Latisha Besariani
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Timeline
February 2025 - Present
Tools
Python, Linux, Raspberry Pi
Overview
TARS-AI is an open-source initiative devoted to building a fully autonomous, interactive robot inspired by TARS from Interstellar. Our goal is to integrate all necessary technologies onto a single Raspberry Pi and run it entirely offline. Although current technological limitations mean we’re not there yet, we’re confident that progress over time will bring us closer to realizing this vision. Check out the repo!
How I Made It
I had no experience with electronics when I started this project, and it’s extremely difficult for me to do 3D printing in my 12 m² college housing in Hong Kong. My college won’t let me use any filament other than what they supply. I started the project with 3D-printed components generously provided by one of the repo’s active contributors (thanks to Pyrater).
By the time the parts arrived, I already had a Raspberry Pi, M2 and M3 screws, a screwdriver, a servo controller, servos, and micro-servos that I bought from Taobao and Sham Shui Po. You know what, as someone who comes from a 3rd world country, I realized that doing robotics is a luxury. Things are just so expensive, even after buying from a very cheap place like Taobao. I worked part-time and put in at least 5% of my income, but it wasn’t enough.
To make matters worse, I accidentally supplied V+ to a 3.3 V GPIO pin and fried my Raspberry Pi. I was so devastated. I went here and there to find grants but got ghosted a lot. I seriously asked myself, "Should I give up?. Thankfully, one day, the Sawa Grant came through and allowed me to secure funding and replace it. I started to feel confident after that, and decided to continue on the project.
The hardest part of this project was starting from absolute scratch. I didn't even know how to use a multimeter, let alone understand what AWG wires I needed to stop my robot from burning up. I learned these new things from our TARS-AI Discord community, YouTube, and by asking Google Gemini all the time. At one point, I spent 16 hours attaching and de-attaching servos that wouldn't work right, until atomikspace on Discord guided me step-by-step. After that experience, I’ve been able to help other beginners on Discord, too.
So, what’s next? I’m making TARS my final year project, with the goal of turning it into a proactive robot. I plan to implement AEC (Acoustic Echo Cancellation) and make it responsive with an end-to-end latency of 800 ms. Beyond that, I hope the TARS project continues to grow as a large, supportive open-source community.