Animatronic Crow Version 2
An animatronic crow head — three servos, a 3D-printed frame, and far too much super glue.
2026 Soldering Table
Lighter, faster, more feathery
After watching a lot of animatronics videos, I realised my first crow was far too heavy to move properly. Version 2 is only the head and neck, on three servos: tilt, rotate and neck extension. That is enough range for expressive movement, and it actually works.
I built a simple controller pad to move the head by hand. AI voice control is in progress; for now it’s fun to puppeteer it directly.
The hard part: the feathers
Coding the servos was easy. Gluing feathers with super glue was a nightmare: hair, feathers and super glue mean feather hands for days. There is no way around it, so accept your fate.
What I learned
I built the assembly in Fusion 360 and tested every rotation axis before printing anything, which saved me from reprinting the motor holders again and again. The main lesson: keep everything light. Feathers and fur add weight anyway, so the structure has to be minimal.
Next
- AI voice control (in progress)
- More movement patterns
- A less painful way to glue feathers (probably not)