Minerva's eye movement is based on a very creative technique I first was shown by Phil Torrone in his B.O.B. robot seen here, made entirely of recycled cups and containers:
The basic principle is that there are two cups, one inside the other. The outer cup is the head/face and has cutouts for eye sockets -- through which the inner cup can be seen. The inner cup has pupils, irises, and eye whites on it.
When the inner cup is rotated, instant eye movment! Here's a demonstration using two clear cups:
Build the Head
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Make the Eyes
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Micro Servo for Eye Movement
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We'll connect the eye cup's servo horn to the head cup's servo shaft later, but first we'll build the owl's body.
Build the Body
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Add Wings
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Your robot is built, but now let's add some decoration!
Decoration
First, we'll add a beak. You can draw on a triangle, or use a sticker, then cut out a proper beak from the light blue cup or paper as shown below.
You can even draw on some eyebrows or use stickers.
A beak outline and a glued on beak add lots of character! |
Don't forget about Minerva's stylish lightning bolt!
Popsicle Stick Legs
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Pipe Cleaner Trim
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You can use two more pipe cleaners to create Minerva's distinctive face markings. Shape them and tack them in place with hot glue.
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You've completed building your robotic owl! Now it's time to wire things up to the Crickit robotics board!