Billy the Bear took 2nd place at the 2017 national TSA animatronics competition.  

Billy the Bear is an animatronic bear like no other. He is designed to be an attraction at a children’s museum. Billy sits behind his pot of honey in the forest.  His purpose is to entertain children by playing Tic-Tac-Toe, or as Billy calls it, “Tic-Tac-Bee,” on an interactive game board that lights up. At the same time, he teaches facts about bears. Many children have a short attention span, but Billy is effective at teaching them because he retains their attention in a fun and playful way. During his interaction with kids, Billy occasionally cracks jokes, such as, “That was unBEARable.” He has a very upbeat personality and often giggles. At the end of the game, Billy does one of three things. If the child wins, he gives a high-five and dispenses a honey stick. If he wins, he says, “Maybe next time.” The final outcome can also be a draw in which he acts puzzled because that doesn’t always happen. On top of that, Billy is surrounded by a variety of objects to add detail to the display. Above his head, eight hand-made bees fly around him. Behind his right shoulder, there is an actual (abandoned) bee hive.  Billy has a painted backdrop that illustrates trees, rocks, and even a nearby stream. Two lights and an RGB strip aims down to add visibility to the display.  To finish it off, he is encased in a bright and flashy red enclosure to attract attention. Structurally, Billy is about 80% 3D printed. More than 50 3D printed parts are assembled together to function simultaneously.  This is accomplished with the help of 14 servo motors. There is also four pneumatic cylinders that help aid in the movement of Billy’s head.  The 3D printed Tic-Tac-Toe board is located at Billy’s feet. 9 RGB LEDs in the grid illustrate X’s and O’s. There is a momentary switch under ever box to register Billy’s opponents moves. However, none of this could operate without the two Arduinos. The Arduino Mega is the main “Brain,” and also controls the Tic-Tac-Toe board. The Arduino Uno controls all of the servo motors. Both Arduinos communicate with each other over a serial connection. With all that in play, Billy is a live and active bear.

Thank you to Hunter Dubbs and his incredible programming talents. Also, thank you to Grace Hardy for perfecting the projects visual appearance. Thank you to Cameron Tuckey as well for assisting in the mechanical construction. Lastly, none of this would have been possible without our amazing teacher Mr. Dwyer!