The Desk Robot That Watches You Work
Meet your new desk companion: a DIY robot that’s either a cute little buddy or a cyclopean nightmare depending on how you build it!
Desktop robot companions are usually designed to entertain their owner or offer them a productivity boost. They may accomplish these goals by playing games, requiring their owner to “care” for them, or by setting timers that keep them on track during the workday. The latest desk robot created by Epic DIY Builds is more in the category of entertainment, but it may not be for everyone. This little companion has a giant, moving eye that keeps watch over its owner.
Truth be told, it’s a little bit creepy. That is because of the large red eye that Epic DIY Builds chose to use in the design. However, one could easily swap that out for, say, some googly eyes and turn it into a cute little friend if they wished. In that case, this robot would be something that could put a smile on its owner’s face throughout the day, rather than something that should sit by the front door on Halloween.
The robot is powered by a Wemos D1 Mini development board with an ESP8266 microcontroller. This board drives a 0.96-inch monochrome OLED display via I2C that shows a waveform pattern that makes it seem alive. A pair of servos control the movement of a 3D-printed eye and eyelids. Feel free to pretend the 3D model developed by Epic DIY Builds doesn’t exist and make your own non-creepy version.
A 3.7V Li-ion battery powers the device with the help of an MT3608 step-up voltage converter. A switch turns the robot on, and the frame is made from a thick copper wire.
If you would like to build your own version of this companion robot, you can watch Epic DIY Builds go through the process in the video below. If there is anything that is not clear, you can reference the circuit diagram, which has been made publicly available.