Animatronic Rat

Step 3 The internal Skeleton

I added two pieces of L bracket to the rotating part to make up the lower half of the body. I kind of gauged where the rat would bend at the waist and drilled a hole between the two brackets and passed a bolt through to make a pivot point.

I cut a piece of U channel to reach from the pivot point to the head of the rat. I passed the bolt through the two L channel and U channel holes creating the basic frame. The upper part can pivot forward and back.

To make the mouth open and close I made a beak like contraption that would fit inside the head and into the snout. It's easier to look at the picture. I formed some wood and attached some manipulated thin metal to make a pivot point, the top part moves up and down and the bottom is stationary. Then it was pop riveted to the upper U channel at the level of the mouth. The bracket looks sloppy with some extra protrusions that can be cut off. I left them to be used as attachment points for future improvements I am thinking of.

Now I have all the movable parts. Left and right on the bottom rotating part, forward and back bending at the waist and the mouth can open and close. This would allow me to aim it in just about any direction within a 45 degree arc.