Journal
Time spent: 5h
Today I started the first design iteration of my small walking robot. I first looked at this robot as a reference for the general style and proportions:
I did not want to copy it directly, so I used it only as a starting point for the overall idea: a compact body, simple legs, and a cute expressive front face.
After that, I created my own first version in Fusion 360:
My current design uses 4 standard servos, with one servo controlling each leg. I also added an OLED display on the front of the robot, which will act as its face. The robot will be controlled by an ESP32, because it is compact, easy to program, and suitable for controlling both the servos and the display.
The main goal of this project is not only to make the robot walk, but also to make it feel alive. I want it to have cute animations, such as blinking eyes, idle movements, reactions, and different facial expressions while walking. The OLED display will give the robot personality, while the servos will create physical movement.
This first version is mainly focused on the general structure. I modeled the main body, positioned the OLED screen on the front, and placed the four servo-driven legs on the sides. The design is still an early iteration, but it already shows the basic layout and proportions of the robot.
In the next few days, I plan to remake some design choices and add more functionality. I may improve the body shape, adjust the servo mounts, make the OLED display fit better, and create proper internal space for the ESP32, battery, and wiring.
Also, i want the wires from servos to be on the external side of the robot; i think that way it will look cooler
Time spent: 2h
Redesigned the lid and converted it to a screw-mounting type. This modification provides a tighter and more secure fit, improving the lid’s holding strength and overall stability during use.
Time spent: 2h
Created the GitHub repository for the tabletoprobot project. It will store the README, code, CAD files, diagrams, and project updates.
Planned the basic wiring for the ESP32-S3, servos, OLED display, step-down converter, and capacitor.
Created the BOM list with the main parts, quantities, prices, links, and purposes.
Time spent: 1.5h
Fixed servo placement, changed mounting holes so they will fit SG996R servos, made sure that legs will fit on top of servo horns perfectly
P.S sorry abt hackatime firmware file name, i initially named it like that as a placeholder to change later but now i have no idea how to change it on hackatime platform:0