Halloween is just around the corner but you've still got a couple of weeks to put together a cool, spooky, Raspberry Pi project like this awesome spider robot created by robotics master Kevin McAleer. If that name sounds familiar, it should. We've covered plenty of McAleer's robotic creations in the past and we're excited to share yet another with our readers just in time for the creepy holiday season!
This spider is still technically a work in progress but he shared lots of juicy info about its design in a recent video — plenty to indulge in. The design schematics show it's built around a Raspberry Pi Pico but McAleer assures you could use an Arduino Nano in its place. It works by detecting people with ultrasonic sensor eyes (HC-SR04). When someone gets close, its arms wiggle open and closed. It also has LED strips inside its body that can be programmed to change colors.
The arms move in sync thanks to an interlocking cog mechanism. This means you only need one servo to move one of the arms to make both of them move together. However, McAleer is still working out a few kinks in the design after a few unexpected malfunctions including a snapped servo holder and cogs failing to stay in place.
Most of McAleer's robots have been created using a 3D printer. This project also involves using laser-cut panels that have been painted black. You can use any of the best laser cutters to make your own. The panels have mounting components for the Pico, or Arduino Nano, as well as for ultrasonic sensor eyes. The servo mounting component is handled by a 3D printed asset.
As with most all of his other projects, this one is completely open source. McAleer was kind enough to share an in-depth look at the source code as well as a walkthrough explaining his design process along the way. Everything was designed using MicroPython which you can explore in the project video.
If you want to get a closer look at this Raspberry Pi project, or maybe even recreate it for yourself, you can check out the full video shared to Kevin McAleer's YouTube channel. Be sure to follow him for updates to this project as well as future robotic creations.
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Ash Hill is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware with a wealth of experience in the hobby electronics, 3D printing and PCs. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting while also finding the best coupons and deals on all tech.
