This is a list of the most Frequently Asked Questions I get about Animatronic Wheatley. I will try to keep this list up to date as the questions come.

I have chosen not to share publicly the 3D files used to make Wheatley, because they are incomplete. The files by themselves do not allow a functional robot to be made. There are many things I did to modify the design physically after printing, such as sanding, drilling holes, adding other features with new material, etc. I don’t feel comfortable releasing incomplete files, because it is not fair to those who’d want to use them. I also no longer have the time/motivation to finish the files, so they won’t be released in the future either.

  • There is a maker named Cerb who has files available publicly to make a miniature articulated Wheatley figure. You can make the files life-size by scaling them to 438.47%. You could even add robotics to them too! You’ll find his files Here. I’ve also modified some of his model’s parts to allow room to add electronics for moving the face and eyelids. You’ll find those parts Here.

OnShape. It’s free for anyone, especially hobbyists, to use publicly. Click Here to check it out!

Wheatley’s eye is made up of a few different things:

  • On the outside there is a printed transparent sticker that has the coloring and pattern of his eye.
  • Underneath that is a plastic lens I got out of a motion security light at Home Depot and another image of his eye, printed on regular paper.
  • Inside the eye is a small cluster of LEDs at the center that remain on constantly. Around that is something called an “Angel Eye”, “LED Halo Light”, or simply an LED ring. It has a circuit using a transistor that only connects power to the light if there is an audio signal coming from the sound board. This allows the light to flash in-sync with the audio, creating the illusion of electronic speech.

A rectangular box on the back of the faceplate frame holds the servos for each eyelid, and each servo arm is attached with a push-rod to the end of one of the eyelid arms. There is a pivot point on the eyelid arm where they get mounted to the faceplate frame that allows the eyelids to rotate up and down. When the servo arm moves, it’s movement translates to the movement of the eyelids. Here are some pictures to help clarify:

I don’t have specific step-by-step instructions because this was a 2 year long hobby project and I wasn’t able to document the entire process, step-by-step. I simply kept track of how the project evolved. I do have a guide to help you get started making your own Wheatley though. Check it out!

Right Here! Wheatley’s code took a lot of effort to produce and may not be perfect. I have tried to simplify it as much as possible. Thanks again to Kristian Lauszus for his help on the project! To use this code, you’ll need a few things:

Wheatley’s Voice Lines are publicly available Here. 

  • If you’re interested in voice lines for other Portal characters, The Portal Wiki has them all. Click Here to check them out.

He weighs close to 10 lbs, including the weight of his batteries!

No, sorry. I will not sell any animatronic puppets that I make. That would infringe on Valve’s copyright(s) and intellectual property. However, I am willing to correspond with you about the build and offer advice for building your own! To learn more about the help I can offer you, Click Here!

The Bill of Materials is found with the last post in the Work Log. Scroll all the way to the bottom of This Page.

Not for Wheatley specifically, but if you’re looking for more Portal/Portal 2-related content, you can follow my Tumblr Blog!