Zainiac 19
By Zain Hamdia
A humanoid robot utilizing mindstorm made of various materials such as wood, metal, and 3D printed parts.
Type: Artistic, Education
About them: I am a 13-year-old from NJ who dreams of becoming a robotics engineer. Some of my hobbies include 3D printing, programming, and, yes, robot building. I am submitting my first robot, Zainiac 19. I have one currently in production, and another finished last year. I constantly try to evolve my robots with different functions, features, programming, design, and motors. I have gone to 4 maker faires in the US and overseas in the past three years but, unfortunately, had to stop when covid hit. Luckily that gave me more time to work on Zainiac 21, which is still in production. When I am not thinking about new ideas and features for my next robots or studying, I am in my workshop 3D printing and modeling. One of my passions, which I mentioned earlier, is 3D printing. The ability to take anything from your mind and create it is an unbelievable opportunity that puts no boundaries on your creativity. I know my printers inside and out, having to fix them as often as I do.
What inspired you or what is the idea that got you started?
My main inspiration, among other things, was the popular indie game Five Nights At Freddy's. My 8-year-old self loved this game for many reasons, but the main one was the animatronics. the robots that walk around at night and try to scare you fascinated me. From that point forward, I knew I had to build a robot.
What is your project about and how does it work?
My project is home-made robot made from raw materials, using mindstorm motors for movement and speech.
What did you learn by doing this project?
I learned that you need to have confidence in yourself, your ideas, and your creations, as well as perseverance, dedication, and drive. Without those three factors, it will be tough to get anything done. It is easy to stop working and never return to your project, but in the end, you will only have disappointment. When you hit a block, you have to either find a way around it or figure out how to get rid of it. If you lose motivation, you need to return to what sparked that interest, that little flame that kept you going until this point.
What impact does your project have on others as well as yourself?
I want to think my project can show anyone, whether it's a 45-year-old man, or a little girl, that no matter what, your dreams are always achievable through hard work, research, and dedication. Whenever I feel like things are getting tough, I can think about my robot - what it took to make it, to create it, how many years I spent dreaming and sketching my ideas for my robot, and that after so long, I finally have it. That always picks me up because if I can fulfill my four-year-long dream, then nothing can stand in my way.
