Robour Hertz - 1.1

Hello everyone,

Welcome to the first page of my new project series, Robour Hertz—a name I chose because it sounds a bit like "Rob our Hearts." This series will document my adventures in building robot heads, starting with my very first prototype. Let's dive right in!

Lil Timmy 3.0

Allow me to introduce Lil Timmy 3.0, the first bot in this series. Creating this little guy was quite the challenge. With limited resources and no comprehensive tutorials available, I had to get creative. Most of the videos I found online were either too complex or required parts I didn't have. So, I improvised with what I had on hand: ping pong balls and a Mindstorms kit.

1. Ping Pong Ball Eyes: Lil Timmy 3.0 features eyes made from ping pong balls. While it sounds simple, getting the eye movement system to work was no easy feat. I had to design and build a system that could move the eyes realistically, all without any external references. The result was a quirky but functional set of eyes that give Lil Timmy a unique and somewhat charming appearance.

2. Compact Design: One of the biggest challenges was fitting all the necessary motors and parts into a compact space. The head had to be small and efficient, yet capable of complex movements. Through trial and error, I managed to create a design that met these requirements, packing a lot of functionality into a small package.

3. Inspiration and Documentation: The inspiration for Lil Timmy came from the incredible animatronics created by Disney. Seeing their work motivated me to try my hand at building a humanoid face bot. I made sure to document the entire process with detailed photos and a video, so I could reference them if I ever wanted to rebuild or improve upon the design.

Here’s a video showcasing Lil Timmy 3.0 in action: (BELOW)

What's Next?

While Lil Timmy 3.0 was my first foray into building animatronic heads, it certainly wasn't my last. For Halloween, I created a horror-themed killer bot, inspired by the animatronics sold at Spirit Halloween. You can find the details of that project on another page in this series.

Stay tuned for more updates and new creations as I continue my journey into the fascinating world of animatronics. I hope you enjoy following along as much as I enjoy building these bots. Till next time!

Best regards,

Pranavsai Gandikota