The Raspberry Pi Pico brings Babbage the Bear to life
The Raspberry Pi Pico has already brought some simple but cool automation to the Raspberry Pi mascot, Babbage the Bear. Now, maker and developer Wayne, also known as RamblingGeek, takes things to the next level with a new project. Named Babbage Bot, this robot pal utilizes servo motors to perform simple arm movements and even has minimal face movement. Wayne assures us that this is only the beginning, with exciting plans for future updates.
“Babbage Bot is a project I’m currently working on,” Wayne explains on his website, RamblingGeek. “It’s still in the very early stages, but the goal is to bring Babbage to life using servo motors.”
The project employs minimal hardware, including a Raspberry Pi Pico, two servo motors, and sticks that Wayne has cut to attach to Babbage’s arms. Although it remains unclear whether the project is powered by a battery or a cable, Wayne mentions a future plan to make Babbage Bot mobile by giving him a battery.
The simplicity of the mechanical design is lovely, but what stands out about this project is its accessibility. Wayne's goal is to make maker projects understandable, even to those with no coding or hardware experience. Babbage is undoubtedly a robot made by coders for coders, but the mechanical design is so simple that anyone can grasp it. Wayne has made the code available on his website, and it’s easy enough for anyone to understand and modify.
Wayne also has plans for some cool future updates, such as four-directional head movement and the ability for Babbage to speak using ChatGPT. You can find the code on RamblingGeek, and a video of Babbage Bot in action is available below.
This project is truly delightful. Babbage’s little face lights up when he sees his pal, showcasing the power of programming to bring inanimate objects to life. It’s also a reminder of the endless possibilities with a Raspberry Pi.
Babbage the Bear, named after Charles Babbage, the pioneer of the concept of a programmable computer, now has a fun and animated counterpart thanks to the Raspberry Pi Pico – what more could you ask for?
Check out even more cool Raspberry Pi projects in our list of the best Pi projects.
