Robot Gets a Life-Sized Pokemon Costume For Halloween

Quadruped robots are everywhere now that companies like Boston Dynamics are shipping smaller models in big numbers. [Dave’s Armoury] had one such robot, and wanted to give it a Pokemon Halloween costume. Thus, the robot dog got a Jolteon costume that truly looks fantastic.

You would think that covering a quadruped robot in foam would ruin it, but somehow it didn’t top it moving too badly at all.

The robot in question is a Unitree Go1, which [Dave] had on loan from InDro robotics. Thus, the costume couldn’t damage or majorly alter the robot in any way. Jolteon was chosen from the original 150 Pokemon as it had the right proportions to suit the robot, and its electric theme fitted [Dave’s] YouTube channel.

A  3D model of Jolteon was sourced online and modified to create a printable head for the robot application. Two 3D printers and 200 hours of printing time later, and [Dave] had all the parts he needed. Plenty of CA glue was used to join all the parts together with some finishing required to make sure seams and edges didn’t spoil the finish too much. Wood filler and spray paint were used to get the costume looking just like the real Pokemon.

[Dave] committed to the bit, and for that, he has our respect.

For the legs, body, and neck of the robot, foam was used instead of 3D printed components.  it was first covered in saran wrap, with spray foam put over the top to create a surface to mount parts of the costume. The foam panels were carved up and removed from the robot, fitted with the 3D-printed costume panels, then put back on the robot.

The end result is beautifully fun. It genuinely reads as Jolteon, and is charming to see running around. It’s a little bit too spidery in its gait to be an authentic recreation, but realistically, most people would be smiling too hard to notice.

There are other ways to take Pokemon out on a walk, too. Video after the break.