One meter tall 3D printed Bunnyman robot, built in just 2 months, unveiled in China

Source: http://www.3ders.org/

There was plenty to see at the Intel Developer Forum 2015 (IDF2015), which was held in Shenzen, China on the 8th and 8th of April, but nothing was as eye-catching as the Intel Bunnyman Robot. In fact, there were a number of Bunnymen on display – including a playing and interacting live version who entertained guests – but none was as impressive as the 3D printed robotic version.

This one meter tall robot Bunnyman came equipped with Intel's newest RealSense, giving it a whole range of sensory and interactive capabilities – it can even tell stories. When a zebra appeared on the screen, the 3D printed Bunnyman was immediately capable of identifying it and talking about it. This robot is the result of a collaboration between Intel and Nanjing Profeta Tech, a 3D printing solutions and services provider headquartered in Nanjing, China.

As you can see, this 3D printed robot has a blue exterio, and is designed to feature a human body shape. 3D printed in resin material, the Bunnyman also features a display screen on the front to complete its delightful and cartoony appearance. Internally, of course, it is a high-tech computing giant, equipped with a CPU, a scanner, and a wide range of sensors and smart devices. Among its many functions are human-like movement, 3D scanning, object recognition and interaction, and it can even act as a "nanny" for those who need it.

And though this is one of the largest 3D printed robots in the world, which took a full two months to be made from design to completion, 3D printing itself was reportedly very easy. It's designers targeted this kind of robot specifically, with the intention of producing miniature versions as customer references in the near future. They expect that the growing efficiency of 3D printing, especially due to its low-cost, high-quality nature, will result in an extensive increase in popularity.

During the two month design process of the 3D printed robotic Bunnyman, it even went through many iterations. Fortunately, they say, 3D printing technology allowed the team to print out 10 mini samples of the Bunnyman, for validation, discussion and modification, in a single sitting.

'The most important drive behind this robot is creativity and design. Once a 3d model itself is completed, the printing process is very easy and quick,' said Tang Bao, founder of Profeta Tech. '3D printing can be mainly used in the first 3 stages of the product life cycle, namely: product research and development, prototyping and small-batch production. It generally won't be used for mass production, because the cost is simply too high. But in the previous three stages, 3D printing is more efficient than the traditional molding techniques, and it provides better quality and lower costs.' Profeta Tech estimates that 3D printing this robot only used a third of the production time compared to the traditional manufacturing process.

Tang said that they will also design robots in the near future who resemble their client. The idea is that when the client is away, the 3D printed robot can act as a personal home carer and be a good company. Smart service robots are also on the agenda for the future.