Insectbot Hexa - An Arduino Based Walking Robot Kit For Kids

The Insectbot Hexa is a DIY six-legged walking robot kit powered by an Arduino-compatible Beetle BLE microcontroller with Bluetooth 4.0. Designed for students, beginners, and STEM workshops, it provides a hands-on introduction to mechanical assembly, obstacle detection, and robotics programming. The robot can be programmed using both the visual Ardublock software and the standard Arduino IDE.

Compact Beetle BLE controller

The robot is driven by the Beetle BLE board, which features an ATmega328 processor running at 16MHz with a pre-burned Arduino UNO bootloader. It offers four digital pins, four analogue pins, and a Micro USB interface for convenient direct programming and testing.

Six-legged locomotion system

Locomotion is powered by three 9g micro servos that drive a six-legged walking mechanism. Designed to be 15 percent larger and 20 percent heavier than earlier Insectbot models, it provides steadfast and stable movement on flat surfaces.

Autonomous obstacle avoidance

Equipped with a GP2Y0A21 infrared range sensor and a dedicated mounting bracket, the robot actively scans its surroundings. Redesigned motion code enables the hexapod to intelligently detect barriers and navigate around obstacles.

Flexible graphical and text coding

Users can program the robot using the graphical Ardublock environment or write custom C++ sketches through the Arduino IDE. The open platform makes it simple to tweak walking gaits or integrate custom hardware modifications.

Bluetooth remote control capabilities

Integrated Bluetooth 4.0 support allows wireless code uploads and direct communication with external devices such as Bluetooth joysticks. This versatility makes the robot suitable for interactive classroom demos, weekend maker builds, and hobby projects.

Box contents and assembly requirements

The package includes the MCU module with shield, three 9g micro servos, a GP2Y0A21 IR sensor with bracket, two 2xAA battery holders, a USB cable, hardware components, and an assembly manual. Building the kit requires a soldering iron, screwdriver, pliers, and scissors.

Video

Downloads & documentation

• Assembly Manual (Bluno Beetle Version) V2
• Sample Code (Bluno Beetle Version)
• Assembly Manual (Beetle Version)