Family plea to help 97-year-old fix robot's ankle

The family of a 97-year-old man whose eyesight has deteriorated said he needed help to finish his latest project creating a robot using 3D printing.

Malcolm Stern, from Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, began creating the humanoid, called Toby, after restoring his father's beloved classic car.

His daughter, Samantha McGarry, said his latest project was "70% complete" after eight months of work, but his failing eyesight meant he had been unable to fix the robot's ankle.

"I don't think he's ever going to walk from my dad's study into the kitchen and fill the dishwasher but dad maybe dreamed of something like that one day," she said.

McGarry, who lives in the United States, recalled that from an early age she and her siblings were exposed to their father's ingenuity.

"We had one of the first home PCs and Dad created maths and spelling games for us which he programmed in basic code," McGarry said.

"That was in the late 70s, early 80s."

McGarry recalled how following the coronavirus outbreak, her father's "curious and pioneering" nature did not diminish.

"We are so proud of his unwavering desire to build and create."

After Stern renovated his father's 1930s Talbot-Darracq, he said he wanted a project that involved "a lot of 3D printing".

He came across a robot online for which all the files needed to print its many parts were available, including 21 servos, which are electric motors that act as substitutes for human muscles.

McGarry said he has got Toby to the point where its neck, shoulders, arms and feet could move.

But Stern's daughter said he can "barely use the computer any more or handle small parts or components with precision" to resolve a problem with its ankle.

McGarry believed the issue could have been caused by a "software programming issue".

She is now looking for someone who understands computer engineering, robotics and programming.

"They'd need to be comfortable collaborating with a 97-year-old [and] be willing to use the tools and techniques he's been using rather than imposing a whole lot of new stuff," McGarry added.

Once completed, Stern said his creation could be used by "children as an introduction to the present use of robots and how to make them".

McGarry said her father was "such an inspiration."

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