People love stuffed animals! One of the first toys a child gets is some representation of an animal. Over time, these beloved companions become part of what we surround ourselves with.
This project provides ideas for creating stuffed, papercraft or other toy animals with characteristics you want. You can chose your animal, make it move and have it make sounds. Assembly is straightforward, the most complex component is using your imagination.
The basic circuit shows you how to use a servo motor, a piezo speaker, and a photocell to provide interactivity with your animal.
Choosing Your Animal
Technically you do not even have to use an animal – this can be for simple robots or other items.
This tutorial will demonstrate animating a bird. I went looking for what materials I could use for the bird body. The electronics dictate the minimum size of the bird. It can be as large as you wish (you must scale the servo and power for large items). Digging in the closet, I found a Beanie Baby bird named Beak that was well suited to animation. A moderate-sized Angry Bird toy would work well also.
Nearly any animal may be represented. You can use existing animals or fabricate your own with paper or 3D printing.
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