Cardboard Light up Moveable Robot

I found an advertisement for a pre-made stand up robot craft here. It made the maker in me curious to see if I could make one myself. So, I dug up a thin piece of cardboard and played.  As I began cutting and attaching pieces using brad fasteners to give it the look of rivets I realized fasteners  also add the option of movement like eyes spinning, levers pivoting, doors opening, and arms flapping. I knew somewhere I would like to attach a switch, circuit, and LED to light up. Since the robot is free standing and made from cardboard it was easy to make the switch and LED pop through the design and attach the circuitry to the back similar to these projects from a previous post or this one with a switch.

B-rad Fastener 9000

Resource: Paper Circuit Robot Lesson

Click to see the Paper Circuit Robot Lesson

Paper Circuit Art with LEDs from Tricia Fuglestad on Vimeo.

 Process: designing the robot

After drawing out the basic head, neck, body, and legs I made cardboard pieces for attachments

I pressed through an LED and switch then flipped over the robot to wire him up with copper

Since all the pieces are attached with brads, I can easily take him apart again to paint

Crowdsourcing solutions: using twitter

It was at this point that I realized I could ruin everything if I'm not careful about my approach in painting the robot. So, I composed the following tweet and collage asking followers and anyone who sees what I should do next so the cardboard doesn't curl up.

My Prototype stand-up light-up #Cardboard #robot (named Brad) Q? Will he curl up if I paint him? Any tips? #STEAM #makered #papercircuit thx pic.twitter.com/XPI20TOVA3

— Tricia Fuglestad ☕️ (@fuglefun) June 18, 2017

Here are some of the responses I received; lots of great advice. 

Painting the Robot: disassemble, paint, press

I gessoed the pieces on both sides then flattened them under parchment paper and books until dry

Then I painted the front of the robot using a limited color palette to create a balanced design

Complete: B-Rad Fastener the LoveBot

Here is B-Rad Fastener 9000 all assembled, painted, and lit up.

Here is a peek at what's behind the door and a close up of the LOVE-O-METER

If I remove his cardboard pieces that fit into slits at his feet he lays down...so shiny!

Digital Extensions:

Create an advertisement using graphic design techniques to explain the marvels of your creation.
​As I was making my robot, I kept thinking about his cool gadgets and what they can do. This is my chance to fully explain B-Rad's coolness to the whole universe.

Create an animation using iMotion app
Show off your robot's moveable parts in a stop-motion animation. Notice the spinning eyes, moving gauge, peeking door, flipping feet, and flapping arms. (Oops, I should have included the blinking light)