R2-D2 LucasFilm. No copyright intended.
The latest of the fleet of interactive robots, this full size replica of the cutest of robots from the popular star wars trilogy, is the latest and most complicated of all the builds so far.
The plywood chassis has been routered and jig sawn to produce a strong but flexible frame, on which the laser cut skins will eventually fit.
Many of the smaller ancillary bits are available online form our usual ebay outlet, and saves us having to re-invent the wheel and hours of fabrication.
Legs have taken the longest to produce, fabricated from plywood, based and cut from online plans, these need to be completed and fitted to the chassis and the feet so that the correct angle for the legs can be set , likewise the feet and the center foot also needs to be fabricated to get correct alignment before assembly.
Movement is supplied by two scooter motors running at 24 volts and controlled by another Sabertooth controller. Radio control will be done by our usual Saturn 2.4 Ghtz digital system, so as usual we are looking for reliability and speed.
Dome for the R2D2 unit is in fiberglass, and the pie tops have been cut out so that they can all be fitted with servos, I hope to have a 3D printed periscope raising out of one of the ports to add to the usual special effects. Lighting has all been done with high intensity LED’s, flashing blue led’s, and tri colour flashing leds will compliment the dome lighting. Oomlot programmable 10mm led’s provide the colour changer for the front panels.
Timescale for this fabrication has gone out of the window due to the complications of this build, with a lot of customising fabrication to the design plans. Hopefully we will get Kenny Baker to autograph our R2 when we finally complete him.
2015 Update:
R2D2 has had a very busy year so far with several public appearances including a star slot in the local Panto. The highlight so far has been the opportunity for R2 to meet up with Kenny Baker in Manchester where we had the chance to chat and we were honoured with him signing our R2. More upgrades soon with new drive motors.