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Hexapod

A custom 6-legged walking robot with 3D-printed parts, 18 MG996R servos and a Raspberry Pi 5, built from scratch.

  • Humanoid
  • Open source
  • Work in progress
  • 3D printable

Suggested by Robotheca, created by @mike-tr (opens in a new tab), from github.com/mike-tr/Hexapod (opens in a new tab). Pinned to commit f9cfdc3 (opens in a new tab).

Fork on GitHub (opens in a new tab)Download the files at this commit (.zip)
Hardware license
MIT (opens in a new tab)
Software license
MIT (opens in a new tab)
Commercial use
Allowed

This repository contains executable files that Robotheca doesn't check. Only run them if you trust the creator.

Which files (9 files marked executable, 2 scripts, 8 programs or installers)

Photo and 3D model

Hexapod, photo from its repository
Photo:@mike-tr (opens in a new tab)MITsource file (opens in a new tab)

3D preview converted from github.com/mike-tr/Hexapod at f9cfdc3, under MIT. View the original files from GitHub (9.6 MB) (opens in a new tab)

What it can do

Written by Robotheca from the project's documents.

  • Walks with a tripod gait and can turn, per the status notes.
  • Uses inverse kinematics to position each leg's three joints.
  • Supports remote control through a client/server setup.
  • Camera integration and vision processing are planned but not yet done.
  • Each leg has three degrees of freedom: coxa, femur and tibia joints.

Bill of materials

This repository has no parts list Robotheca can read yet.

Build guide

The creator's steps, each with its instructions.

  1. 1Design the legs and chassis in FreeCAD
  2. 23D print the leg and body parts
  3. 3Assemble the first three legs
  4. 4Assemble all six legs
  5. 5Mount the PCB and Raspberry Pi 5 to the chassis
  6. 6Wire all 18 servos to the PCB
  7. 7Implement inverse kinematics
  8. 8Implement the tripod gait for walking and turning

The guide appears here as you scroll.

Guide by @mike-tr (READMe.md), under MIT.

Wiring and electronics

Notes written by Robotheca from the project's documents.

Main parts

  • Raspberry Pi 5 as the main controller.
  • 18 MG996R servos, three per leg.
  • Freenove Big Hexapod Robot PCB, reused from a kit.
  • 18500 flat cells as the battery.

Connections

  • All 18 servos are wired to the Freenove PCB.
  • The PCB and Raspberry Pi 5 are mounted to the chassis together.