Leviathan Engineering, a tech-focused YouTube channel, has recreated Rocky from Project Hail Mary as a real AI-powered robot by combining mechanical design, on-device speech recognition, and modern AI that responds in real time. The robot runs on a Raspberry Pi 5 (4GB RAM) and uses 10 MG996R servo motors for movement.
A major part of what makes this build impressive is the software stack. The creator used Vosk for speech-to-text, Piper for text-to-speech, and Claude CLI to help write much of the system software — all running locally on the Raspberry Pi 5. This setup allows Rocky to respond in real time and move while speaking, giving the robot a far more lifelike feel than a simple voice assistant attached to a chassis.
On the hardware side, the project relies heavily on maker-friendly tools rather than custom industrial parts. The body was fully 3D printed using multi-colored PLA to match Rocky’s appearance from the movie, eliminating the need for painting. A PCA9685 16-channel servo driver controls all the servos, while the Raspberry Pi handles overall orchestration. An external power supply provides enough power to run all the servos simultaneously.
After completing the assembly, the creator demonstrates the final result, which closely resembles Rocky from the movie in both appearance and behavior.
This real-life Rocky is a great example of how hobby-grade components can be combined into something visually impressive and highly interactive. By integrating local speech recognition, text-to-speech, and conversational AI, the build demonstrates a practical and accessible template for creating expressive robots that can talk, react, and move in real time.
