3D-Printed Spiderbot Is Stuff of Dreams and Nightmares


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Some people are afraid of spiders. Others are afraid of robots. Heaven help the person afraid of both who stumbles upon this creepy-crawly 3D-printed robotic spider from Robugtix.


The T8 is made nightmare-inducing not only by its 3D-printed and somewhat realistic-looking skin but by the preternatural movements that mimic living eight-leggers. According to Robugtix, that’s thanks largely to the company’s “Bigfoot” inverse kinematics engine, which uses math calculations to figure out how the robot-arachnid should move.


Using 26 servo motors and a wireless RF-based connected remote control, the 2.2 lbs robot is not exactly autonomous, but when you send it in a direction, it figures out how to walk that creepy way.


If you’re thinking about getting your own T8 robo-arachnid, you should know a few things. It’s battery operated (not included) and arrives as a kit, which includes the 3D-printed parts, a micro-controller brain, the motors and all the fasteners and mechanics you’ll need to assemble said robo-arachnid. Though the robot lists for $1,350, it does not come with the XBee controller and communication module. They sell separately for $85.


The first T8 robotic spiders won’t ship until September. In the meantime, you can prepare by watching the T8 in action in the video above.


Would you buy a robot spider kit? If so, what would you do with it? Let us know in the comments.


Image Courtesy of Robugtix


Topics: 3D printing, Gadgets, Robot, Spider, Tech




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