Robot Skull (Like Geoff off Craig Ferguson)

thingiverse

Create a robotic skull just like Geoff from Craig Ferguson's show! This intricate model is based on real spine and skull designs, including a hinged jaw and cutouts for LED eyes. Two micro servos control the jaw and neck movement; simply add an Arduino and let your imagination run wild. Check out this demo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9vZwMeGfkc). In 2013, an update was made to include a printed roller bearing for the base, allowing free rotation without putting stress on the servo and providing stability. Printing hints are provided; using 0.2mm layer height on an UP3D mini is recommended. The skull can be assembled without servos as a static model, but ensure that resizing doesn't affect servo fit if using them. Print the roller bearing with hollow fill and your printer's finest detail setting for optimal results. For the robot parts list, you'll need two standard hobby micro servos, one armed servo horn, circular servo horn, two blue LEDs, two 330 Ohm resistors, Blu tack/glue/tape, and a microcontroller with wires. Assemble the LED eyes by soldering wires to each LED leg, protecting them with heat shrink tubing or electrical tape. Curl the metal legs into a smooth 45-degree curve for easy positioning. Use 330 Ohm resistors for the blue LEDs. For the jaw assembly, gently squeeze the pins to fit into the skull sockets. Attach a microservo to the base of the skull and fit the single arm servo horn. Align the jaw pin nearest the servo first, then the opposite pin. Secure the servo with glue, Blu tack, or tape. Assemble the spine and base by screwing the round servo horn onto the microservo and attaching it to the round area at the bottom of the spine. Position the circular base of the skull through the roller bearing, trimming excess spine if necessary. Cement in place with acetone or glue. Brush acetone on the base legs for added strength. Push the roller bearing into the base until flush and attach the square end of the spine to the bottom of the skull. Secure with blue tack, glue, or both. Anchor the base at each leg using Blu tack if necessary. Lastly, wire and design your circuitry as desired - let your creativity run wild!