Where it stands
No physical prototype yet. What exists is the start of a CAD model for a fully 3D printed 5 DOF arm, designed around ease of assembly, since I expect to take it apart and rebuild it often.
The point is practice: somewhere to write and break control and motion planning algorithms for serial arms, on hardware I own rather than in simulation.
Planned technologies
- 3D printing for every structural component
- Servo actuation at the joints
- Raspberry Pi 5 as the controller
- Forward and inverse kinematics
- Control software still to be decided
Goals
Where it goes
Finished, it should work as a learning platform and a usable tool: motion planning, different control approaches, and eventually computer vision for object manipulation. The modular design lets one joint be upgraded without reprinting the whole arm.