Robotic Arm Projects by ICT Club

ROS 2 MoveIt² Integration for an Open-Source 3D-Printed Robotic Arm on Raspberry Pi A step-by-step guide to bring a low-cost, open-hardware robotic arm to life—fully integrated with ROS 2 and MoveIt² for motion planning and real-world control. Why This Matters: With MoveIt²—ROS 2’s official motion planning framework—and open-source arms like the OpenCRX , Roboteq Arm , or Universal Robot-inspired designs , you can run advanced motion planning—like obstacle-avoiding trajectories—on a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5. All while keeping cost, complexity, and hardware dependencies low. 1. What You’ll Build By the end of this guide, you’ll have: ✅ A fully functional ROS 2 node controlling a 3D-printed robotic arm ✅ MoveIt² motion planning stack—complete with collision-aware planning ✅ A Raspberry Pi acting as both a controller and ROS 2 compute node ✅ Real-time ...

Designing a Pneumatic Soft-Gripper for Fragile Object Sorting A Step-by-Step Guide Using a 5V Vacuum Pump and Arduino Why This Matters Soft-grippers replicate the adaptability and gentleness of biological hands—making them ideal for delicate items like fruits, glassware, electronics, or bakery products. When combined with an Arduino-powered vacuum system, they offer a remarkably cost-effective, open-source solution for automation in small-scale production, research labs, or maker spaces. What You’ll Build 1 A soft, flexible gripper fabricated from silicone or food-grade TPU using 3D printing or mold-casting 2 A 5V low-power vacuum pump (with current-limiting resistor and voltage regulator) 3 A pressure sensor (e.g., BMP280) to verify grip integrity 4 An Arduino Nano (or Uno) ...

Building a DIY SCARA Robot for PCB Laser Engraving A step-by-step guide using GRBL, stepper motors, and precision mechanics for reliable PCB prototyping What You’ll Build: A dual-arm SCARA robot capable of precise X–Y positioning (±0.05 mm) with laser engraving capabilities, all controlled by GRBL—no 3D printer or expensive kits required. Why SCARA for PCB Engraving? SCARA (Selective Compliance Articulated Arm Robot Arm) robots excel at horizontal plane tasks—exactly what PCB laser engraving demands. With two parallel rotary joints and rigid vertical compliance, they maintain accuracy across the working area, unlike Cartesian or delta designs. By pairing GRBL (the same firmware that powers cheap laser cutters) with NEMA 17 stepper motors and timing belts, you get industrial-grade repeatability at a fraction of the cost. This guide walks you through hardware, firmware, and calibration—everything you need for home-grade precision. ...

Voice-Activated Desktop Assistant: Integrating an Offline Speech Recognition Module with an STM32 Robotic Arm A Practical Guide to Building a Secure, Autonomous Voice-Controlled Manipulator Why Offline Speech Recognition? When building robotic systems, security, latency, and autonomy matter. Cloud-based voice services—while powerful—introduce delay, dependency on internet connectivity, and privacy risks. For desktop-grade assistants and embedded automation, offline speech recognition delivers: ⚡ Real-time response (sub-100ms latency) 🔒 100% offline operation — no telemetry or API calls ⚙️ Predictable execution for deterministic robotic control 💰 Zero recurring cloud costs after initial setup In this tutorial, you’ll integrate Snips Voice Service (or compatible lightweight engine like Picovoice Porcupine + Rhino ) with an STM32 microcontroller—specifically using the STM32H743 for its dual-core DSP capability—to...

Building a 6-DOF Desktop Robotic Arm A Step-by-Step Guide to Assembling a Chinese Aluminum Alloy Kit with Arduino Mega What You’ll Build: A fully functional 6-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) robotic arm with 16-bit precision control, compatible with Arduino Mega—ideal for pick-and-place, lab automation, and hobbyist experimentation. Why a 6-DOF Arm? A 6-degree-of-freedom robotic arm matches the human arm’s flexibility—3 for positioning (x, y, z), and 3 for orientation (pitch, yaw, roll). This means it can reach any point in its workspace and orient its end-effector optimally—perfect for intricate tasks like soldering, micro-assembly, or even drawing. Compared to cheaper 3- or 4-DOF arms, 6-DOF systems offer true Cartesian control (using inverse kinematics) and avoid singularities that plague simpler designs. Aluminum alloy kits—common in kits sourced from Chinese manufacturers like Seeed, Dobot, or generic Alibaba suppliers—deliver rigidity, re...

Haptic Feedback Systems: Adding Force Sensors to a DIY Robotic Gripper via SPI Protocol A practical, step-by-step guide to building responsive, touch-aware robotic hands—without breaking the bank. Why Haptics Matter Imagine your robotic gripper—already capable of opening a jar or stacking blocks—now able to feel the object it holds. Not just detect presence or position, but sense delicate tension, surface texture, or the risk of crushing. Haptic feedback turns machines into responsive partners, bridging the gap between automation and intention. In this tutorial, we’ll walk through integrating force-sensing resistors (FSRs) or strain-gauge-based load cells into a 3D-printed DIY gripper, using an ESP32 or Arduino via the SPI protocol. The result? Real-time tactile feedback, low latency, and full control over force application. What You’ll Need Category Component ...