The Ugears Hexapod Explorer: part insect, part robot, part alien rover.
This Hexapod Explorer takes its place as champion among Ugears’ incredible family of wooden mechanoids, automata, 3D puzzles and mechanical marvels. We’ve created a purely mechanical wooden walking robot, with no electronic components. At Ugears, we believe that design should be elegant in every sense of the word: simple, intelligent and beautiful to look at.
We often find inspiration in nature. Hexapods, the sub-phylum that includes insects, are the most diverse and widespread form of life on Earth, accounting for half of all known species. Three pairs of jointed legs are a very stable design for traversing all kinds of terrain, which explains why insects have managed to colonize almost every square meter of the planet. We think the Hexapoda most closely resembles a beetle. Did you know that there are over 400,000 different species of beetle, making beetles the most diverse order known to science, accounting for 25% of all known animal life?
The Hexapod Explorer’s movements are highly realistic. But beware! Cats and hexapods don’t mix, so keep them apart!
A little history
We are fortunate to live in an exciting era of space exploration and rapid technological progress. Mankind’s first steps on another celestial sphere took place in 1969, with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. From 1997 to the present day, six different Mars rovers have operated on the Red Planet. Imagine you’re the commander of a mission to explore Planet X. A rover can’t take pictures. A rover can only take photos and samples on its long, lonely journey.
But imagine if your landing craft could unleash a robotic army of Hexapod Explorers to scour the surface of the new planet in every direction, testing the soil, collecting rock samples, searching for alien life forms. Every night the Hexapods rest, and every day they recharge and come to life, continuing their explorations and scientific work. Suppose a ship from another civilization on another planet arrives, they’ll see the Hexapods and think they’re the dominant life form on Planet X!
How the Ugears Hexapod Exploreur works.
Driven by a powerful spring motor, the Hexapod Explorer can walk up to 3 meters on its own legs, without the need for an auxiliary wheel or support like other models. The ability to support its own weight on its legs alone enables it to navigate over slightly uneven terrain, like a planetary rover emerging from the capsule to explore new worlds. Another amazing feature that makes our walker unique is that it comes with a variable speed dial. You can make it crawl at the speed of your choice! When the Hexapod stops walking, pick it up and watch its legs come to life, just like a real insect, crab or spider.
The Hexapod Explorer kit includes 388 parts and a metal spring to power the motor, plus rubber pads for better traction on smooth surfaces. This model is of medium difficulty, with an assembly time of around 8 hours.
The internal spring is wound with a ratchet wrench located on the body. With a ratchet mechanism, you don’t need to hold the key during winding to prevent slipping – potential energy is stored with each twist, without slipping, until the spring is fully loaded. The Exploreur Hexapode can traverse rough surfaces and even obstacles of 1-2 cm. Assemble the model, set it down, select the desired speed using the knob on the Hexapod head, then release the “go” switch on the back to set the model in motion. You can change speeds at any time, mid-stroke or on the next run.
Technical data
High-quality wood from sustainable sources makes up the Exploreur Hexapode kit. Everything you could possibly need for assembly is included. What’s more, we use a laser method to cut the parts from a plywood board, providing precise cuts. Then remove the parts from the boards and assemble them to create the complete model.
Children and adults alike will love assembling the Hexapod Explorer and watching it come to life as it takes its first steps. Assembling Ugears models is a great way to learn basic science and engineering principles, including biology principles like animal locomotion. When parents and children spend time assembling a mechanical toy like the Ugears Explorer, they experience the satisfaction of creating something together, and then the fun of playing with it. Assembling models is also a great way to develop mechanical skills, learn to solve problems and learn to follow detailed, illustrated instructions (a useful skill for children and adults alike).
The Hexapod Exploreur is a unique gift idea for friends or family members who love nature, insects, robots, model assembly, DIY projects, puzzles or anyone who appreciates mechanical design and exceptional aesthetics.