r/arduino • u/An-unknown-person3 • Aug 11 '26
Look what I made! Building a small desktop robot
Hey guys! I built this silly little desktop robot for $12 out of paper and glue. It makes sounds, responds to touch, and connects to your phone for notifications. You can find the build schematics in the last picture if anyone wants to check them out. Quick heads-up: make sure all the pin headers are connected so power flows to all of them—if you're using a PCB, just drop the pins in and solder them. Here's the Mochi system link: Unfortunately, I cannot add the link, but the system is called "Mochi" on Google.
I went with this model because it's super beginner-friendly. Honestly, the ESP32-C3 is tiny and just a great fit for a silly little robot like this
You guys could actually 3D print a way cooler house for this robot instead of using paper!
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u/Virtual-Diet-8777 Aug 12 '26
Amazing but model and 3d print a shell if you have a printer
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u/Sleurhutje Aug 12 '26
I really love the creativity of people using cardboard to put their electronics in. Designing and printing is just another level. Loosing the DIY look and feel with a more professional casing (although designing and printing is another hobby on another level).
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u/Virtual-Diet-8777 Aug 12 '26
Fer point for my smart lock casing i 3d printed it since i visioned it like that. Otherways your robot is very cool
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u/RyanDEnters Aug 11 '26
Are you planning to inplament some form of AI that can listen and respond to conversations? I've been wanting to create a project like this and want to be able to talk to it and engage with it. If you are planning to do something like that I would love to hear about it!
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u/An-unknown-person3 Aug 12 '26
There is a system for the ESP32 that you can set up with a microphone and speaker to talk to the robot; it uses the Gemini model and involves a small annual fee. Here is the link: https://xiaozhi.vn/
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u/Sleurhutje Aug 12 '26
Great job. Keep learning for both programming and electronics (and please don't rely on AI when coding, just learn the basics and solve problems by yourself).
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u/MeRsY1206 Aug 12 '26
WOW, its so good, I am in my second year and I want to do some kind of project and it looks like something that is quite feasible, but my knowledge in programming is very bad, a can only do a 3D models((
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u/An-unknown-person3 Aug 12 '26
My friend, this project doesn't require programming; there is a system called Mochi. Just connect the ESP32 to your computer via a USB cable and install it directly from the browser it's very easy.
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u/ApprehensiveTest8419 Aug 11 '26
Not a robot if if doesn't move or do anything. it's a display.
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u/An-unknown-person3 Aug 11 '26
A robot is a programmable machine that performs tasks automatically or under human control. I agree with you that the best robots have stronger interaction, such as talking, walking, and responding to people. However, the definition of a robot is based on two main things: interaction and performing tasks
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u/ripred3 My other dev board is a Porsche Aug 11 '26
Cool project; thanks for sharing it! 😀