/r/robotics

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How to get started in robotics

See the Wiki for frequently asked questions, career advice, resources, and previous AMAs

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For any question, please post on our sister subreddit /r/AskRobotics.


This subreddit is a place for

  • News, research articles & discussion about developments in Robotics (NOT wild far fetched speculation).
  • Showcasing your robot From seasoned roboticists to hobbyists

Questions

  • Questions about your robotics projects (Try our sister subreddit, /r/AskRobotics!)
  • AMAs Are you a professional roboticist? Do you have a really impressive robot to talk about? An expert in your field? Why not message the mods to host an AMA?

Related subreddits

/r/robotics

263,127 Subscribers

18

Low-tech, but one helpful robot!

2 Comments
2025/02/04
04:19 UTC

10

Are small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) worldwide ready to adopt collaborative robots (cobots) for automation? If not, how many years away is widespread adoption? What are the biggest barriers, in your opinion?

Recent news reported layoffs at Universal Robot (UR), and their growth report indicated a 3% year-over-year decline. I have a few questions:

  1. Is UR's decline due to increased competition from other cobot manufacturers, particularly more cost-effective Asian companies like Jaka Robotics, Dobot Robotics, Aubo, Elite etc., macroeconomic factors, or simply that real-world SME adoption is limited, with many potential users only exploring cobots through demos and case studies?

  2. Are small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) worldwide ready to adopt collaborative robots (cobots) for automation? If not, how many years away is widespread adoption? What are the biggest barriers, in your opinion?

Look forward to your thoughts on these questions.

#cobot #automation #SMEs

22 Comments
2025/02/04
03:29 UTC

2

Robot to carry a load

Hey everyone! I am just starting to get into robotics, and I just wanna ask which type of motor (For the wheels) and what specifications of said motor would I need if I were to make a robot that would carry a load of up to 30 kg. It would just need to be able to go forward and reverse. In that same note, what controller would be compatible with the motor if I were to use an arduino mega as its brain. Thank you!

8 Comments
2025/02/04
00:52 UTC

236

Swerve Drive Robot Update

18 Comments
2025/02/03
23:09 UTC

1

Terra Nova - Mars Habitat Builder

Hello All.

As part of our Teen Tech innovation (11-18 Year Old Science F-a-i-r Competition in the UK), we innovated a mars rover that has a greenhouse gases tank, a robotic arm to pick up boulders, a Carbon Dioxide Laser and Fibre Laser to break the rocks apart, and perhaps an inbuilt compact refinery the refinery the boulders into metals and gases, and also a whole range of sensors to monitor environmental conditions. Obviously, we can't physically have lasers for a science f-a-i-r project or a refinery, but we've currently designed the rovers to have a robotic arm with servos, motors to make the rover move, solar panels, and a range of sensors.

This would help create a habitat for humans to live in, with all the resources they need, perhaps colonising even more planets.

Do you have any advice on our project? Some suggestions on what we should change or improve?Some vital information?

Thank you

0 Comments
2025/02/03
21:42 UTC

1

LinX All-Terrain robot skates?

After seeing demonstrations of this robot and craving a smoother skating experience, especially at the age of 37, I would love to see these made into boots to roll down the uneven streets of NYC. Should I dare to dream of such a future?

0 Comments
2025/02/03
18:53 UTC

1

RPLiDAR C1 Mounting Holes

Hello everybody, I recently got a rplidar c1 and cant find the dimensions for the mounting holes anywhere. I don't have any tools except a tape measure. do you think it's precise enough? also if anybody knows I would be uber grateful if you shared it. Also if you guys have any recommendations for using it. I don't want to use a gui software because it feels like cheating but I know a decent amount of python so if you guys know any libraries or anything like that. I am new to lidar but want to build a telepresence robot to make a semi self driving robot.

NOTE: This is a duplicate post of one in r/LiDAR

1 Comment
2025/02/03
18:16 UTC

1

i need a quick help finding a datasheet

5Does someone have "manesty xpress 700" tablet compression machine datasheet/info about it , I am not finding anything online.

1 Comment
2025/02/03
17:40 UTC

3

Am I doing this right?

Hello all! I am new to robotics, and am currently learning about kinematics and DH parameters (Angela Sodemann's videos) to solve IK for the project I am involved in. I tried solving few and was able to correctly calculate DH parameters. However, when I try it with my robot (picture 1), it's confusingm and am stuck.

I am solving for right arm

Please, help me know what I am doing wrong(not able to include a3)!! (idk whether the axes are wrong or the kinematics diagram itself is wrong)

https://preview.redd.it/gukn3v8eiwge1.jpg?width=902&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=539ad7cde7f499d2948a4ec62614c7146009c522

Thanks in advance :))

0 Comments
2025/02/03
10:30 UTC

46

I built a robot barber

Here is a video of my project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNaNGJlEBdU

Overall, it was fun to build and works surprisingly well. The arm is Waveshare RoArm-M2-S and the trimmer is called Flowbee.

3 Comments
2025/02/03
07:43 UTC

42

Simple python script I’m using to tune my IK functions for a 3DOF system and configure the physical arm.

Just wanted to share. This script holds my forward and inverse kinematics functions and simulates the arm’s positions using the two graphs. I can visualize different positions and movements with the sliders to experiment with my constraints and I can test the kinematics functions in different regions within the 200mm cubic space. The script also has a function that communicates the calculated sequence of servo positions to the microcontroller for writing so I can compare expected behavior vs actual behavior.

Ill be making another similar version of this that also merges my functions in my prediction processing script that uses my trained computer vision model and open cv to process predictions on live video feed then stores it as xyz coordinate data within the 200mm cubic space initialized as my interactive environment. That will allow proper calibration between the kinematics, the physical arm, the camera, and the environment. Once I finish testing with that I can migrate the project to the raspberry pi and finish developing directly on there, I just need a micro hdmi lol

Are scripts such as mine and how I’m going about configuring and calibrating everything falling in line with best practices? Are there more accepted and practical methods to go about it?

8 Comments
2025/02/03
00:55 UTC

1

Gazebo Help

Im fairly new to gazebo and how it operates. I have world files and sdf files for f16 jets. I also have a ready launch file, which gives the correct path for the files. But i am just able to see the world not the f16?

What could be possibly be wrong?

0 Comments
2025/02/03
00:09 UTC

2

Generating a Simple Walking Gait using a Simulated Boston Dynamics Atlas Robot using C and Passive Dynamics

0 Comments
2025/02/02
21:11 UTC

3

How should I get started with maze solver ?

Hey I'm interested in learning and building a maze solver robot but I'm not sure from where to start. I have some experience with basic electronics and programming (C, CPP and a bit of Python) and I'm part of a combat robotics club at my college. I want to understand the key components, algorithms, and design considerations for making a small maze solver using Arduino nano. Should I start with a simple line-following bot first? What sensors and microcontrollers would you recommend? Also, any good resources or beginner-friendly guides would be appreciated.

THANKS !!

3 Comments
2025/02/02
21:04 UTC

1

Looking for a robot motor for 3k sumo robot non magnetic

Looking for recommendations for motors for a 3k sumo robot I want a motor with very high torque and a pretty good speed it is non magnetic and the arena where the robots will be facing each other is made from wood (pls give recommendations from jsumo) thx!

8 Comments
2025/02/02
19:10 UTC

3

Looking for BLDC motor

hi everyone, i am quite new to robotics, so i am not sure how i should look for something like this.

i am looking for a lightweight/small (like 3 cm diameter max) bldc which has relatively high torque. i want to be able to drive it in both directions. the application of the motors will be in being able to resist the rotational force of a finger, so i dont "need" much rpm. the torque should probably be something in the range of 2-4 kg / cm. does something like this exist? i am not currently satisfied with brushed motors as i get a lot of friction and the motion is not smooth. do you have any suggestiosn?

7 Comments
2025/02/02
18:58 UTC

3

Window cleaning robot

Hi, I would like to buy a window cleaning robot. First of all are these robots good? Second I wanna buy a very good one, the budget is maximum $500. I have a house that has some windows upstaires that can't be opened, is there any way I can clean them easily? And also I have some windows that are very big. In conclusion, I want a robot that is very good and has a big battery since I have a lot of big windows.

2 Comments
2025/02/02
18:18 UTC

0

Looking to get serious with a 3D printed arm.

I'm looking to get serious about learning kinematics, simulation and such with a quality 3D printed arm.

The one pictured is pretty cool for a hobbyist like myself, but I am looking to up my game.

Any good FREE 3d printed arms out there? Preferably one that you yourself have printed and built.

Thank you in advance.

https://preview.redd.it/brziev242rge1.jpg?width=3111&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8ef9df1e4e7f9bd470b580f6d9f0a49dc7fe8ac8

6 Comments
2025/02/02
16:06 UTC

33

How much AI are you guys using in your sideprojects?

With this rapid development with AI, agents and everything.

How much are you guys really implementing AI in your projects?

I find it difficult to really get done, tho im a noob in this. But are there any sources for AI with just software for robotics?

27 Comments
2025/02/02
15:39 UTC

16

Looking for robotics project ideas for a bottled water company

Hi everyone,

I'm a student exploring robotics projects and I'm particularly interested in how robotics can innovate within the bottled water industry.I'm looking for something that I can build.

I’d love to hear about any experiences you’ve had or projects you’ve seen that align with these themes. Thanks in advance!

15 Comments
2025/02/02
14:17 UTC

4

Android Smartphone as an AI Robotics Camera?

Similar to things like HuskyLens from dfrobot?

I mean phones have nice hardware and cameras so is this actually possible? If so how would I go about it?

1 Comment
2025/02/02
10:37 UTC

21

One Board 4 modules: Oled, ESP01, HC-05, NRF24L01

2 Comments
2025/02/02
06:21 UTC

6

Fusion 360 tips

Hello everybody, I know this might be unrelated but specifically for robotics, Do you guys have any tips on fusion? I'm new and I want to know how to design better. Here is a question how do you design in a way where you can build it like it's built and split it up into components? Any other tips that really helped you in your experience would be great!!! I watched a couple YouTube videos but I like reddit more imo.

4 Comments
2025/02/02
03:13 UTC

2

Career Option? Deformable object manipulation

Hey everyone, I’m a PhD student in robotics (from ME background) and was recently assigned to work on deformable object manipulation—things like handling soft objects (food or human body). The problem is, I really dislike contact mechanics, and my advisor isn’t an expert in this area either, so I don’t have much support.

This has been frustrating and overwhelming, and I’m starting to worry about my job prospects. I prefer industry research over academia or pure engineering roles, but this field feels like it’s still in its infancy. I’m unsure if there are good career opportunities for someone specializing in this area.

Currently I'm doing literature review and exploring RL and graph learning methods currently. I have a co-advisor from computer vision side, not exactly clear how much vision-based training I'll have access to. My primary advisor seems to not willing to let me to lean too much on vision side as he thinks his expertise is in ME therefore should be the focus which limit my ability to dive deep into vision-based approaches.

So, I’d love to hear from people in the field:

  • How does the job market look for deformable object manipulation in industry research?
  • Are there companies actively hiring in this area (robotics, AI, soft manipulation, etc.)?
  • Would it be better to pivot to something more established, or is this a valuable emerging field?

Any advice, insights, or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

1 Comment
2025/02/01
21:24 UTC

6

Best Option to create a simulation environment for an AMR that just runs firmware

I am currently working on autonomous mobile robot at my work. All of its control is written in C as a firmware/embedded layer. However, we currently just have the single robot to test on.
I'd like to create a simulation environment for the robot without having to rewrite the entire codebase to use something like ROS nodes for me to use Gazebo.

Looking for ideas on either better/simpler ways to integrate ROS into our code and use Gazebo, or alternatives that offer better solutions.

Our robot code is running linux with a real-time kernel patch if thats relevant.

3 Comments
2025/02/01
21:15 UTC

3

Global Space rovers competitions for university students?

I'm looking for such a thing I found ERC but the registration opens too soon and it has "Europe" in it's name so I'm not even sure they accept people outside us/Europe

0 Comments
2025/02/01
19:20 UTC

175

Robot reacts emotionally to pep talk about relationship with printer. This is autonomous behavior. All models run on the robot.

28 Comments
2025/02/01
17:07 UTC

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