Small Robotic Arm

A small desktop robotic arm built as a testbed for control logic and inverse kinematics. The target demo is autonomous wooden block stacking, which makes it a useful exhibition piece for 3D printing events since the whole structure is printed. Currently working through IK and closed-loop joint control to get to the point where it can actually execute the stacking sequence reliably.

Build a low-cost desktop arm with enough precision and repeatability to stack wooden blocks autonomously. Reliable enough to run unsupervised at an exhibition.

• Budget constraint: off-the-shelf servo motors and 3D printed structure only
• Workspace and reach sized for desktop use
• Control architecture should be modular so kinematics experiments don't require hardware changes

• 3-DOF plus gripper. Enough for meaningful IK experiments without excessive mechanical complexity.
• ESP32-based control with serial interface to allow laptop-side trajectory planning
• Printed structure designed for reprints. Joints are bolt-together, not glued.

1. 01

   CAD in Fusion 360, iterating on joint stiffness and servo mounting

2. 02

   Firmware: servo control loop with position feedback from potentiometers

3. 03

   Inverse kinematics implementation in progress