As part of a group project at UWE Bristol, our team of four designed and built a fully functional, large-scale animatronic replica of WALL-E from the Pixar film. The model was constructed entirely from 3D-printed components, with each part sanded, primed, and hand-painted to achieve a screen-accurate finish. The robot features six independently controlled subsystems — tracks, arms, neck, eyes, a crushing mechanism, and body panelling — each developed, coded, and tested by the group throughout the project. 

The electronics and control systems were distributed across multiple Arduinos and a Raspberry Pi, with different motor types selected to suit each subsystem: DC gear motors and a BTS7960 driver for the tracks (remotely controlled via a custom phone interface), 15kg servo motors for the arms, neck, and eyes, and a stepper motor with a belt-and-lead-screw mechanism for the crushing platform. Each subsystem was individually prototyped and tested before full assembly, culminating in a completely articulated WALL-E capable of moving its tracks, raising its arms, tilting and panning its head, animating its eyes, and operating its crusher — all powered by a multi-battery setup managing the varying power demands across the build.