Self-walking Shoes

by Trondheim Makers

19K11712

Intro: Self-walking Shoes

This is an instruction for how to make a pair of self walking shoes. As maybe seen for the first time at Trondheim Maker Faire 2015.

And yes, we know there are some easier ways to do this instead of breaking a perfectly working servo. But we got a few servos laying around, so it was the easiest way to start. And it fits perfectly in the shoe :)

STEP 1: Step 1: Prepair the Servo

Open the drive side of the servo, pull out the cog with the mechanic limiter and use a Dremel or file to remove the little plastic/metal piece, so that the cog could rotate freely 360+ degrees.

Now you need to get the potentiometer to move continuous. So you have to force it to turn around several times.

STEP 2: Step 2:

This is the "destruction part". Open the back side of the servo, locate the wires. Cut all the wires and put aside the pcb. Solder the black/brown and red wires from the servo plug back on to the motor.

STEP 3: Step 3: Make a Link Between the Shoes

Take one pcs of steel wire, and turn it several times around the servo arm. You need to have enough wire left to go through the other shoe. Make the wire point perpendicular from the servo horn.

Roll a piece of cardboard arount the servo and make it sit tightly in the shoe.

Make one hole in the shoe where the servo will be, en a hole on both sides of the other shoe.

- Stick the wire through the first shoe, and place the servoe town where the toes would be.

- Make two 90degrees bends (see pic)

- Stick the rest of the wire through the other shoe, and try to make the shoes as parallel as possible (You might have to adjust the shoe allignment afterwords). Make some kind of end-stop on the wire on the outside of the shoe

STEP 4: Step 4: Make It Walk


Attach a battery to the servo and make it walk :)

12 Comments

leondavey 7 years ago

HAH cool idea, well made and good images

liver_Q 8 years ago

make them more powerful,then you can driver it

history guss 8 years ago

man that project was so COOL and now i know how they did self walking shoes on movies!

ShadowPap 8 years ago

How does it perform on carpeted floor? Is that too much resistance?

Trondheim Makers 8 years ago

I´m not sure. We have only tried it on concrete, wood and tarmac. If it`s not to "fluffy" I think carpeted would be ok.

Trondheim Makers 8 years ago

There is a youtube video on the last step: https://youtu.be/VtmJK9rKInc

JRV31 8 years ago

I want to make this. Next time I order parts I will include a servo, and I need to find an old pair of shoes

24Eng 8 years ago

Good looking photos. It's nice to see people take the time.