Sep 16, 2016 | By Tess
In celebration of ReCore’s recent launch, Robo Challenge, a Birmingham, UK-based company, has built a working 3D printed replica Mack the DogBot, one of the game’s sidekick characters. For those still unfamiliar with ReCore, it is the latest video game release by Microsoft, in which players take on the character of engineer Joule Adams, who finds herself as the only survivor on the distant colony world of Far Eden and must figure out what has happened to the rest of the colonists with the help of a team of robots. One of those robot companions, as you may have guessed, is DogBot Mack.
The action-adventure video game, which was only just released, has inspired excitement from a number of gamers, most notably the team from Robo Challenge, who have recreated in the robo-flesh a functional version of Mack the DogBot. The project required extensive work, from 3D printing all the parts for the robot, to programming electronic motors, to assembling them, etc., but we’ve got to say the results are well worth it!
In designing Mack, the Robo Challenge team were able to get their hands on the original CAD files from the game, which included not only the robot dog’s external components, but also its internal skeleton, which itself consists of motors, gears, and other electronic parts. So if you were thinking that Mack looked true to life, you’d be absolutely right.
With the CAD files in hand, the team set about first 3D printing each of Mack’s outer body components, which comprised of a number of panels. Once they were done being printed, the team then had to post-process them by filling and sanding them, and painted them by hand to closely resemble the video-game version of Mack.
Impressively, the sixteen motors used to move the robot also had to be 3D printed which, together with the outside panels, resulted in roughly 1,000 hours of 3D printing time for the project. Once printed, the motors were specially programmed so that the robot dog would move just like its virtual counterpart, and finally all the parts were assembled. Some final touches, like installing the robot’s signature blue lights and sound effects, were added once everything was completed.
"It was really special seeing Mack move for the first time. The head movements and tail wagging really makes Mack feel real," said Grant Cooper, creative engineer at Robo Challenge.
While seeing photos of the 3D printed robot dog from ReCore is already impressive, you can see the robot canine in its full glory, barking, moving, and even interacting with other dogs in the video below:
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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