The Tower bot: a 3D printed robot that turns and nods
The Tower bot is a 3D printed robot that turns its head and nods, on a wider, taller base, with a 2 inch touch screen for a face, a camera and a speaker. It is 126 x 110 x 186 mm and weighs 300.3 g with its parts (203.6 g of that is printed plastic). Built and tested by 3D3D it costs from $324.42 CAD; the bought parts for building it yourself come to $137.94 CAD.
- 126 x 110 x 186 mmwidth x depth x height
- 300.3 gwith its parts
- 203.6 gprinted, 11 pieces
- from $324.42built and tested by 3D3D
What it is
The Desk's turning base and nodding neck on a wider, taller base: it stands 16 mm higher and its foot is 14 mm wider each way. It stays on the desk. Its head is the Gem head. The Mini v2's shield: wide across the cheeks, a narrow chin.
Its face, voice and moves run in the test room today. The program that runs them on the real ESP32-S3 chip is not built yet.
This is the Tower body with the Gem head. All 8 heads fit this body, and every pair is checked.
Three ways to get it
Built by 3D3D: from $324.42
3D3D buys the parts (at cost plus 15%), prints the pieces (by the gram), builds it and tests it. Build $50.00 and test $50.00, finishing at $25.00 an hour, only when a piece needs it. Shipping is on the invoice.
Printed kit: $81.40
The printed pieces, 203.6 g in all (PETG $0.11 a gram, TPU 95A $0.18 a gram, $5.00 setup, bed time per plate), with the parts list. You build it.
Build it yourself: free files
Print files for every piece, the parts list with links, the wiring and your design file. The bought parts come to $137.94 in whole packs.
You pay by Interac e-Transfer on an invoice the 3D3D team emails after it checks your design; there is no card checkout, and nothing is charged until you pay that invoice. Shipping is worked out from where it goes and added to the invoice.
Finishing is $0.00 on this bot: no piece needs supports taken off and it has no kit pieces to glue on.
What you buy for it
| Part | Used | Pack price (CAD) | Your cost, whole packs | 3D3D's price, parts + 15% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feetech SCS0009 bus servo, 2-pack Joint (SCS0009 bus servo) on posts. amazon.ca, seen 2026-11-02. Listing | 2 | $35.99 for 2 | $35.99 | $41.39 |
| Waveshare Bus Servo Adapter (A) Bus servo driver (Waveshare Bus Servo Adapter A). amazon.ca, seen 2026-11-02. Listing | 1 | $16.99 for 1 | $16.99 | $19.54 |
| M3 x 40 screw M3 screw column, tall (base to lid). amazon.ca, seen 2026-11-04. Listing | 4 | $16.98 for 20 | $16.98 | $3.91 |
| Waveshare 2" capacitive touch LCD (18-pin FPC option) 2" touch screen. amazon.ca, seen 2026-11-02. Listing | 1 | $29.99 for 1 | $29.99 | $34.49 |
| Waveshare ESP32-S3-CAM-OV5640 board (camera and 2 W speaker in the box) Camera brain board. amazon.ca, seen 2026-11-02. Listing | 1 | $37.99 for 1 | $37.99 | $43.69 |
Pack prices are what amazon.ca listed on the date shown and change daily.
What is printed
| Part | Material | Colour | Grams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base chassis | PETG | graphite | 95.4 |
| Base light seam | PETG clear | glow | 1.4 |
| Base lid | PETG | bone | 29.5 |
| Neck left | PETG | graphite | 16.2 |
| Neck light seam | PETG clear | glow | 0.5 |
| Neck right | PETG | graphite | 10.1 |
| Visor (screen) | PETG clear smoked | smoke | 3.5 |
| Camera lens ring (camera) | PETG clear | glow | 0.3 |
| Face bezel | PETG | teal | 9.3 |
| Head light seam | PETG clear | glow | 1 |
| Head shell | PETG | bone | 36.6 |
Grams are the print gate's own figures for each piece (0.9 mm skin and 15% infill). Printing costs $0.11 a gram in PETG and $0.18 a gram in TPU 95A, plus $5.00 setup and bed time for each plate (one plate for each colour).
Change the head
Any of the 8 heads goes on this body. The built price moves by −$10.16 to +$0.80 against the Gem head.
| Head | Look | Built by 3D3D (from) | Against the Gem head |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gem head | A shield, narrow chin | $324.42 | Same price |
| Mini head | Friendly and rounded | $314.26 | −$10.16 |
| Dome head | Round face, half-ball back | $324.76 | +$0.34 |
| Visor head | A wide band, camera at the side | $324.37 | −$0.05 |
| Cyclops head | One big eye | $325.01 | +$0.59 |
| Twin-lens head | Two lens rings (one camera) | $324.94 | +$0.52 |
| Antenna head | Bubble head, two antennae | $324.60 | +$0.18 |
| Pod head | A capsule on a stem | $325.22 | +$0.80 |
Other bots
- The Mini v2: from $362.89
- The small-wheel bot: from $295.73
- The Crawler bot: from $300.16
- The Desk bot: from $315.14
- The first Mini: from $285.38
New to this? Read what a desk robot is, or the questions people ask.
All prices are in Canadian dollars before tax and shipping. Bought parts are priced from amazon.ca listings (seen 2026-11-04), plus 15% when 3D3D buys them. Printing, the build and test fee and finishing are 3D3D's own rates, listed on the prices page.