Halloween is popular for a lot of reasons and it is safe to say that “creative expression” is near the top of the list. That extends beyond store-bought costumes and decorations to DIY projects. If you want an excuse to make something impractical, Halloween can provide that. And if you want that thing to move, an Arduino and Bottango software are there to help, as proven by this disturbing animatronic Halloween doll built by Cameron Coward.
Coward started with a creepy doll procured at a thrift store, putting its porcelain head, hands, and feet onto a 3D-printed skeleton. The skeleton’s arms and legs are four-bar linkages, which produce the unnerving motion that falls into the uncanny valley. In total, there are five servo motors: one for rotating the head and four for actuating the limbs.
An Arduino UNO Rev3 board controls the servo motors through an Adafruit 16-channel PWM servo driver board. That Arduino acts as a hardware driver for Bottango, which is software that was developed specifically for animatronics projects like this one.
Using Bottango, Coward was able to create complex animations that involve all of the servo motors moving simultaneously. A child-size onesie (another thrift store find) covers the skeleton and electronics, completing the illusion of a doll come to life.
With Halloween just around the corner, we’ve got the perfect project to make your decorations more fun and interactive. All you have to do is take the Arduino UNO R4 WiFi and Modulino nodes included in your Plug and Make Kit to create an awesome jack-o’-lantern that will light up and cackle with evil laughter when someone walks by!
Connect it to Arduino Cloud and you’ll be able to check on it and even remotely trigger some spooky surprises.
This is an easy project that anyone can do, and we’ll walk you through the steps to make it happen.
A step-by-step guide to make spooky super simple
This project is a great introduction to making interactive things. You won’t just be setting up some store-bought props, you’ll be creating technology and bringing your pumpkin to life!
To get started, you’ll need:
Plug and Make Kit (including UNO R4 WiFi, Modulino Pixels for the glowing eyes, and Modulino Distance to trigger the action when someone approaches)
An MP3 module and a small speaker for the creepy sounds
A microSD card to store your sounds (feel free to use the ones we provide, or record your own!)
The Modulino Distance sensor detects when someone approaches your jack-o’-lantern, and that’s when the magic begins. The Modulino Pixels light up the eyes, syncing with the spooky sounds played from the MP3 module. Everything is controlled with an UNO R4, and thanks to Arduino Cloud, you can even control the pumpkin remotely, change the sounds, and keep track of how many people you’ve scared.
All the code and details are ready for you to download from Arduino’s Project Hub. We’ve also created a template that will help you set everything up quickly. This template automatically uploads the code to your UNO board and creates a custom dashboard so you can monitor and control your creation. Just follow the link to get started!
Unleash your creativity!
Sure to make a lasting impression on your trick-or-treating visitors, this project offers you the chance to have fun while actuallylearning a lot about electronics, coding, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Why just buy interactive objects when making your own is so rewarding? So grab your tools, start building, and give your Halloween the high-tech twist it deserves!
As always, we highly encourage you to customize the project with your own ideas: with the UNO R4 WiFi and Modulino nodes included in the Plug and Make Kit, you have all the tools you need.
For example, you could use Modulino Buttons to change scary sounds locally, or make your scary jack-o’-lantern even smarter. It can check the weather from an online forecast and change the LEDs’ color to let you know if it’s going to rain, help you use your smartphone to monitor the temperature outside in real time via Arduino Cloud… and much more!
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