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Animatronic eyes that look around and blink

Two robot eyes that dart around and blink on their own. Creepy on a shelf, perfect on a desk.

Kit priceAbout $80 in parts
Build timeAbout 1 to 2 hours after printing
SkillsNone needed
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For teens and adults. Kids can build it with an adult.

The finished animatronic eyes

What it does

Looks around

Quick darting moves, then a slow settle, like real eyes.

Blinks

Every 2 to 6 seconds, sometimes twice.

Tilts

Looks up and down as well as left and right.

What's in the box

Every part in one Amazon cart. The plastic parts you print from our free files.

BrainESP32 board

Runs the program that moves the eyes.

DriverPCA9685 servo board

Powers and controls the three servos.

Muscles3 MG90S micro servos

Pan, tilt and blink.

Body5 printed parts

Base, cradle, 2 eyeballs, lids, tie bar.

Power5V 3A adapter

Plugs into the wall. No batteries.

You addA 3D printer and a USB-C cable

Or order the parts printed online.

Animatronic eyes partsAbout $80 for all parts. One box, every part.
Get this kit

All 16 steps

One small action per screen. Progress saves on your device.

1Print and prepare3 steps · 30 min
  1. Print the five parts
  2. Clean the prints and test the posts
  3. Paint the eyes
2Electronics3 steps · 25 min
  1. Wire the ESP32 to the servo board
  2. Plug in the three servos
  3. Upload the program and center the servos
3The moving eyes4 steps · 30 min
  1. Mount the pan servo under the cradle
  2. Put the eyes on the posts
  3. Join the eyes with the tie bar
  4. Link the pan servo to the tie bar
4Lids and tilt4 steps · 30 min
  1. Fit the lids
  2. Mount the blink servo and link the lids
  3. Mount the tilt servo in the base
  4. Hang the cradle between the towers
5Bring it to life2 steps · 15 min
  1. Mount the boards
  2. Power on and tune it
Start step 1 →

When it moves, try these

Shelf watcher

Put it on a bookshelf at eye height and see who notices.

Halloween prop

Hide it in a box with two eye holes for the door.

Sleepy mode

Make it blink slower at night by changing the blink times.

Want the Robotsforthat kit?

We are making our own kit with this guide, photo help and monthly projects built in. Join the list for first dibs.

Where this guide comes from

Robotsforthat design, version 1 prototype. Drawn from the real 3D files. Not printed and tested yet, so a step may need a small fix.