How to “Make” Friends – 4 Clever Companion Bots
The comp bot scene is growing fast due to its accessible and inclusive nature and propensity toward letting everyone put their own spin on the notion of a plastic pal who’s fun to be with. Since it’s never been easier to join the growing Companion Bot family, here’s four highlights from some of our favorite bot makers!
Smalls (Katherine Connell)
I created Kitt, the fox companion bot, with the goal of making something that felt just realistic enough to be uncanny. If you look at him and go, “That’s cute, that’s creepy, that’s cute,” it’s exactly the reaction I was hoping for. There were two primary elements I focused on to make him feel lifelike:
- Movement: MG90S and FH-2502 servos control different movements including wiggling ears, swishing tail, and the head which both tilts and pans. The servos are run by an Arduino Uno and use a sketch that randomizes several different movement patterns and ranges. While these were a good start to creating lifelike movement, the real centerpiece is a breathing mechanism that expands and contracts two chest panels inside Kitt and makes the chest rise and fall rhythmically (see “The Breath of Life,” Make: Volume 90).
- Look and feel: Kitt is made from a 3D-printed skull and carved foam body, covered in ultra-soft faux fur. This allowed the contours and shape to look more like an actual animal than a sewing or cuddle toy pattern would allow. Between the materials and the battery, Kitt feels substantial and has a lifelike weight.
I plan to continue building my companion bots by combining traditional puppet making techniques with low-tech movement solutions to embody the nostalgia lost from the age of Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Party shows and the Disney Pirates of the Caribbean ride.
See hackster.io/TheSmallWonder for build instructions.
Angela Sheehan
Nova is a cuddly bot I crafted in early 2020 as a fun party companion. She was inspired by meeting fellow bot makers Alex Glow and Jorvon Moss at Hackaday Superconference 2019, and has since returned twice to the event to meet the ever-growing companion bot family in the maker scene. Her main features are edge-lit LED wings which can change color randomly or with the help of a magic wand from my Color Stealing Fairy costume, and flapping capabilities in the wings which have a resting pattern as well as a triggered animation when she’s given a pet on a capacitive touch sensor on her head.
Her most recent upgrade was the addition of addressable LEDs in her fluffy body so she can fully change color in the dark and a new carrying case for events that people can interact with her through.
Danielle Boyer
The SkoBot is a wearable language revitalization robot designed to teach and communicate in endangered Indigenous languages using ethical AI. I am an Anishinaabe youth robotics designer and created SkoBot along with the youth-led charity I founded, The STEAM Connection.
The latest version of SkoBot is modeled after the Makwa, which means bear in the Anishinaabe language Anishinaabemowin, and speaks in a child’s voice, recorded by Anishinaabe youth. The robot is distributed to youth for free to help teach these languages and has already served hundreds of children.
Alex Glow
This year, I’m returning to my roots with a new version of Archimedes! Debuted at Maker Faire Bay Area 2018, my original owl companion bot is now 6 years old … and all of my bots are currently broken from the wear and tear of running around events. This year is all about repair, redesign, and reclamation!
My new “Dark Archie” will be powered by the Companion Core PCB (which is based on the heart of F3NR1R, my fennec fox shoulder bot). I’m building him with reclaimed materials like recycled PLA, bike inner tubes, broken solar panels, and old vacuum tube packaging. Plus: more origami parts, as seen on my Nano’Medes prototype!
I’m refining Archimedes’ 3D-printed parts in OnShape, so people can more easily replicate the design. The iFixit FixHub — a USB-C soldering iron with a massive 100W battery pack – is now my daily driver. Now, I can bring a single battery to power my hungriest bots and fix the inevitable breakages!
This article appeared in Make: Vol. 91.
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