A 12-Legged FPV Walker

If you check out the first video below, you’ll see what appears – at first glance – to be very speedy small Strandbeest under wireless smartphone control. In fact, this little bugger is actually configured by creator Moononournation as a Strider-linkage mechanism, which lifts its legs high through a larger part of its movement than a Strandbeest. While both are ingenious, the benefit of the Strider linkage system can be seen in the second clip, where it traverses not only a smooth floor, but also a shaggy carpet with ease.

Moononournation's device is powered by a pair of tiny N20 gearmotors, which can be spec’d at a variety of speeds, but reportedly work best at 200 RPM. An ESP32-CAM module is the brains of the operation, and gives the driver FPV camera feedback. Motors are controlled with a DRV8833 2-channel DC motor driver board for differential (tank-like) steering.

Although the electronics will take some setup work to get this little strider going, the real challenge to building one of these would likely be getting all the parts printed and attached, with the appropriate bearings for friction management. However, print files are available on Thingiverse, and Moononournation provides a walk-through on his project write-up, so building one shouldn't be too hard. Perhaps it’s time to fire your printer up to create your own little Strider-crawler!