Personally, the 'otto Robot' concept was new to me, and it was the first time I had ever built something like it. But I felt really excited when it was proposed, and I loved the idea of adding a visual component with a screen to show a fun story for kids.
source :- https://www.ottodiy.com/
The project is an interactive **Otto DIY Robot** that not only walks and dances but also tells a short, visual animated story on a built-in **LED matrix screen**. It's designed primarily to engage and entertain children.
How It Works
The robot operates based on a loop running on an Arduino, constantly checking its sensors and executing pre-programmed actions.
-When you turn the robot on, the Arduino runs function once:
* It initializes the servo motors and moves them to a "home" position.
* It starts the LED matrix display and shows a startup animation .
* It calibrates the sensors (if needed).
-The Arduino constantly loops through the `loop()` function
-When a trigger is detected , the robot immediately:
* Stops walking. The servos freeze to make the robot a stable platform for the show.
Features
1-Movement (Otto's Core Function):
The robot will be able to walk, avoid obstacles (if you add a sensor),and turn.
2-Visual Storytelling (The New Feature):
The integrated LED matrix will display a sequence of simple graphics and animations that form a short story, like a flipbook on a screen.
Construction Parts
Body: laser cut rectangular box as the main chassis.
Legs: Draw two legs at the bottom (3d printed)
Input
(Sensing, Tactile Input, and/or Graphical Input)
Ultrasonic Sensor
Bluetooth module
Action
(Physical and/or Graphic)
Servo Motors: Create walking and dancing movements.
Storytelling (LED matrix Screen): Displays animated stories and graphics.
Brain
Arduino
Power Management
battery/ Power supply
Minimum Features: are the least amount of features that would demonstrate the coverage of all the technical modules and their complete integration
Complete Features: are the set of features that will complete your original project objective and vision
Nice-to-have Features: are the extra set of features that will make the project cooler, yet they need extra time, effort, and/or resources to finish
Minimum User Features
Example: Basic Movement
Action: The robot can walk forward in a straight line for a short distance.(Servo Motors)
Sensing: Bluetooth sensor.
User Input: Android/iOS app.
Basic Story Sequence
Action: the robot stops walking and plays an animation on the screen
Sensing:None
User Input: Android/iOS app.
....
....
Complete User Features
Reliable Movement
Action: he robot can walk, turn, and perform a simple dance routine without falling over.(4 Servo motors).
Sensing: Bluetooth sensor,& Ultrasonic
User Input: Android/iOS app.
Complex Storytelling
Action: Plays a longer, more engaging animated story.
Sensing: None
User Input: Android/iOS app.
....
....
Nice-to-have User Features
Obstacle Avoidance
Action: The robot can navigate a room autonomously by avoiding furniture and walls.
Sensing: Ultrasonic Sensor
User Input: none
Light-Based Reactions
Action: The robot changes its story or mood based on the ambient light (e.g., a "spooky" story in a dark room).
Sensing: LDR sensor
User Input: None
....
....
Component/Material
Amount
Link
Batteries
2
PLA
89 g
Plywood
1-2 sheet
Task
Sub-Tasks
From:
To:
1-Research and list all components
2- Look up power requirements for all components
3-Calculate power source requirements
2025\9\5
10\9\2025
Feature 1: Connect the servo motors together and move right.
Feature 2: Add the obstacle-avoiding feature to it using an ultrasonic sensor.
Feature 3: Add the wireless orders feature using a Bluetooth sensor.
Feature 4: add the LED matrix to show stories.
10\9\2025
13\9\2025
1- Create CAD on Fusion 360
2- Create Mounting for components
18\9\2025
21\9\2025
1-Fabricate and assemble the enclosure
2-Mount all components
3-Test minimum features
4- Test complete features
21\9\2025
30\9\2025