The Mantis Update: A New Look and Enhanced Control

Hello everyone,

I'm excited to share a fresh update on my animatronic head project, The Mantis. In my previous post, I detailed the creation and features of this animatronic head, which had a sleek, mantis-like appearance. Today, I’m thrilled to announce that The Mantis has received a brand-new skin and an exciting new feature!

The Transformation

The Mantis now sports a new paper skin, giving it a unique and minimalist look. This transformation involved carefully designing and fitting the paper skin over the existing structure, ensuring that all the intricate movements of the eyes, eyebrows, and mouth were preserved.

1. New Paper Skin: The new skin gives The Mantis a more prototype-like appearance. Made from plain paper, the skin lacks colors and detailed textures, which highlights the underlying mechanics and design of the animatronic head.

2. Retained Functionality: Despite the new look, all of The Mantis’s original features remain intact. The expressive eyebrows, functional light sensor eye, and moving mouth are all seamlessly integrated into the new design. This ensures that the animatronic not only looks great but continues to perform just as well as before.

3. Enhanced Realism: The paper skin adds a raw, unfinished aesthetic to The Mantis. This gives viewers a clear view of the animatronic's intricate movements and functionality.

Added Controller Support

In addition to the new look, The Mantis now features enhanced control capabilities with added controller support. This new functionality allows for more precise and intuitive manipulation of the animatronic's movements.

1. Improved Control: The controller support makes it easier to operate The Mantis, allowing for smoother and more dynamic control of its expressions and movements. Whether it's adjusting the position of the eyes, tweaking the eyebrows, or syncing the mouth movements with audio, the controller provides a more user-friendly interface.

2. Real-time Interaction: With the controller, interacting with The Mantis becomes more engaging and interactive. It opens up possibilities for live demonstrations and performances, where real-time control can bring The Mantis to life in new and exciting ways.

See the New Look and Features

Here are a few photos and a short video of The Mantis with its new paper skin and controller support in action:

I hope you enjoy this update and the new look and functionality of The Mantis. As always, your feedback and suggestions are welcome. Stay tuned for more updates as I continue to refine and improve my animatronic creations!

Best regards,

Pranavsai Gandikota