Danielle and I were pretty impressed by Jimmy, the open source 3D printable robot from Intel, but, after watching a NOVA special on robots, Danielle fell in love with an even cuter bot named DARwIn (Some may have seen this little humanoid play a game of soccer with his friends). Until recently, the only problem was that, to build your own DARwIn, you’d have to purchase a $12,000 kit. Totes gross, friend! Fortunately, there’s a more affordable DARwIn option that’s just been released, now with more 3D printing.
The DARwIn Mini is a $499 kit (unboxed in the video above) that you can purchase either from its maker, Robotis, or from the Maker Shed. That’s a pretty decent price for a little robot that can dance to “Gangnam Style” and play non-American football. And, amateur roboticist Michael Overstreet has done everyone a favour and uploaded the non-mechanical/electrical parts of the robot to Thingiverse. That way, you can make your own DARwIn mods and print them out at home. And, because DARwIn is open source, you may be able to source your own hardware to bring the cost down even further. With all of this stuff, you’ll be one step closer to having your own DARwIn Mini Dance Team.
Source: Make
Image Source: Robotis
