# A 3D-printed mane of hair serves as armour for a small plastic combat robot

> Angus, of Maker's Muse, has replaced the shell of his latest combat robot with a thick tuft of plastic hair, Hackaday reports.

Published on 2026-10-27

The idea came a little by way of play. He wondered whether a mane of stiff hair could work as light armour, able to take hits by wearing away bit by bit rather than giving way all at once.

His robot competes in the “plastic antweight” category, where machines must not exceed 150 grams and where both the chassis and the weapons are made of plastic. At that size, a mane of thick, rigid hair can have more effect than you might expect, Hackaday notes.

To make the hair, the filament is pulled between the robot and an outer support structure, which is then cut away. The whole thing looks like a 3D-printed lion's mane.

The result is enough to justify digging further into the idea, according to Hackaday. The shells of his earlier robots had ended up damaged. The hairy robot appears to have come through more or less intact.

Angus has published a follow-up in which he clearly improves his method for making the hair.

## Sources

- [Hackaday (Robots)](https://hackaday.com/2026/10/26/hairy-armor-for-combat-robot-its-not-terrible/)

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