Freenove Big Hexapod Robot Kit for Raspberry Pi 5 4 B 3 B+ Zero 2 W, Walking, Self Balancing, Face Recognition, Ultrasonic Ranging, App Control, Camera, Servo (Raspberry Pi NOT Included)

This was the first time I had ever purchased a kit like this and I wasn’t disappointed! What I liked: The instructions for building were clear and very well written. If they are followed to the letter the kit will work first time. When completed it’s a terrific kit. I do confess though for me I did manage to kill the servo control board after getting it to work. The only explanation I have is that it was probably an electrostatic discharge. In some ways I’m glad I did because it led me to get in contact with Freenove support. In the documentation they advise that they are there to help and indeed they do. The support and eventual diagnosis of my problem was second to none, they are awesome! Over a few days corresponding with their helpful and courteous staff, trying different options we sorted out my issue. I was able to purchase a replacement board for a very reasonable price. As yet I haven’t had time to swap the board but I have no doubt it will be fine. Just have to avoid the carpet.

Everything worked perfect following the instructions, I am on Ubuntu 20.04 and bought the Raspberry Pi 4B. The support team of Freenove is simply amazing, very helpful and quick replies!

El producto llegó un día antes, al parecer todo, en buen estado, no lo he terminado de armar ni de probar, no sé si todo funciona, pero tiene muy buena calidad, en primera observación, hay que lo de armar y probar, es muy pronto para dar una opinión realista de este producto, pues lleva tiempo armarlo y realizar las configuraciónes de la raspberry pi, y subir los diferentes programas, y probar ya todo en su conjunto, pero al parecer tiene buena apariencia y espero que todo salga bien, Saludos

I waited some time before writing a review, in order to thoroughly explore the capabilities of this robotic hexapod. I thoroughly enjoyed this project and it's certainly a 'talking piece'. Construction: The written instructions (a .pdf file) are considerably above average, especially in the software sections. Pay attention to the software. Once the machine is ready to start waving its arms, you will need to connect to a PC or laptop using remote desktop - this is well documented and works. For the physical construction there are invaluable youtube videos linked in the document, but you can also find user reviews which compliment the official videos. Overall, although daunting, I had no problems putting the hexapod together, checking out the individual features and then calibrating the legs. I would suggest you need to be over 10 years old to put this robot together, but adult supervision (or other help) would probably give you the best shot at success. In terms of parts: In my kit there were no missing parts or screws. I ordered the 18650 batteries online (I recommend the Sony/Murata batteries rated at 3Ahr.) Make sure you buy the FLAT top batteries (not the variety that has the (positive) button top. The robot draws a considerable amount of current and I'd caution against buying cheap batteries with outrageous claims in respect of amp-hours. Be aware that this robot, with 20 servo motors, can easily pull 15A so make sure to get well-regarded batteries if you want to avoid overheat damage. Coding tutorials are included and I had no problem getting every feature to work 'as advertised'. This is a well thought-out kit, probably better than any I've constructed before (which includes wheeled vehicles, robotic dogs, drones, 3D printers and assorted electronic kits). I've added or substituted several sensors, including Lidar, RTK GNSS, MEMS gyro and actual radar! Worked fine. The ultrasonic was usable and gives the robot 'character' but not my favorite ranger finder. Nothing in life is perfect so here are the minor issues: First, the robot is seriously heavy. I feel they could've used high-tensile strength plastic bolts/nuts to reduce weight, but otherwise the complexity and sheer number of servo motors guarantees serious weight. My robot, assembled with batteries, and using a Raspberry Pi 4, came in at 4lbs 9.5oz. The motors are capable and they do a good job articulating the robot, but the cost is battery run-time. During energetic motion, the run-time is less than 20 minutes (at least in my experience). So for this reason I recommend you buy several sets of batteries! Note, as stated the robot does not have a built-in charger for the batteries so you'll need a D-4 or similar charger that can take (at least) 4 batteries at a time. Second: given the battery life is short, it would've been nice if the robot had an easy way to shut off power to the servo motors while doing program development. There are two press-buttons used to power-on the robot and I suspect one of these powers the raspberry pi while the other powers the servo management board. However, they are not labeled as such, and I do not know if it is safe to operate the robot with just one power button pressed - I feel this could've been better documented. Third: This is a minor point but this robot has only limited practical usage - I'd consider it a great introduction to Pi and IoT programming; it's certainly a lot of fun, but aside from amusement and educational value, it's not got much of a walking range before it runs out of battery. You aren't going to chase the cat around the house unless it's very elderly or very patient. Fourth: I wish the robot had come with rubber booties for grip, but these are easily fabricated so not a show-stopper. Summary: This is a well thought out kit, not suitable for young kids, unless unusually gifted, and would benefit from adult supervision during construction and initial commissioning. Thereafter, it's easy to work with, especially if you are programming in python. Value for money is excellent - other than batteries and a rapsberry pi, everything is included.

Really good kit for the money, Worked staright out of the box, Remeber you need to buy a Raspberry Pi and Batteries + Charger , but kits is easy to build and lots of spares in there as well.