GLaDOS, the inimitable intelligent computer system from the Portal series of video games, has been recreated in real life thanks to some neat tech.
After the unpredictable events of Portal 2 you might not have ever wanted to see — or hear — from GLaDOS ever again, but the unique artificial intelligence system from the problem-solving video games is back, this time for real.
Using a 3D printer and a simple Raspberry Pi computer, the YouTuber Henri Rantanen on his channel Nerdaxic has created his own version of GLaDOS, and you can see how it came into being in the video below:
Describing it as his “passive aggressive home automation AI”, Rantanen breaks down the painstaking building process that led to his faithful creation.
First, the casing was generated from a 3D printer and hand-painted, while the main body was cut from a 2mm-thick sheet of aluminium before being wrapped in vinyl. The whole body is held in place on a lab stand, but the star of the show, or the “brains of the operation” as he puts it, is the Raspberry Pi 4.
The robot acts as a smart assistant and is responsive to sound, while the infrared camera installed in the system can recognise human faces, so can turn and directly respond to someone who has just made a voice request.
Thanks to some clever programming, the voice closely resembles the robotic tones of the original character, and the moving parts forming the “eye” of the robot can even zoom and blink.
The project is not just a really cool idea but it looks great in action too, reflecting the time and effort that has evidently been put into its construction. We’re just disappointed that we can’t buy one for ourselves!
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