I began the project with 3D‑printed components generously provided by one of the repo’s active contributors (thanks to Pyrater), since it’s extremely difficult for me to do 3D printing in my 12 m² college housing in Hong Kong—and my college won’t let me use any filament other than what they supply.

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 on hand. Buying these components from both Taobao and Sham Shui Po made me realize that robotics is a luxury. To make matters worse, I accidentally supplied V+ to a 3.3 V GPIO pin and fried my Raspberry Pi. I was devastated, but thanks to the Sawa Grant, I was able to secure funding and replace it.

I had no experience with electronics when I started this project, I’m terrible at physics (mostly because I always clashed with my teachers and could never focus)—but as I worked on it, I discovered that I actually enjoy physics (turns out it wasn’t the subject, just the teachers!). What helped me learn so quickly was using ChatGPT (I lean on both its web access and its reasoning constantly), and I also consult and brainstorm with people who’ve already assembled the robot What’s next? Improving TARS. I feel there’s plenty to refine as technology advances. I hope the TARS project continues to grow as a large, supportive open‑source community.