I've actually been looking at building something very similar to this at some point in the future.

I'm a budding cosplayer, and one of the costumes I have planned is for the future is the Golden Age Doctor Mid-Nite (Charles McNider), from DC Comics. This hero had an owl sidekick named Hooty, and I've been looking at ways to make a robot version with varying degrees of functionality. At the least, it would have sound (both owl sounds and speech) and basic movements; sensors, intricate movements, and even flight would eventually be possible.

So you can imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon this project a few minutes ago.

The fun part for me is the control system, built from Lilypad and compatible pieces and sewn into an "underglove" of sorts. That would be worn under the costume glove so I could control the owl via XBee without it being noticed, or at least obvious.

Should you decide to revive this project, I'd love to be a part of things, whether as a Team member or just a contributing voice.