How to drive the hexapod. No prior knowledge needed.
Turn on the transmitter, then the robot. The robot plays a sound, folds its legs into a resting crouch, and pulses red while it looks for the transmitter. That takes a few seconds.
When the eyes open and the transmitter shows the robot's name, it is ready.
Press the left button to make it stand up.
The two-joystick transmitter. The one-joystick version has the same switches, and you turn by twisting the single stick.
The transmitter labels every switch and button, and those labels change with what the robot can do right now. A blank label means that control does nothing at the moment.
| Control | Does |
|---|---|
| Left button | Stand up, or lie back down |
| Right button | Change the walking style |
| Switch 2 — Adjust Gait | Hold to change how it walks (see below) |
| Switch 3 — Posing | Feet stay put, the body moves |
| Switch 4 — Balance | The robot keeps itself level |
Once it is standing, just push the left stick. There is no separate "go" command.
- Forward and back, left and right: the left stick
- Turning: the right stick sideways, or — if your transmitter has only one stick — twist that stick
How far you push decides how fast it walks. Push gently for a slow walk. Let go and it finishes its step and stops.
The right button cycles through three walking styles while it walks:
- Tripod — quick, moves three legs at once
- Tetrapod — a good all-rounder
- Ripple — slow and steady, one leg at a time, best on rough ground
Hold Switch 2 and the right stick stops steering and starts adjusting instead:
- Sideways — how big a stride it takes
- Up and down — how high it stands
- Twist — how high it picks its feet up
The values show on the transmitter as you change them, and they stay where you leave them. It walks straight while you are holding Switch 2 — you cannot steer and adjust at once.
Without Switch 2 held, pushing the right stick up and down still raises and lowers the body, but only for as long as you hold it. Useful for ducking under something.
Switch 3 — Posing. The feet stay planted and the body moves on top of them. The left stick shifts it around and up and down; the right stick tilts and turns it. Movements are deliberately soft and slow.
A trick: with Switch 3 and Switch 4 both on, tilt the transmitter itself and the robot's body copies you.
Switch 4 — Balance. The robot feels which way is down and keeps its body level, even if the ground is not. Stand it on a slope and it will straighten up. It does not walk while doing this.
Turn the switch off and it goes back to standing normally.
The lights:
| Pulsing red | Standing by, not moving |
| Pulsing orange | Posing or balancing |
| Running along the body | Walking — the direction follows where it is going |
The eyes: tired while starting up, curious while standing, narrowed and focused while walking, happy while posing or balancing. They follow the stick as you steer.
It goes limp after a while. If it sits parked and unused for a minute, it relaxes its joints so the motors do not overheat. Any command wakes it up again.
It lies down on its own. Left standing with nothing to do for half a minute, it parks itself.
It parks when you switch the transmitter off — or when you walk out of range. It stands by and re-connects on its own as soon as the transmitter is back.
Buttons go blank for a few seconds. It is standing up or lying down, and will not take new commands until it has finished.
The robot shows faults on its own screen, as a crossed-eye face with a line of text, along with a warning sound.
| It says | Meaning |
|---|---|
| SERVO INIT FAILED | The legs did not respond at startup. Switch it off and check that servo power is connected. Do not ask it to stand. |
| ABNORMAL RESET | The last run ended badly rather than being switched off. It clears itself after twenty seconds. If it says brownout, the battery is probably low |
Nothing responds and it keeps pulsing red. It has not found the transmitter. Check the transmitter is on and paired.
It walks but will not turn. Switch 2 is on — steering is off while you are adjusting.