This 3D-Printed Hexapod Looks Excellent

Sir Kuhnhero’s hexapod is a fantastic example of this walking robot genre, with a robust 3D-printed frame, 271 individual RGB LEDs adorning its body and legs, and a build price of around €120 (or a bit more in USD). As noted in the project write-up, it may not be an easy build, but it is quite rewarding once it's done.

The robot’s six legs each feature three servos, one for horizontal movement, and two for vertical positioning. It's able to walk in any direction via joint positions calculated using inverse kinematics. Wiring for the legs is hidden in the joints themselves, helping to keep things from snagging in the grass or other complicated environments.

Processing for the hexapod is accomplished via an STM32 Blue Pill module, and a pair of PCA9865 drivers that interface with the servos directly. Remote operation for the hexapod is handled through a smartphone app created in MIT App Inventor, which allows it to travel and turn in a similar manner to how an airborne drone is controlled.

Four 18650 LEDs are recycled from an old e-bike battery pack for power. This worked out nicely though, as mentioned in the body/first steps video, shorting things out here would be problematic. You shouldn’t attempt such a recycling job if you don’t know what you’re doing.

The leg design is outlined in the first video below, along with the body design/first steps in the second clip. These videos, in addition to the info and files available via the writeup linked above, should give you a good idea of how to build one yourself – or provide inspiration for your own creation!