Cricket is an autonomous robot that walks around by moving all six legs using three motors. He avoids objects when touched by the feelers, chirps randomly, and blinks his lights. After touching an obstacle he makes various sounds depending on which feeler sensed the object. All his functions are under control of the on board Stamp II controller. Cricket is designed to be made from readily available materials. The body is made of Lexan used in glass window replacement. The legs are made from aluminum tubing, a rubber grommet, a hinged standoff, and some plastic wire cover. Brain power comes from a Parallax Stamp II module which can be re-programmed by the user. A infrared sensor enables Cricket to respond to commands from a Sony remote control which overrides his autonomous behavior. Pushing the remote control buttons 0 - 9 causes Cricket to make various sounds and other buttons can steer his direction and actions. Power comes from nickel-cadmium batteries mounted inside his battery pack but he can also run from AA batteries.

For details on building your own CRICKET, visit Henry Arnold's website.