We have seen 3D printing and robotics go hand in hand quite a bit lately. Whether it is the 3D printing of robotic parts, or robots that do the actual 3D printing, the two technologies are quite complementary to each other in more ways than one.
One high school student, named Evan Jeffries, decided to use 3D printing to create quite incredible looking robot statues. No, these robots aren’t really robotic by any means, but the detail and the craftsmanship that Jeffries’ designs portray are quite astonishing.
“I designed it all by myself on AutoCAD Inventor 2014-2015,” Jeffries tells 3DPrint.com. “My high school had a 3d print(ing) contest which I entered the small ivory colored sculpture into and won. The bigger green robot I printed as a finalized edition for my college portfolios. The green guy stands about 2 feet (~22”) tall and is a 2:1 size ratio to the 1st printed guy. Both where printed on a Stratasys Dimension 1200es printer that my high school’s engineering department has.”
Jeffries is a student at Harrison High School, located in Farmington Hills, MI, where he is currently in his senior year. Harrison High not only has a Stratasys Dimension 3D printer for students to use, but also a MakerBot Replicator 2X, which Jeffries has used as well, in order to print fast and easy test joints for his project.
While his robot isn’t really robotic, it does possess many movable parts.
“It was a main point in designing it to not just make it look like a robot, but to make it completely able to pose,” Jeffries tells us. “All the appendages you see have free range of motion; the ball joints rotate and each fork joint moves as well as the hips. I built this mainly to showcase the potential of the professional 3d printer which I am very thankful to be able to use. The claw part is my favorite because it has 4 parts in it; the housing, bolt, and 3 pinchers.”
Next Jeffries hopes to utilize 3D printing as part of his schools robotics team, where he is learning the “ins and outs of programming” and building autonomous robots. Perhaps, one day soon, his creation will come to life.
What do you think about Jeffries’ 3D printed robots? What potential do you think these two technologies have together in the future? Discuss in the 3D Printed Robot Sculpture forum thread on 3DPB.com. Check out some more photos of Jeffries’ robot below.
