Cheap Animatronics Head

cosplaying_bunny

Netherlands

hello all, this is my first project, but it's a quite complex one already. an cheap animatronics head! i want to keep the budged of the complete head to a max of ~$800 and it must still look a bit realistic. i already made a simple start: making the shape (or rather skeleton) of the head with mechano and paper + tape. size of the head is real life size, and it will get a latex skin from: realistic-masks(.com)

the project will also feature an standard interaction system with a mood system and the head will do random things at random times (like: look up and blink with the eyes, it doesn't use the personality generator:P ) based on EZ-Script (already have >500 lines of code), source will be available when i know it works pretty good, but i can only tell when i have my ez-b kit (which i'll purchase in the begin of february)

costs list (of my $800 ) mechano for the head: 40$ (got it second handed) paper + tape: let's say: 5$ wig: 40$ total: 85$

anyway, here are the pics of the head as it is now (the one which has the wig on has a changed chin as shown in the other pictures) :

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well, that's it for now , ask anything you want about the head. i'll respond if i have time. :)

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#1  

Cooool! The punk mummy returns!:) I too am building a talking head but with a "steampunk" theme,copper ,brass etc. I highly suggest you create an access to get inside to add servos etc, but I am sure youve already thought of that. WOW 40 dollars for the meccano parts seems high. I hope there were alot more parts then whats shown:) If you take a trip to your local lumberyard/construction store you will find a lot of excellent building materials , like drywall beading and aluminum flashing and combine with rivots ...Good luck ....keep us posted.

#2  

well, i used a little bit of the mechano to e honest, i have alot morexD and i need to make the back of the head easy to take off (by a few srews or such) also: the jaw can move already :)

#3  

Dude that is sooooo creepy looking with that wig on it, I love it!

United Kingdom
#4  

Take a look on www.therpf.com it's a cosplay site I found when I stupidly told my nephew I would be IronMan at his fancy dress party and I wasn't at all impressed by the cheapo costumes you can buy (I never actually finished the ironman suit, it's work in progress for an EZB project now but shhh it's a secret). They use Papakura along with other things to produce some really good masks etc. on very small budgets. You could probably make the "bone" structure of the face using their techniques, link it all with the mechano and cover it in the latex mask and produce a really good, lifelike head on a small budget.

Or wait for the one DJ showed us the other day to appear in the shop here.

The one with the wig on is so freaky!

#5  

received my 2 ez-b kits today :)

so i went and built a bit on my animatronics head~ :D

here's the progress: User-inserted image

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and now i've ran out of servos Dx

anyway, total costs so far: costs list (of my $800 ) mechano for the head: 40$ (got it second handed) paper + tape: let's say: 5$ wig: 40$ 2x ez-b kits 340$ extention cables for servos 10$ 2 4A 12v DC power adapters 15$ total: 450$

i just noticed i'm over the half of my budget already.. ^^;

United Kingdom
#6  

Don't get too attached to budgets, I'm about 4 times over budget and not finished yet!..

#7  

Ya forget budget , get what you want / can afford, but overtime it really adds up. I have a couple thousand in my Jarvis Omnibot 2000 project and he's not fully physically functional yet lol. - Josh Starnes

#8  

I concur with Rich and Josh, regarding budget! I have found a ton of cool stuff just by visiting recycle places for aluminum and other metals. I found the Hasbro "still working, batteries (INCLUDED)" Roaring T-Rex at a recycle yard. Dont forget to cruise garage sales as well. 800$ sounds like a very realistic figure for your project, like the acronym for boat owners is "bring out another thousand" :)...robot builders may be Remove Ohmypoor!Budjet Obligations Terrors. I think it was Rich who said musing about his greatly wonderful Herobot that hes gonna be colder and hungrier this winter lol. My liquor bill has dropped dramatically and adding more wood to the fire and extra blankets to fund F.R.E.D. :)