Cardboard Animatronic Smiley With BT App

I am always like to work in Animatronic. My first animatronic Instructables is Full Animatronic Sorting Hat.

Due to lock down not able to purchase any thing for projects. But when come across cardboard challenge i found some cardboard around me. So plan for any projects with cardboard. After 7 days only i have a plan to done animatronics project. But what to done some thing different. So the lip movement is the main aim. Try lot of ways and found failure. Finally got a solution for lip movement of smiley and i present it here. For this project i develop an app for android mobile thanks to MIT app inventor.

Step 1: Materails Required

Materials Required

1) Single wall corrugated cardboard.

2) SG90 Micro servo - 4 Nos

3) Arduino Nano - 1No

4) HC-05 Blue tooth module. - 1No

5) LM2596 DC to DC Voltage Regulator. - 1 No

6) 3.7V 18650 Battery - 2 Nos

7) 18650 Battery Holder

8) Plain PCB

9) Male and Female header pins.

Step 2: Make Face Base

In all other project i started with design the circuit. But due to dont know the outcome first i design the body and mechanical sett up first.

Draw a 220mm (22cm) diameter circle in a Single wall corrugated cardboard. Cut it with the sharp knife. Cut it slowly so that the circle is come out very clear. This is the face of the smiley.

Step 3: Lips Servo Base

Take a card board of size 128mm X 25mm. Draw lines as shown in the figure. Cut the 23mm X 12mm Slot for servo motor fixing. Fix two servos as shown in the figure. the thickness of the card board is only 5mm so take another card board of size 128mm X 25mm and cut the slot for the servo round top. With the help of the piece mark in the face for lips. Hot glue all together.

Step 4: Eyes Servo Base

For eye servo base as like lips take card boards. But for eyes two separate pieces. Slot for servo is mark and taken. Put the hole for eyes in the face and hot glue the servo.

Step 5: Make Lips

As i already told in the first page. Lot of trials taken for lips and finally this only work for me. Take 200mm X 10mm card board, the cardboard only Single wall corrugated cardboard. Cut the corrugated side as shown in the figure. Leave the corrugated paste on the wall and cut the wall as shown in the figure. Now the cardboard is like spring. cut into two pieces 100mm X 10mm. Found a small plastic piece in the scrap, Hot glue it like flag in the lips servo. Make both servos as 90 degree and fix the arm as straight, Hot glue the sliced cardboard one on the top and another one on the bottom. Paste one piece of the top and bottom of card board in the middle. Trim the edges to show like lips. Now the hard work finish.

Note

Soft handle the sliced cardboard.

Step 6: Make Eyes

For eyes draw two 20mm radius in a cardboard. Another two 10mm radius in the corrugated cardboard. First paste 20mm card board with the servo arm and then 10mm corrugated cardboard over the 20mm cardboard in the lower part. Not put both servos as 90 degree and fix the servo arm like eye face down, then screw the arm. Now the basic work finish. Want to give some detail for eye.

Step 7: Eye Ring

Cut 4 rings with 20mm radius for inner and 25mm radius for outer. Join two rings together for one side. And carefully paste it over the eyes.

Step 8: Make a Case

The case give home for microcontroller and battery's So take 50mm corrugated cardboard strips up to any length you have. As like lips slice the strips, but one side only. Now take another two circle piece same size of the smiley face, 22mm circle diameter, in one piece draw a circle of 18cm diameter and cut it with knife but dont remove the ring and circle. Paste the whole piece with the cut piece, apply paste only inside the 18 cm. After dry remove the ring only. Now in hot glue the sliced strips in the ring to form a cylinder. Then hot glue the face back side to this cylinder. Now a cylindrical container with back side door ready. Due to corrugated in the door, no need for any lock its keep th door tight. Now the total base is finished.

Step 9: Circuit Plan

Here is the circuit plan. 4 servos control using D2,3,4,5. The Tx and Rx of the Bluetooth module connected to the Rx and Tx of the arduino and 5V and GND connected to arduino 5V and Gnd. For servo power supply given from LM2596 DC to DC Voltage Regulator. For Nano power supply directly from batteries.

Step 10: Making Circuit

Make a Shield for the Nano and the base for Blue tooth module. I used the same board used for my Baby MIT Cheetah Robot project.

Step 11: Add Circuit to Smiley and PCB Stand.

Make a stand for the micro controller. And the Battery holder with batteries kept at the bottom of the smiley. After finish he arrangement, i found it work as roly-poly. Close the cover on the back side now the smiley is ready.

Step 12: Test Run With Video

Basic test run of all the servos done. Watch the video.

Step 13: MIT Android App

As like previous projects, I develop a android app. It contains 9 smileys on click the smileys in the app, our smiley change the face like wise. Also to move each parts left eye, Right eye, Lips left side and Lips right side we have separate buttons. A Full Movement button is available for a complete action in one round. Download the apk from the google drive and install it on your android mobile.

Step 14: Arduino App

Each command from android is noted in the Excel sheet and for that command each servo postion also calculated. Now in the Arduino program on receive the the command from mobile. The servo want to move from current location to the new location smoothly. Down load the ino file and upload in your arduino.

Note:-

While upload remove the bluetooth module because in the circuit it connected to the arduino TX and RX. After upload fix it again.

Step 15: Android Program

Before open the app turn on the bluetooth on the mobile. Open the App in the mobile. Click Pick buetooth. Select the HC 05 in the list. When connected the next screen display. Click the smileys or any button to make it run. Now the fun begins.

Step 16: Full Test Video

Watch the test video with android control.

Step 17: Basic Photo Shot

Some photo with the completed Smiley with out coloring.

Step 18: Coloring

I use Poster colors for coloring, because it only available on my hand (lock down problem).

Step 19: Switch On

Open the back door and switch on the supply in the battery holder and close the door. Now its ready to play with kids.

Step 20: Running Video

Smiley is in action.

Step 21: Smileys

Some actions of our smiley. Each action has separate names.

Step 22: Play and Enjoy

Kids like it very much. When compare to click smiley, my girl change the lips and eye positions and play with it. Due to lock down my elders are in home, they also like it very much. Some lips and eye movement try by some one and its very funny.

After complete this project i think how toy makers have such an ex-ordinary mind to toys with fun movement.

Thanks for go through my project. It is a very tough time for the world due to virus spread. Salute the hero's who work for our safety and health. Pray God for every single person in this world to recover from this situation.

Lot more to enjoy...............Don't forgot to comment and encourage me friends.