Halloween is just around the corner but we've still got plenty of cool creepy Raspberry Pi projects to share. Today we've come across a neat fluttering bat put together by Ruiz brothers Pedro and Noe. In a recent episode of Adafruit's 3D Hangouts, they had quite a few projects to share but it's this flying bat project that caught our attention the most.
It's important to note that this project is just a prototype but there's enough to show off and get excited about already. The build consists of a stand that houses all of the hardware. On top is a cable with a little, lightweight bat attached to the end. According to the brothers, it's designed to fly around in circles when people are detected nearby. This causes the bat to wiggle, making the wings appear to flap.
The duo admits that this project is cutting it close to Halloween so you might not be able to get all the parts you need to make it in time. However, it can be modified for a variety of holidays so don't count it out just yet! They suggest adding a Santa hat for a 'Nightmare Before Christmas' themed creation. But you could also get creative and replace the bat with something like a bee or a butterfly for springtime.
This is a 3D printable project which means you can easily modify the design to suit your personal tastes. We're not sure what 3D printer the team is using in this case but you can check out our list of best 3D printers to see what machines are leading the market. The main board powering the bat is an Adafruit Prop Maker Feather RP2040 which is connected to a servo motor used to spin the bat around.
As this is a work in progress, we haven't had the opportunity yet to see what the source code looks like. However, the Ruiz brothers plan to release the project details soon over at the Adafruit website. Be sure to follow them for updates to get a good look at the code when it's been made available.
If you want to get a closer look at this Raspberry Pi project in action, you can check it out over at YouTube. There you'll also find a few more cool Halloween projects, including this other Pi-powered creation that transforms an Ikea lamp into an interactive Halloween display.
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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.
