Interstellar TARS build

Although the photos and illustrations show a circular joint, in reality would a slot work better? It would allow the segments to move up and down to allow the "walking" we see in the movie.
TARS_ver_3_skp_-_SketchUp_Make.png
 
I saw the movie and of all the preposterous suspensions of disbelief I was forced to swallow, the worst was the fact that the geniuses behind this mission would design a robot crew member with multiple sharp, hard corners for work among humans in zero-G, lol.

I'll take V.I.N.CENT over TARS any day! ;)

Since you saw the movie, you should remember that TARS wasn't designed for space missions. Anne Hathaway's character states that he was a hand-me-down from the department of defense essentially.
 
Even without the exact dimensions for the robots, I went ahead and created an "Action Figure" version of TARS. I designed it to use magnets for the joints. I split each of the 4 segments into 2 halves so that I get a good print. I successfully printed 1 segment tonight and will attempt to print another Thursday. If the joints work, I'll print the other 2 segments to create a complete robot. I'll then put the segments through an acetone vapor bath, sand, putty and paint to complete. I've included a photo of the completed first segment halves.
tars action figure segment 2.jpg
 

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That is awesome! I'd definitely like to print a TARS "figure" for myself once you're done (if you're welling to share the STL file). Looking great, so far!
 
Rockstar addict,

Be that as it may, they designed the cockpit around TARS, so I figured they had enough resources to redesign rhe enclosure.

At the very least, they could have put iBallz on the corners, lol

www.iballz.info
 
Here are 2 photos of my TARS action figure. All segments are printed and glued together and all but one has started the putty/sanding phase. I opted not to put the parts through a acetone bath. I didn't want to loose the sharp edges and text details.
TARS Action Figure putty phase 2.jpgTARS Action Figure putty phase 1.jpg

I've started thinking about a 1:1 scale TARS. It would look great standing up against the wall in my theater room.

The screens look like they might have been tablets of some kind. That would have been the simplest thing to use. No wires, long battery life at least for a days worth of shooting. Animations could easily be uploaded and run.

The movie prop had a steal frame, but I'm thinking a wood frame would work best for a non-moving prop. Not sure what would be best for the outside paneling. Sheet styrene? The panel lines could be scribed. This would help make it lighter overall.

Regardless, it would be nice to get the actual dimensions of the movie prop before starting a 1:1 scale project.

BTW, I'll upload the STL file in a few days for those interested.
 
Folks, I've made my TARS 3D printable kit available on my blog. The downloads include the STL files needed for printing the 3D parts, plus display screen inserts and instructions. This model also includes an articulated arm! Let me know what you think and please share photos if you print and build one.

http://steven-g.com/free-tars/
 
Darn! I was just about to post my version and you post yours! AND IT'S AWESOME!!! Oh well...I'm working on one too, same scale (6") Maybe I'll try making one 12" tall to go with a Hot Toys figure? :) Love the arm by the way.
TARS Parts 1 by Mal Keller, on Flickr
 
Wondersquid, thanks! The more the merrier! Yours is awesome as well, and it will use less filament and has panel lines!
 
Here are some quick Google search reference pics, and the blueprints that I've made based on what I remember from the film and the trailers on YouTube.

Using your segment drawing and the known height of Bill Erwin (just about 6' 0"), I have made a CAD representation of TARS. 6' tall works perfectly, each square on your paper is equal to 4.5". Included in the attachment is my cad drawing with dimensions.

After seeing Interstellar 4 times, I have concluded that the only way for them to move the way they do with fixed joints is by changing their center of gravity. They could do this by moving a weight within their body up and down in each segment. A much more efficient way of walking would be to articulate each joint up and down, something that you can see TARS and CASE doing in the film, yet the only view of the joint showed it being fixed... how it articulates is a mystery to me. Once you include this articulation with the changing center of gravity, waking and rolling seems much easier.

Another mystery... The upper "shoulder joint is visible when walking but disappears in this shot. I've tried to figure this one out since the first time I saw the film. There does not appear to be a joint on the bottom half of the robot, but that is the opposite side from the TARS logo which doesn't answer this mystery.

View attachment Drawing of TARS.JPG
 

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For those interested, I've posted an update on my TARS action figure build here.

Like MrStollmeyer, I keep thinking about how these robots would move in the real world. I'm seriously thinking of working on designs that diverge slightly from the movie robots by adding joint mechanisms, articulation, etc. based on technologies that exit now. Obviously Interstellar is set in the near future where there are advancements in robotics that are unknown to us now. Technologies that allow robots to maintain balance and change their shape in a way that allows movement seen in the film. I'm honestly just inspired by the unusual design and refreshing change from the anthropomorphism seen in most robot designs today.

That said, I'm still interested in a 1:1 scale TARS. But more along the lines of a static display piece.
 
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I loved TARS in the movie, I want to make my own as well. A 1:6, 12 inch figure would be sweet. However it's not building it which worries me, but getting that paint finish.
 
On a side note. In the movie, TARS surprises Cooper at the gated entrance to the NASA base. TARS then proceeds to tase Cooper. He then threatens to take him down again during the interrogation. It would appear that the former Marine robot has a built in taser! TARS also had a very bright light that he beamed at Cooper. I'm just thinking that these are just some nice optional add-ons to any TARS build;)
 
Difficult to see as it's white but I drew up some illustrator files last night and got them lasercut and etched today. He's going to be just over 6 inches when finished.

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