Summary
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A Chuck e Cheese animatronic from 1981 was retrofitted with a raspberry pi and ai integration.
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The modernized animatronic now has precise movements, text-to-speech, and a unique personality.
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The project involved replacing old circuits with modern technology, making the animatronic more “alive” and “creepy.”
I’ll be upfront when i say this: i really, really Don’t like animatronics. I’m sure for some, they are fun, whimsical, or even nostalgic, but i’m ready and Willing to never see an animatronic in the flesh (fur? Metal?) For the rest of my life. Well, someone has made my nightmares come true by wiring up an animatronic to a raspberry pi and adding ai integration, which means they are even more “alive” than they’ve ever been before. And I hate that. But i’m happy for it, i guess.
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Better keep your humidity in check if you want him to be happy.
A Chuck e Cheese animatronic is given a second chance with a raspberry pi
As much as I’d be okay with animatronics being left inactive, not everyone agrees with me. In this project, Andrew Langley worked to bring this retro and iconic animatronic to life:
The purpose of this project (if it can be said to have any legitimate purpose) is to retrofit a 1981 cyberamic animatronic from pizza time theater, better known than part of Chuck E. Chucke’s band. The featured character for this project is pasqually, the Italian chef renowned for making pizza, singing opera, playing the concertina, and embodying some questionable cultural stereotypes.
To modernize the animatronic, its original 1980s-era circuits and solenoids were replaced with contemporary technology. A raspberry pi, paired with a custom circuit board, now controls a modern solenoid bank. This bank delivers pneumatic air pressure to actuate pasqually’s cylinders, enabling a range of movements that many would call “creepy.”
Hi, that’s me. I’m the one who calls it creepy.
After winning the animatronic on eBay, Andrew Langley got to work tidying him up and bring him into this side of the 21st century. This includes controller integration for precise movements, a text-to-speech system for manual talking, and integration with both chatgpt and deepseek to give the chef his own personality and charm. It even has a midi system that allows for recording and replaying movements during a show.
Obviously, this is a super impressive feat, and I’m really happy that Andrew Langley can love these devices so I don’t have to. You can take my share of animatronic experience, Andrew; Ill just be cowering in the corner. If you are braver than I, you can read more about this project via its Github page. And if you want to build something a little cuter, why not make this adorable pomodoru bot with a raspberry pi?
