14 DAY TRIAL // True, life-size, coordinated robots are hard to come by, but smaller models, are easier to make, not just because of a higher design simplicity, but because they lose their balance harder and, as the DARwIn shows, can be 3D printed more easily.
That's one of the main pitfalls of 3D printers: most of them can't make very large items.
Fortunately, the DARwIn robot isn't something that needs large parts. After all, it's a tiny thing, about the size of an action figure.
Still, normally, to build it, you would have to pay $12,000 / €8,755 for an assembly kit. 3D printing technology has cut the price to $499 / €499 now. Robotis has it up for sale already.
What's more, you can find the 3D models for the non-mechanical/electrical parts on Thingiverse, courtesy of amateur roboticist Michael Overstreet. DARwIn is, after all, open-source (which means you could use your own hardware and cut costs even further).
In addition to playing soccer, the DARwIn can apparently dance, as its joints are fairly flexible. A true testament to robotic evolution if ever there was one, albeit a tiny one. The thing is, after all, very small. Just don't give it to a toddler or he might chew on it and swallow dangerous parts.
