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ELECTRONBOT — CUTE WALL-E-INSPIRED DESKTOP ROBOT (9.4K STARS)

Six-axis robot with a screen for a face, and all the design files to build one yourself.

by Zhihui Peng (稚晖)

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

RoboticsOpen-hardware

difficulty
●●●●●
time
a full week
license
GPL-3.0
repo
repo ACTIVE9,417 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 3D printer + filament — printable parts — files are in the repo
  • Electronic parts — full list with part numbers in the repo BOM
  • Dev board / microcontroller — runs the project firmware
  • Soldering kit + basic tools — one-time buy, serves every future build

Partner

Reach your Pi from anywhere — Remote desktop to the machine running this build — no port forwarding, works right from the browser.Try Getscreen.me
Videos
1

COMPAREE VERDICT

ElectronBot is the desktop robot every WALL-E fan wanted — six-axis articulation, a round LCD face that plays video over USB, and the satisfying weight of a real machine. The engineering is excellent: modified servos with magnetic angle feedback, five custom PCBs with an STM32F405 brain, and a Unity SDK so you can write apps that make it react to your desktop. The problem is that this is not a kit and the repo does not pretend to be a tutorial. You will fabricate PCBs with 0402 passives, hand-wind motor coils, disassemble and modify six servos, and debug five separate boards with incomplete part numbers. The mechanical tolerances are tight — multiple builders report reprinting arms and joints to get smooth motion. If you have built a custom keyboard or a drone from scratch, you have the skills. If you have not, this will eat a month and you will hate half of it. The one thing most likely to go wrong: ordering the wrong servos (several models look identical) and discovering after disassembly that the encoder does not fit.

NOT IN THE REPO

  • —Full Altium PCB files for five boards (mainboard, three joint boards, USB board), STM32 firmware, Unity SDK and full mechanical CAD.
  • —No assembly guide — the README lists steps but assumes you know how to order PCBs and solder 0402 parts.
  • —Servos must be disassembled and modded with magnetic encoders for joint feedback; no kit exists.
  • —BOM is incomplete — many part numbers are missing, especially for passives.
  • —GPL-3.0 license permits commercial use with source disclosure.
  • —9,400+ stars but repo is mostly in Chinese; machine translation is necessary for many component notes.

Can I build this?

PrintFull body shell, arms, neck joint, base — PLA is fine, layer adhesion matters more than material
BuyFive custom PCBs (Altium files provided), six specific servos to modify, STM32F405 MCU, USB3300 PHY, 1.3" round LCD, magnetic encoders, motors, bearings, wire, connectors — BOM is incomplete for passives
ToolsAltium Viewer or KiCad converter, PCB fab account, soldering iron, hot air station, hex drivers, servo disassembly tools, multimeter, logic analyzer helpful for USB debug
SkillsPCB assembly with 0402 parts, servo modification and encoder installation, STM32 firmware flashing, mechanical fit tuning, USB troubleshooting — this is an advanced build
TimeOne week if you have done similar robot builds; two weeks if this is your first multi-board custom robot; longer if you hit servo or USB issues
Cost$$$, driven by PCB fab for five boards and six servos to modify; LCD and encoders add another layer
SafetyNone beyond ordinary electronics care — low-voltage servos and USB power only.

Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.

A desktop 3D printer that prints in full colorPartner · Kickstarter
A desktop 3D printer that prints in full color

HeyGears G1: 10M+ colors and transparent parts in one print, plus UV printing on flat objects. Figures, parts and labels — no painting.

See how it prints

Videos

Creator video, mostly in Chinese

Gallery

Start here

Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.

  1. 1.Read the README end-to-end (Most instructions are in Chinese — use machine translation)
  2. 2.Export Gerbers from the Altium files in /Hardware/(Five boards: mainboard, three joint controllers, USB board)
  3. 3.Order PCBs and compare the BOM against what you can source(Many passives have no part number — you will substitute based on footprint)
  4. 4.Print the mechanical parts and test fit before modifying servos(Arms and joints have tight tolerances; multiple builders reprinted these)

Resources

Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.

Meet Beni, Your First All-Terrain Camera Robot!Partner · Kickstarter
Meet Beni, Your First All-Terrain Camera Robot!
See how it works

KNOWN ISSUES

  • The BOM is incomplete for passives — you will spend hours cross-referencing footprints and guessing values.
  • Servo modification is not reversible — if you disassemble the wrong model or break a gear during encoder install, that servo is scrap.
  • The repo README is mostly in Chinese; machine translation works but component notes and errata are easy to miss.
  • USB-HS (480 Mbps) video streaming to the LCD is fragile — multiple builders report needing a logic analyzer to debug signal integrity.
  • No assembly guide exists — the README lists steps but assumes you have built multi-board robots before.
  • Printed parts require tuning for smooth joint motion; builders report sanding, reprinting, and adjusting servo horn positions.

Is there a kit or pre-made PCB set?

No. You fabricate the boards yourself from the Altium files. A few third-party sellers offer bare PCBs, but you still source and solder all parts.

Which servos do I need?

The README specifies models but several look identical — double-check dimensions and mounting before buying six of them.

Can I skip the servo modification?

No. The joint-angle feedback is what makes the motion smooth and the robot controllable. Without it, you have six blind servos.

Will the Unity SDK work on Linux?

The SDK is Windows-focused; some builders report success with Mono but it is not officially supported.

Community builds

No community builds yet — be the first, we feature the best ones.

Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

9,400 stars and no assembly guide — this is a build for people who have done it before. What was the hardest part of your ElectronBot: the servo modding, the PCB bring-up, or getting the USB video stream stable?

CompareeTEAM1mo agoedited

Practical notes from our verification: the repo is live and contains every file claimed (Altium PCBs, STM32 firmware, Unity SDK, full mechanical CAD in STEP and STL). The creator's YouTube video is mostly in Chinese but shows the robot in motion — no English walkthrough exists from the original author, and community build logs are scattered. The single biggest trap is not the soldering or the code, it is the servo modification: six servos must be disassembled, fitted with magnetic encoders, and reassembled without breaking plastic gears, and there is no step-by-step for that part. If you have never modified a servo, practice on a spare first.

Zhihui Peng (稚晖)

Zhihui Peng is a hardware engineer known for compact, high-integration open-source robots and dev boards. ElectronBot was designed as a desktop companion that could react to the user's screen and expressions, not just wave randomly.

GitHub

Star the project on GitHub

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.
GitHub repo