Are you lonely? Can’t find a partner and/or pet to make the journey we call life more bearable? Would a humanoid robot buddy make living less of a chore? If so, you can now build your own with a 3D printer and some off-the-shelf parts.
Inria Flowers Lab has just recently revealed its latest creation – the Poppy humanoid robot. It’s a lightweight robot made with 3D printed limbs and a variety of cheap motors and electronics. The most impressive aspect of the Poppy is that it can move like more advanced robots for a fraction of the cost thanks to its bended legs, light frame and small motors that help it keep balance.
Check it out in action below:
Poppy Overview from Poppy Project on Vimeo.
The creators of the Poppy have generously decided to make its design open source so anybody can make their own Poppy while adding their own tweaks to the design to make it even better. All you need is about $10,000 worth of parts to make it a reality. While that might sound like a lot, it’s actually really cheap for a robot of this sophistication.
While the Poppy is already at an impressive stage of development, it’s not finished just yet. The team says that it’s about 75 percent done, but it needs your help. It’s currently looking for beta testers who want to build their own Poppy robot and test various features. They’re also looking for people to help them work on the software. You can find out more about that here.
While I am inherently distrusting of robots, there’s something about the Poppy that I can trust. Perhaps its the open source nature of the project, or that it’s just so adorable. Either way, I’m sure I’ll regret it when an army of Poppy robots invade the country.
[Image: Poppy Project/Vimeo]
[h/t: 3ders]