Auto-assembled, not yet reviewed

Bob The Hexapod

Cheap 3D-printed 18-servo hexapod on a Raspberry Pi Pico with a custom PCB.

Dormant. No upstream changes for two years or more. It may still build, but parts, firmware and docs may have drifted.

Last push to Papouc/Bob-The-Hexapod: 2023-09-19 (GitHub, checked 2026-10-01).

Repository activity

Reproducibility73/100Partial source coverage, unverifiedCADBOMWIREFWBUILDLICREPHow it is computed
Bob The Hexapod open-source 18-DoF hexapod robot, 3D render from Assembly.step
main assembly 3D · Assembly.step

About Bob The Hexapod

Bob The Hexapod is an open-source hexapod platform built from cheap, widely available parts. Leg motion is handled by 18 SG90 servos driven by a Raspberry Pi Pico, with most components centralized on a custom PCB and powered by a DIY 2S li-ion pack. The repo ships STEP CAD, PCB Gerbers and BOM, and PlatformIO firmware with inverse kinematics, controlled over Bluetooth from an Android phone.

Licenses

Hardware
MIT
Software
Not published
Docs
Not published

Degrees of freedom

18 DoF legs 18

Breakdown source

Hexapodsource

How to build Bob The Hexapod

5 steps

Steps marked Motari summary condense the linked source; follow the source for exact instructions. Upstream step marks a step taken from the linked guide.

  1. Print the parts

    Print the 58 printed parts in a non-flexible filament such as PLA+ on an FDM printer. docs/3D holds a single Assembly.step with all parts, so export each part from it.

    Motari summarygithub.com/Papouc/Bob-The-Hexapod

  2. Order and populate the PCB

    Fabricate the 2-layer control board from the Gerbers in docs/Gerber and solder the parts listed in docs/Parts/BOM.csv (XL4015, HC-05, headers).

    Motari summarygithub.com/Papouc/Bob-The-Hexapod

  3. Build the battery pack

    Assemble a 2S li-ion pack from two 18650 cells with a 2S BMS and XT30 connectors as described in the README.

    Upstream stepgithub.com/Papouc/Bob-The-Hexapod/blob/9145ea287a3538356e419...

  4. Mount the 18 servos

    Install three SG90 servos per leg and wire each to the servo headers on the control board.

    Motari summarygithub.com/Papouc/Bob-The-Hexapod

  5. Flash and control

    Build the PlatformIO project (Arduino-Pico core) and upload to the Pico, then drive the robot over Bluetooth from an Android phone.

    Upstream stepgithub.com/Papouc/Bob-The-Hexapod/blob/9145ea287a3538356e419...
Print timenot published
Assembly timenot published

Wiring, power and firmware are safety-relevant and shown for reference only. Check them against the source before building.

Bob The Hexapod bill of materials

7 rows

Cost to build

The sources do not publish a cost total. The rows below are what they list, without a sum.

Bob The Hexapod parts, as the source lists them (read 2026-06-07). Prices are the source's, not checked against vendors.

Bob The Hexapod bill of materials
PartQtySpecSourceConfidence
SG90 servo motorsLeg actuators, 3 per leg
189 g SG90 micro servos
genericprice not listedPapouc/Bob-The-Hexapod readme.md lines 24-28
high
Raspberry Pi PicoRP2040 control board running locomotion and inverse kinematics
1Raspberry Pi Pico / RP2040
Raspberry Piprice not listedreadme.md line 25 and docs/Parts/BOM.csv line 2
high
HC-05 Bluetooth moduleAndroid Bluetooth serial control link
1HC-05 module
genericprice not listedreadme.md line 26 and docs/Parts/BOM.csv line 32
high
XL4015 buck converter ICPower-supply regulator stage
1XL4015E1 step-down converter
electronics from the project's BOMprice not listedreadme.md line 28 and docs/Parts/BOM.csv line 31
high
Custom 2-layer control PCB and BOM componentsGerbers, schematic and PCB BOM are published in docs
12-layer, 1.6 mm PCB with passives, diodes, servo headers and connector
self-order / electronics from the project's BOMprice not listedreadme.md lines 34-36 and docs/Parts/BOM.csv lines 2-33
high
2S li-ion battery packDIY pack with protection and XT30 outputs
12 Sony US18650VTC5 cells in series, 2S BMS, pair of XT30 connectors
genericprice not listedPapouc/Bob-The-Hexapod readme.md line 16
high
3D-printed structurePrintable mechanical body and leg parts
158 FDM printed parts; PLA+ used by upstream author; non-flexible filament acceptable
3D print yourselfprice not listedPapouc/Bob-The-Hexapod readme.md lines 11-13 and docs/3D/Assembly.step
high

Rows from the source's own parts list 36

docs/Parts/BOM.csv@9145ea2csv

Source rowQtyPrice and vendorLine
1 RASPBERRY-PI-PICO 1 RASPBERRYPIPICO 1
1 RASPBERRY-PI-PICO 1 RASPBERRYPIPICO 1
vendor not listedno price listed
L2
2 220uF C1 CAP-TH_BD10.0-P5.00-D1.0-FD 1
2 220uF C1 CAP-TH_BD10.0-P5.00-D1.0-FD 1
vendor not listedno price listed
L3
3 330uF C2 CAP-TH_BD8.0-P3.50-D0.6-FD 1
3 330uF C2 CAP-TH_BD8.0-P3.50-D0.6-FD 1
vendor not listedno price listed
L4
4 1uF C3,C4,C5 CAP-TH_L5.5-W3.5-P5.00-D1.2 3
4 1uF C3,C4,C5 CAP-TH_L5.5-W3.5-P5.00-D1.2 3
vendor not listedno price listed
L5
5 SB540_C268686 D1 DO-201AD_BD5.3-L8.4-P12.50-D1.4-RD 1
5 SB540_C268686 D1 DO-201AD_BD5.3-L8.4-P12.50-D1.4-RD 1
vendor not listedno price listed
L6
6 1N5819_C84620 D2 DO-41_BD2.4-L4.7-P8.70-D0.9-RD 1
6 1N5819_C84620 D2 DO-41_BD2.4-L4.7-P8.70-D0.9-RD 1
vendor not listedno price listed
L7
7 SERVO_0 J1 HDR-M-2.54_1X3 1
7 SERVO_0 J1 HDR-M-2.54_1X3 1
vendor not listedno price listed
L8
8 SERVO_1 J2 HDR-M-2.54_1X3 1
8 SERVO_1 J2 HDR-M-2.54_1X3 1
vendor not listedno price listed
L9

24 more rows in docs/Parts/BOM.csv

readme.md@9145ea2markdown

Source rowQtyPrice and vendorLine
Bob robot-level hardware and printed parts
18 servos; 58 printed parts
vendor not listedno price listed
L7
Bob battery pack and XL4015 power supply
2 cells plus 2S BMS; one XL4015 power stage
vendor not listedno price listed
L16
Bob basic electronics parts list
Pico x1; HC-05 x1; SG90 x18; XL4015 x1; US18650VTC5 x2
vendor not listedno price listed
L20
Bob custom control PCB fabrication note
one 2-layer 1.6mm PCB
vendor not listedno price listed
L34

Bob The Hexapod source files

6 files

Files stay in the upstream repository under their own licenses; these links open them there. The 3D model on this page is Motari's conversion of the file named under Simulation.

Bob The Hexapod in simulation

Robot description files a simulator or CAD tool can load, linked at the commit they were found.

No URDF, MJCF, SDF, USD or Onshape model has been found in the sources.

The 3D specimen on this page is converted from docs/3D/Assembly.step at 9145ea2.

Builds of Bob The Hexapod

0 reviewed

No reviewed builds of Bob The Hexapod yet.

A build log records the evidence (photos, a video, your repository), what the build cost, how long it took and what you changed. Each one is checked by Motari (until a maintainer claims this page) before it shows here, and reviewed builds count toward the reproducibility score.

Sources and provenance

Sources

Last push to Papouc/Bob-The-Hexapod: 2023-09-19 (checked 2026-10-01)

Related links

How this page was made

Assembled from public sources on 2026-06-04, not yet reviewed by the maintainer. Each figure links to where it is stated; a value the sources do not state reads "not published". Last source review: 2026-06-07 Papouc/Bob-The-Hexapod source BOM.

Original files stay intact and separately licensed; Motari adds only the summary on this page. Maintainer? Request a correction or removal.

Badge for the README

Maintain Bob The Hexapod? Show its reproducibility score in the project's README. The badge links back to this page and updates with the score.

Badge: reproducibility 73/100

Markdown
[![Motari reproducibility score for Bob The Hexapod](https://motari.io/api/v1/badge/bob-the-hexapod)](https://motari.io/r/bob-the-hexapod)
HTML
<a href="https://motari.io/r/bob-the-hexapod"><img src="https://motari.io/api/v1/badge/bob-the-hexapod" alt="Motari reproducibility score for Bob The Hexapod" height="20"></a>

Not fully met yet: bom evidence (partial), build instructions (partial). The score is read from the project's own sources, so publishing what is missing is what raises it. A score of 90 or more needs a reviewed build. How the score is computed