EYEMECH: 3D-PRINTED ANIMATRONIC EYES THAT WATCH YOU
Six micro-servos, a print-in-place mechanism, and a newer version that tracks your face with a camera — Will Cogley's iconic robot eyes.
Animatronics3D-printing
Built withRaspberry Pi Pico / RP20403D printing
- difficulty
- ●●●○○
- time
- a weekend or two
- license
- CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0
- repo
- repo ACTIVE23 stars
●●●○○ · a weekend or two · CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0 · 23 stars · repo ACTIVE
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
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COMPAREE VERDICT
Will Cogley's EyeMech is the animatronic build people fall in love with — a compact mechanism of six micro-servos that moves a pair of realistic eyes and four eyelids with unsettlingly lifelike motion. It's superbly documented: ready-to-print .3mf plates, an assembly PDF, MicroPython firmware and a wiring table, with an easier-to-assemble print-in-place variant and a newer version that tracks your face with a camera. A couple of honest notes: the repo ships .3mf plate files rather than raw STL/STEP, and you'll buy the realistic eyes, servos and a controller (or substitute a Pico), with prices on the creator's shop. The license is non-commercial. As a first proper animatronics project, it's hard to beat.
IN THE REPO
GOOD TO KNOW
- —Ships ready-to-print .3mf plate files (not raw STL/STEP), plus an assembly PDF and MicroPython firmware with a wiring table
- —You buy the eyes, 6 micro-servos and a controller board (or substitute a Raspberry Pi Pico); the parts list is in the README, prices are on the creator's shop
- —There's an easier-to-assemble print-in-place variant, and a newer version with face tracking
- —Licensed CC BY-NC-SA (non-commercial)
Parts to buy
4 itemsFrom our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.
Can I build this?
Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.
Videos
EyeMech ε3.2 Assembly
The creator's assembly walkthrough, linked from the README.
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Start here
Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.
- 1.Watch the assembly (the full walkthrough)
- 2.Get the print files + guide (.3mf plates + assembly PDF)
- 3.Get the parts (eyes, servos, controller board)
- 4.Flash the firmware (MicroPython on a Pico + wiring table)
- 5.Join the Discord (community help)
Resources
Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.
KNOWN ISSUES
- The repo ships .3mf plate files (for Bambu printers), not raw STL/STEP
- The parts list (servo models, eyes, controller board or a Pico alternative) is in the README, but prices are not; the eyes, servos and controller board are sold on the creator's shop.
- Licensed CC BY-NC-SA — non-commercial only (commercial use via the creator)
How does it move so realistically?
Six micro-servos drive two gaze axes plus four eyelids, and the firmware coordinates them into lifelike looks and blinks. It's the detail of that motion that sells it.
Can it track my face?
The newer ε3.4 version adds on-board face tracking with a camera. The ε3.2 is the classic controller-driven mechanism.
Is it hard to assemble?
The recommended ε3.2 print-in-place variant is the easier one to assemble, but you still fit six servos, clip the subassemblies together and calibrate. There is an assembly PDF and a video walkthrough for it. The creator rates it for experienced beginners: some dexterity is needed and support removal can be delicate.
What does it cost?
Band $$ — the eyes, servos and controller are the main costs. The creator's shop has current prices.
Community builds
No community builds yet — be the first, we feature the best ones.
Discussion1
FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM
The newer version of Will Cogley's EyeMech tracks your face with a camera. Where would you actually put a pair of eyes that watch you — desk companion, Halloween prop, something else?
Will Cogley (NM Robotics)
A well-known animatronics maker who open-sourced his iconic eye mechanism with print-in-place options, MicroPython firmware and kits — and a newer version that tracks your face.
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DISCLAIMER
- Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
- Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
- Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
CompareeTEAM2mo agoedited
Correction (4 October 2026): we re-checked this page line by line against the project's own repository, documentation and videos, and fixed errors in earlier versions.