This Among Us Fan Brought The Imposter To Life

"Among Us" is a sci-fi social deduction game by Innersloth that came out back in 2018. It languished in relative obscurity for a couple years before its popularity boomed in 2020. This was largely due to its presence on Twitch, the social components of its gameplay, and — perhaps most importantly — the fact that so many people were staying home. Some people even found it to be the best way to make a romantic connection (sorry, Tinder). The game's popularity has also led to the sudden appearance of various "Among Us" toys, charms, plushies, and various other themed products. The game hasn't inspired many electronic toys, however — until now.

What do you do when you can't buy the toy that you want? You make it yourself. At least, that's what YouTuber Electo decided to do when he wanted a working, animatronic "Among Us” Imposter of his very own. He built a little saboteur who he named "Dave" by 3D printing its frame in eight different pieces, adding modular rover tracks uploaded to Thingaverse by maker nahueltaibo, wiring in a few key electronic components, and attaching a rubber knife. 

At least, it started out as a rubber knife. Electo swapped it out for a real one later, just like a true master in the art of sabotage.

Dave has two modes of operation. "Imposter mode" puts Dave on the hunt. He moves around the room and makes stabbing motions with his rapid fire knife whenever any object gets close enough, thanks to sensors that the sensors in his visor. Electo admitted that although the knife mechanism was pretty simple to create, installing it was one of the more time-consuming parts of the entire process.

Electo jokingly described Dave's behavior as "carefully calculated," and went on to list the steps in Dave's genius plan. When Dave charged at the camera recording the video, Electo explained, "He starts off by trying to eliminate the camera man in order to eliminate all the evidence." Electo added, "He then does something he likes to call 'dumbfusion,' and that's when you try to confuse the enemy by acting dumb."

Dave isn't always the Imposter, however. He also has a "Crewmate mode." This mode basically just disengages the knife and allows Dave to speak a few pre-programmed phrases at random. The video shows him saying two voice lines: "I just saw red vent... Oh wait, I'm red," and "Subscribe to Electo." Good advice.