Is this 3D-printed robot the first of thousands?
InMoov is an open-source DIY printable robot that can obey voice commands. It's slightly creepy, but at least it's cheap.
I love the one-upmanship going on in the word of 3D printing.
At CES 2013 I saw 3D-printed skateboards, flowers, and gear assemblies, and meanwhile there are now plans to print everything from body parts to buildings. So printing robots was only a matter of time.
InMoov is a full-size humanoid robot made from 3D-printed parts. Designed and built by Gael Langevin of Factices Ateliers in France, InMoov began last year as a hand, then an arm. It's now two arms and a head.
It was designed with Blender, runs on MyRobotLab, and requires Arduino and other electronics and cables to work.
It may be a little on the Uncanny Valley side of robot aesthetics, but that could easily change.
Check it out coming to life with gesture capture while responding to voice commands in the vid below. Other videos show the progress in building it.
So far, the manufacture and parts have come to at least $900, not including the torso and head, as well as the 3D printer. Still, it's a great deal compared to conventional humanoid robots that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Files for InMoov's 3D-printed hands are available for download on Thingiverse, and Langevin welcomes collaborators to develop the bot.
If you've got the time and skills, why not help build a robot army?