TARS3D

A 3D-printed multimodal robot inspired by TARS from Interstellar — the first TARS replica that can both walk and roll

TARS3D is a fully 3D-printed research robot inspired by the fictional TARS robot from the film Interstellar. Standing 25 cm tall and weighing 0.99 kg, TARS3D integrates seven active degrees of freedom — three rotary joints linking four leg segments and four prismatic actuators adjusting leg lengths — allowing it to switch between multiple locomotion modes using the same mechanical structure.

What makes TARS3D unique is that it is the first and only TARS replica that can both walk and roll. By adapting rimless-wheel dynamics, TARS3D achieves stable bipedal walking at 0.10 m/s and high-speed rolling at 0.51 m/s (Froude number ~0.18, comparable to prior passive dynamic walkers) — with seamless gait switching and no mechanical reconfiguration.

The project started in November 2022 as a personal side project with zero funding or formal affiliation. Over seven iterative prototypes and two years of weekends, it grew into a full research effort. My longtime collaborator Abhishek Warrier later joined to extend the work with reinforcement learning, and we co-authored a paper that was accepted at IEEE Humanoids 2025 in Seoul, where it was named a finalist for the Mike Stilman Award for Outstanding Research Paper — competing against 80+ institutions from 20+ countries.

The project was partially supported by ROBOTIS through their power user program.

Publications

  • Walking, Rolling, and Beyond: First-Principles and RL Locomotion on a TARS-Inspired Robot — IEEE Humanoids 2025
  • Adaptive Gaits of TARS: A Sci-Fi Inspired Multimodal Robot — ICRA 2025 Workshop on Unconventional Robots
  • Bridging Fiction and Reality: Evaluating the Feasibility of Adaptive Gaits Inspired by TARS from Interstellar — ISER 2025

Media