of Serialterm, MyRobotLab, and Arduino sketch programming languages, and he's sharing his progress on his website. There you can follow (and perhaps contribute to) InMoov's development, which is shaping up to be one of the more extraordinary do-it-yourself hobby robots, and one that has already garnered interest from some university labs.
If the project is completed, it will certainly give Engineered Arts' Robothespian (which is priced at a staggering $87,208 dollars) a run for its money.

The first video below shows inMoov’s arm movements, while the second video shows inMoov’s hands and fingers.

Source: InMoov via 3ders

Current progress:

Hand and fingers:

View gallery - 14 images
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1 comment
solutions4circuits
Now THIS would work nicely against drones...just 3D scan your face and the things are rendered useless :-) We need to take our privacy back from the monsters.