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The Robot

Zig is around 23 cm tall and weighs 1.172 kg — a fully homemade build, kept small and compact for lower cost, easier transport, and simpler control.

Motors

The robot has 9 motors in total:

Count Part Detail
3 Neck one degree of freedom per motor
2 Antennas inside the head, one per antenna
2 Wheels one per wheel
2 Legs one per leg

The simplicity of the design also shows in the leg design: each leg has only one degree of freedom — it can just go up and down. A 4-bar linkage mechanism means only one motor is needed per leg, keeping cost, complexity, and size down.

Onboard electronics

Part Electronics
Main Computer 1x Raspberry Pi 5 — orchestrator
Legs & Balance 1x Raspberry Pi Pico 2
Head 1x XIAO RP2350
Torso 1x Arduino Nano Every

Plus speakers, microphones, touch sensors, and LEDs spread across the body. The full map of who owns what lives on the Robot Architecture page.

Parts