PopPet

thingiverse

What is PopPet? PopPet is an awesome educational robotics platform for people of all ages to learn and have fun with. Unlike many other robot kits, which often limit your ability to modify them, PopPet lets you get inside its inner workings and really understand how a robot works. Many educational robots come pre-assembled and locked down, making it impossible to tinker with the inner mechanisms. How can kids learn about robotics when they're denied access to what makes the robot tick? PopPet changes all that by being an Open Hardware DIY robot kit. Whether you're a student or just someone who loves building stuff, you can use PopPet to build a real robot from scratch and even personalize it by swapping out faceplates. One of the key features of PopPet is its super flexible faceplates, which come in many different styles and expressions. Want a happy PopPet, a surprised one, or maybe a cat face? They're all there for you to pick! Check out the online store to see what else is available. But PopPet doesn't just let you customize its appearance – you can actually open up its design plans and create your own custom parts, like wheels or sensors. This is because PopPet is made using laser cutting, which means it's relatively easy to produce new components. Or, if you don't have access to a laser cutter, you can 3D print it instead. So, what does PopPet look like on the inside? Inside its compact and stylish body lies two super-quiet Little Black Duck DC Motors that provide all the motion needed for a fully functioning robot. And these motors are easy to install – they come in a servo format and have handy female connectors attached. They're quiet, powerful, and ready to go! To see its surroundings, PopPet has an ultrasonic distance sensor from HC-SR04, which lets it detect objects by emitting high-frequency sound waves that bounce back when hit by something solid. And to control everything smoothly, there's a powerful DAGU Mini Driver board on board with an onboard H-bridge – no need for additional electronics. Now you might wonder what PopPet can actually do. Well, the possibilities are endless because it is fully compatible with Arduino. Check out these cool videos showing some examples: * Basic obstacle avoidance * Advanced obstacle avoidance * Cleaning up the house * Keeping your belongings safe * Even following light and responding to sound (on advanced kit) Need help building PopPet? Visit our getting-started page for build instructions at [http://www.poppettherobot.com/getting-started.html](http://www.poppettherobot.com/getting-started.html).