Face a Moving Fluffy Spider

I climb in the mountains and have a healthy fear of heights. But with a climbing harness and a rope, it’s not so bad. I’ve gotten used to it. It was worse with something else—spiders. The scene with the giant spider in *The Lord of the Rings* was hard for me to watch. But you can get used to that, too. Now I’m my daughters’ hero, the one who removes spiders from their rooms.

To help others with this, I’ve designed a cute spider so people can get used to them. If you not only use it but also build it yourself, you might gain a different perspective on these creatures and overcome your fears. The battery powered movable legs add a bit of dynamism.

Color selection: I went with the classic black spider. That’s why I’m using black filament and black yarn. If that’s too realistic for you, just use red, blue, pink, …

No programming needed, it is a mechanic automata.

Servo motor

3D printed parts (in a colour of your choice)

battery 1.5V

spray adhesive

Shish kebab sticks (wood)

a roll of yarn (in a colour of your choice)

M4 screws

Print the 3D parts in a color of your choice; please print the legs eight times.

Attach the legs to the brackets using M4 screws. Note: Two of the legs come with extra brackets. Due to space limitations, these should be glued in place only after the screws have been tightened.

1. Unscrew the servo, remove the electronics, and replace or extend the motor connections. The motor and mechanical components remain in the housing!!
2. The gears of a 180° servo often have small pins to prevent them from over-turning. This pin must be cut off!
3. Feed the connecting wires out of the housing and screw the servo back on.
4. Insert the servo housing into the mount.
5. Connect the AAA battery (1.5V) from the battery compartment directly to the servo – using a switch, of course. The servo will then run smoothly but powerfully.

Attach the coupling disc to the servo and secure it with a screw. Slide the oval cam discs onto the wooden shaft and insert it; secure the second coupling disc with superglue.

Position the shaft discs accordingly, but do not secure them with glue until later. Repeat the process on the other side.

The shaft discs can be rotated to simulate a dynamic walking motion.

Now for the visual design:

I prepare the spider hairs: I tape one end of the spool of thread with a strip of tape, cut open the opposite end with a craft knife, and pull the thread off the spool. I cut the bundle of fibers into fine strands with scissors and collect them in a cup.

Now sparingly but carefully coat the legs and other parts with spray adhesive and immediately sprinkle them with the hairs. Individual spots will likely need to be touched up with adhesive and hairs using tweezers. Let dry.

Once dry, the parts can be assembled.

The spider should either be mounted on a small base to ensure legroom or suspended from the ceiling.

Upgrade:

If you’re using an XIAO ESP32, you can take advantage of its charging unit and integrate a LiPo battery. Alternatively, you can solder on an extra charging unit. This allows you to operate the spider wirelessly. Don’t forget the toggle switch.

Enjoy getting used to it! It helps!