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 an amazingly fun project to build. It's not simple and definitely not a toy for younger kids to try to build on their own unless they are exceptionally gifted makers. Middle teens and up with a serious interest in robotics will immensely enjoy it. There were some rocky moments during assembly. I think some of the steps could have been layed out smoother. Overall it was a challenging build that kept me engaged for hours. The final result worked exactly as expected. The software is advanced but can be understood with some effort. After that, it's great to add some features or see if you can optimize its capabilities. My kittens gave it mixed reviews initially. Now they play with it and I'm adding functions so it can play back autonomously. I'm wirelessly linked it to my own larger AI server system so it can "learn" from observing and "playing" with the kittens. It's done some unexpected things. For example, it learned how to chase a ball right along with the kittens. The kittens are far quicker and more agile but the hexapod tries. Overall 5 out of 5 stars

This is one of the best things I’ve ever bought on Amazon. The parts are all quality. The tutorial is fairly easy to follow for an adult. Kids will struggle a lot but maybe an older teen that’s into robotics can handle it. All the source code is written in python which means you can completely reprogram everything yourself with a little experience. I added a speaker and mic to mine and well…you should check out the video to see it in action. I struggled with servo battery life at first until I programmed a relax after idle for a few minutes. I’m able to get about 45-180 minutes now based on how much crawling around he’s doing. If you want something fast then go for a wheeled robot. If you want something more complex and interested in inverse kinematics or potentially reinforcement learning then go with this hexapod. Note: The video I included is all custom programming and is not something you can do out of the box. That being said I’m releasing my source code on GitHub soon.

The Big Hexapod Robot Kit by Freenove is a fantastic robot to have. The tutorial takes you through every aspect from setting up a Raspberry Pi to assembly and operating the hexapod robot. This thing is bigger than I imagined and is a bargain for the price. I would suggest just getting a Raspberry Pi 3B, which has WiFi built in. I installed a Raspberry Pi 4B 8GB version on it, but had an issue with it not connecting to the mobile app when it is turned on. I replaced it with a 3B version. Maybe a 4B with less memory might work but the 3B with a 16GB sd card is all you really need. Tech support is fast and friendly. Shaynee and Denzel are very committed to getting your issues resolved. I had to email them many times trying to get the 4B 8GB Pi to work, and they were always glad to help in any way they could.

I saw this robot on sale, and purchased it as a late Christmas present to myself. I had been wanting to build a robotic platform for a while, and the price for something that includes 20 servos was unbeatable. It took me a couple of days of intermittent work in the evenings to assemble it, and when I was testing it, the only issue I had was the user error of me mixing up two of the servo cables, causing erratic leg movement. It was very obvious during the calibration process what had happened, and easy to rectify. It is important to use VNC / Remote Desktop to run the code on the robot's Raspberry Pi when setting it up. I ignored the instructions and tried to run the installers and setup code from the command line (SSHed in to the Pi), and ran into issues that made it seem like the camera wasn't working properly. Oops, user error #2. After fixing that, I was happily surprised how quickly I had the robot buzzing around the house. Surprisingly, my cat wasn't afraid of it. I've not been able to register the cat's face with the facial recognition system yet, however, but I think that's due to the cat getting bored and wandering away before her face is registered :) I'm going to try to add onboard battery charging for the four 18650 cells in it, as it is a bit annoying to have to remove them, charge them, and then reinstall them. I have seen some folks install RC car or airplane packs, but I had a good number of 18650 cells on hand, so I used them. Overall, I feel this kit offers excellent value and a fun platform with lots of future potential. I'm glad I purchased it!

Overall very good quality, so being ignored by the product support is fine. I ended up replacing the battery compartment with a different brand, because the ones came with the kit don't hold the battery tight. Assembly is not very challenging, except plugging in the Servo cables. I had to do it several times, to make it record an acceptable initial positions. Calibrating the six legs is a painful process... The software is written in Python, which needs serious work to increase the response speed. I use Python for 10+ years, this kind of coding for this bot should get one fired. But I guess the point is to hack it, I might do it if I get a big chunk of time. I would not recommend it for nonprogrammers, or kids in general. It might be a good idea for enthusiastic makers who wants to hack the software.

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

OK so I know it is clearly stated, but be aware, you need to supply batteries, charger and Raspberry Pi. I used a Raspberry Pi 3. This is my 3rd Freenove kit. I have been impressed by the quality of their kits and their outstanding customer support and the big hexapod is no exception. I believe problems can happen with any purchase; it is how they are dealt with that is the measure of a company. My kit had one mis-cut piece. I contacted Freenove support and they had a replacement in the post the next day, they also offered me an STL file to build my own if I had access to a 3d printer. I consider that to be 5 star support. The kit included 2 screw drivers and a spanner, which between them were suitable for all the nuts and bolts. Freenove do supply a few spares of each nut and bolt, but the servos do not include spares, so be careful with the screws for securing the servo arms! I found a very helpful set of build videos on you tube (search for 'Blade Dreams'). If you do follow the video, a couple of points to note: Blade Dreams had an issue with the orientation of the ultrasonic connection wire - the tutorial is now updated so just follow that. Blade Dreams also inserted rubber bushes in his servo mounts - I don't believe this is necessary. The Freenove tutorial is clear and easy to follow, except, perhaps, when connecting and orientating the servos. The golden ruler is never connect or disconnect anything when the Pi is powered up, always shut it down and power it off first. So first connect the servos, then turn on and run the server program. Everything else went smoothly and was a lot of fun. It sailed through the set up tests, I calibrated the leg positions using the supplied calibration sheet and now it's good to go. One aspect of Freenove products that I particularly like is the open source code. Having had fun creating new movements and actions with my Freenove dog kit, I am now looking forward to exploring and tinkering with the Hexapod code. I have found with previous kits that any questions I have about both the kit and the code are always promptly and helpfully answered by the support team. I think the coding side is a big plus, but, having built the kit, it is good to go with the supplied PC software or via a phone app so software tinkering is purely optional. Compared with my previous kits, the Hexapod is big! It also feels very sturdy. I am very pleased with my purchase and I'm looking forward to further exploring its potential. I would recommend the Freenove Robot User group on Facebook facebook.com/groups/333208747878884 which is a recently formed group for Freenove robot owners with the intention of sharing tips, mods and code. I shot the video immediately after calibration, I'm not very good at filming and controlling the robot (via android app) at the same time which is why things get a bit jerky particularly when I move the head!

New review Freenove really helped me after i have showed them that the box was damage and the board was faulty they were able to send me a new one to get me started. They are very amazing Old review When I got the box it was a bit smashed. After finishing the build of the Big Hexapod and following the document from what the website offer document FNK0052 It still didn't work i think the hexapod is broken The light doenst work ( adding the updaed part) Freenove really helped me after i have showed them that the box was damage and the board was faulty they were able to send me a new one to get me started. They are very amazing