| You've seen those fun, animated characters that | | | | around back and see how they are assembled. A |
| move, wave, jump, and scare the heck out of you in | | | | goldmine for checking out moving objects is any |
| haunted houses at Halloween. Those are called | | | | store that sets up holiday displays. Study those |
| animatronics, and sometimes called mechatronics. | | | | displays and you will learn a lot. You will see that |
| Many are very sophisticated and difficult to build, but | | | | most of them operate with very simple motors and |
| many are very easy. In this article we'll offer some | | | | levers. |
| tips on how you can get started with simple projects. | | | | Tip 2 - Learn about simple levers. You will be amazed |
| Tip 1 - Don't be overwhelmed by those complex | | | | at how easy and fun it is to make objects move |
| animatronics props you see in professional haunted | | | | with basic levers. They are one of the most |
| houses. Some day you may want to build those, but | | | | important ingredients in almost all animatronics and |
| for now, start small. The first thing you might want | | | | mechatronics. |
| to do is observe some animatronics in action. A great | | | | Tip 3 - Read about animatronics. Your local library and |
| way to do this is to keep your eyes open whenever | | | | the internet are great resources. Search for terms |
| you go to the grocery store, hardware store, or | | | | like animatronics, mechatronics, and robots. |
| craft store. Watch for any moving displays. If you | | | | Tip 4 - Go online or to your local hobby store and |
| stay alert, you will often see rotating signs | | | | purchase basic hobby kits that contain gears, motors, |
| advertising in-store specials. They're usually cardboard | | | | and other animatronics. Not only will you learn a lot, |
| signs attached to a motor that is powered by a | | | | but you will have tremendous fun! |
| couple of small batteries. Look inside of them. Go | | | | |