3 Must-Have 3D Printable Robots

As 3D printing rapidly grows in popularity and accessibility, this method of manufacture has allowed designers to engage themselves in projects as a leisure activity. The creators of such projects can even expand their ideas into possible businesses and allow their projects from there. One particular area where the accessibility of 3D printing has been of particular use, is in the creation of fun robotics projects.

Here we have three amazing robots that have been 3D printed before being assembled and played with:

1. TO8A2 – Ghost in the Shell

If there’s one thing I’ve always wondered, it would be how on earth the creator of Ghost in the Shell managed to make heavy assault tanks look cute, whilst still bearing resemblance to spiders. If you haven’t heard of it, Ghost in the Shell is a Japanese manga, anime, game and film series. It’s set in a futuristic world where some people have synthetic bodies, prostheses, down to even having a cyber brain. The series centers mainly around the character of Major Motoko Kusanagi and crimes she has to solve.

Paulius Liekis, from Lithuania, has been working on a 3D printable replica of the T08A2 / R3000 spider tank from the animated cult classic. His 3D printed GITS inspired “Spidertank” is powered by RaspberryPi and can be controlled with a PlayStation controller.

Here it is in action:

The specifications are as follows:

Hardware

 

 

2.  AI.FRAME Open Source Humanoid Robots

Our next contender is not one robot in particular, but a series that have been developed by AI.FRAME to allow for people to customise their own robots with artificial intelligence, though these robots can be bought directly from the company themselves.

Shenzhen-based Zebo Sun and Jaiqi Hu are behind these miniature humanoid robots that have been designed for serious customization using 3D printing and laser cutting technologies. The duo has also developed a humanoid robot control device called “Wildflower” that enables humans to control robots using their own body movements.

The demonstration video is particularly hilarious, and demonstrates their cute size.

The robot’s structure is designed to make motion both precise and versatile. The Ai.Frame Apollo has 16 degrees of freedom, and the Rex has 9. Operated by an efficient controlling system, the Ai.Frame is said to be able to execute commands almost instantly. The robots can perform up to 10 pre-programmed motions. Over 300 distinctive motions can also be programmed and these can be used to create thousands of combinations with multiple devices.

check them out here: aiframe.me

3. IMA Juno

The last of our three must-haves is the IMA Juno, who’s name IMA translates either to ‘I make’ or phonetically into ‘I’m a’. This robot in particular was created with the intention of introducing its owner to the world of arduino coding, electronics and 3D printed mechanics. It has been made to be easy to assemble from a kit, whilst also being easy to adapt and explore with.

 The project includes step-by-step easy to follow instructions and an Android app to control the robot from the user’s smartphone or tablet. With their project, Canadian-based Explore Making hope to inspire the next generation of makers.

 The kit for the Juno is ready to assemble, with everything needed already in the box, except 4xAA batteries. It is recommended that makers of this fun project that are under 12 will need adult supervision. Explore Making also mentions that some extra useful tools that you may need to provide yourself include