This Computer Controlled Robot Face needs to be hooked up to an IM client to freak people out

“The goal of this project was to create a head that can be used to display information. The face can be a very powerful method of conveying information, and a robotic head can serve as a very useful indicator. This project is meant to provide computer programs the benefit of using a physical object in the form of a face as a means of user interaction in addition to standard outputs such as a monitor or speakers. Currently, the head is being used with the ListenIn project, but it should be useful for many other applications.

The iRX board is a small kit that provides everything needed to use a PIC microprocessor. It includes an RS-232 serial port, an oscillator needed to run the PIC, a status LED, IR LED and receptor, and a voltage regulator so that any standard 9V battery (or equivalent power supply) can be used to power the PIC. The iRX board also has a small prototyping area for additional circuitry if desired. For this project, the iRX board ended up being exactly want we needed to connect the computer to the head.”

Via: Make