Hexapod Explorer – mechanical Spiderbot

Hexapod Explorer – the mechanical Spiderbot by UGEARS Your cat will love/hate us for this! Are you ready for the coolest crawler on the model market? Introducing the Ugears Hexapod Explorer: part insect, part robot, part extraterrestrial exploration vehicle. With the help of a powerful spring drive, the Hexapod Explorer can travel up to 3 metres on its own feet without the need for an auxiliary or support wheel like other models. The ability to support its own weight on its legs alone allows the Hexapod Explorer to move over slightly uneven terrain, just like a rover stepping out of a spaceship on another planet to explore new worlds. Another amazing feature that makes the Hexapod Explorer so unique is its speed controller. You can make your Robobug crawl, crawl or wriggle at the speed you want! When the Hexapod stops, lift it up and watch its legs come alive and kick around, just like real insects, crabs or spiders. This is the stuff of nightmares, or a mechanics-loving modeller’s dream, depending on your perspective!

This DIY Hexapod Explorer takes its place as walker champion in the stunning Ugears family of mechanoids, robots, 3D puzzles and wooden mechanical wonders. We have created an all-wood mechanical walking robot, with no electronic components at all! At Ugears, we believe that design should be elegant in the truest sense of the word – simple, smart and beautiful to look at. As Theo Jansen put it, “The walls between art and technology exist only in our minds.” We are committed to surprising and delighting our ever-growing customer base in 85 countries across the five continents with designs that have a “Wow!” effect.

The Hexapod Explorer wooden kit consists of 388 individual parts and features a powerful metal spring to drive the robot’s walking motion, as well as rubber band foot pads for better grip on smooth surfaces. It is a DIY model with a medium level of difficulty and takes about 8 hours to assemble. The spring inside is wound with a key, which is located on the underside. Thanks to its locking mechanism, you don’t have to hold the key when winding to avoid losses – with each turn, the potential energy is stored, without losses, until the spring is fully tensioned. The Hexapod Explorer can move on uneven surfaces and even overcome obstacles of 1-2 cm. Crank the model, place it on the surface and select the desired speed using the speed controller on the head of the Hexapod. Then unlock the “walk” switch on the back to get the model moving. You can change the speed at any time, both halfway and in the next round.

• Number of components: 388
• Assembly time: 8 hours
• Model size: 27 x 22 x 9.5 cm