Build Your Own TARS Robot From Interstellar

If you've ever watched Interstellar and wished you had your own TARS robot, you're not alone. The movie's unusual rectangular robot became a fan favorite thanks to its unconventional mechanical design and sarcastic personality. Unfortunately, building a full-size version isn't exactly a weekend project. LuwuDynamics has come up with a more practical alternative with RIG-TARS, a miniature, open source robot that brings some of the movie character's personality and distinctive movements to your desktop.

RIG-TARS is a programmable AI companion robot built around a 3D-printed body and an ESP32-S3 microcontroller. Like its cinematic inspiration, it has a segmented body that can move in unexpected ways. But this little robot also packs modern electronics, including a display, camera, microphone, speaker, and motion sensors. It can even carry on conversations using a large language model.

The robot's mechanical design is unquestionably its most interesting feature. Instead of using wheels or conventional legs, RIG-TARS has three articulated columns driven by UART-controlled servos. By coordinating their movements, the robot can move forward, backward, and turn. A six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) provides orientation data, helping the control system monitor its posture as it moves.

Inside, an ESP32-S3 handles the robot's movements, communications, and interactive features. The microcontroller provides Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity, while a 2.4-inch color TFT display with a resolution of 320×240 pixels gives RIG-TARS its own miniature command terminal. The interface can show system information such as battery voltage, orientation, tasks, and logs. It can also display personality settings, including humor and sincerity levels, in another nod to the movie.

With its built-in microphone and speaker, RIG-TARS supports voice wake-up, spoken commands, and natural language conversations through a cloud-connected LLM. Users can adjust its personality to make responses more or less humorous, and programmable actions allow the robot to combine speech with physical movements.

Unlike many commercial robots, RIG-TARS is designed to be modified. LuwuDynamics has released its RIG-Omni firmware as open source, along with the mechanical designs and documentation needed to build the robot. Makers can 3D print the body, assemble the electronics, and experiment with custom movements, behaviors, and interaction routines. The firmware also supports Model Context Protocol (MCP) tools, allowing the robot to connect to external services.

RIG-TARS is available through the LuwuDynamics online store, with pricing currently listed at $99 for the DIY kit. This robot isn't going to save humanity from extinction, but for makers who want a little piece of Interstellar on their desks, RIG-TARS looks like a fun project with plenty of room for experimentation.