Animatronic neck. Will Cogley/YouTube
YouTube user Will Cogley has unveiled a new video showcasing his latest invention – a bio-inspired robotic neck.
With YouTuber subscribers of over 137K, Cogley, also a mechatronics engineer, has a special interest in animatronics.
This field blends animation and electronics to craft robotic figures that mimic living beings, often achieving remarkably lifelike qualities.
Reportedly, he designed the neck drawing inspiration from both human anatomy and a Stewart platform. This neck uses six miniature linear actuators to connect the head to the shoulders, enabling very lifelike movements.
Human-inspired neck
He has previously created a range of captivating animatronic items, from realistic eyeballs to a 3D-printed heart.
Interestingly, the eyeballs can roll in any direction, and each eyelid can blink independently. This gives complete freedom in programming diverse and realistic eye movements for animatronics.
In 2024, the YouTube creator unveiled a fully 3D-printed robotic animatronic head, complete with lifelike silicone skin.
This creation masterfully combined engineering precision with artistic flair, highlighting progress in animatronics, 3D printing, and open-source design.
Powering its expressive capabilities are 14 servos, allowing the head to achieve a wide range of facial movements.
These include eyebrow raises, synchronized lip-syncing for speech, and even precise tongue articulation, all contributing to an uncanny sense of realism.
In his latest video, Cogley took his design further by adding a robotic neck.
Inspired by the muscle arrangement in human necks, which he noted resembled a Stewart platform, Cogley designed an animatronic neck.
This design links the head to the shoulders, which are currently a stationary base, through six miniature linear actuators.
Trials and errors
And when it comes to programming, Cogley did it all in Python, implementing inverse kinematics algorithms.
Reportedly, this means he can input a desired head position, and the program automatically calculates the necessary movements for each linear actuator to achieve that specific pose.
A PC manages the linear actuators using Cogley’s custom-designed circuit boards. One board handles power distribution, supplying various voltages to meet the differing needs of the neck and face motors.
The other board is for motor data control and offers adaptability to different voltages.
Cogley faced a challenge where prioritizing a human appearance over ideal Stewart platform geometry led to jerky neck movements. To fix this, he incorporated a flexible artificial spine that emulates the human design.
He 3D-printed rigid vertebrae and connected them with flexible discs, which, after some refinement, successfully provided stable yet flexible support.
Maybe one day, this neck’s design could be used to make futuristic humanoid robots.
Interesting Engineering has covered some of the previous creations of Cogley. He created a gauntlet (glove designed for protection), which “moves like waves.”
The gauntlet incorporates a 3D-printed motor and hardware, along with a mechanical linkage connecting the wrist and forearm. Its scales open and close smoothly because they are magnetically attached to the underlying mechanism.
What do you think Will Cogley will build next?
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Mrigakshi Dixit Mrigakshi is a science journalist who enjoys writing about space exploration, biology, and technological innovations. Her work has been featured in well-known publications including Nature India, Supercluster, The Weather Channel and Astronomy magazine. If you have pitches in mind, please do not hesitate to email her.
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