ASPIR Is an Advanced Humanoid Robot

If you’d like to build your own robot, you could start with a tank chassis, or build some sort of simple spider bot, or you could check out John Choi’s ASPIR 3D-printed humanoid robot. At just over four feet tall, it’s about the size of a child, and looks like one of the most interesting and complete chassis designs available.

While build instructions are excellent, it’s noted that the project is extremely advanced. It will take several months — including 300 hours of printing — to complete, along with about $2,500 of parts.

A significant amount of that expense comes in the form of 33 servos of different sizes, which give it a wide range of movement options. For example, each hand uses five servos to actuate each digit individually, which are printed in such a way as to form spring-like joints. The arms, legs, and head are also actuated in various ways, and the robot is controlled via an Arduino Mega with a servo shield.

Completing the build is a face display 5.5-inch smartphone, giving it some personality with a component that can hopefully be recycled or cheaply sourced. Although software is still in the works, this looks like a great place to start whether for inspiration, or as a ready-made mechanical design.