robotics – DIY Database

Motion-controlled Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots will make you feel like Jackman in Real Steel

2011’s Real Steel may have vanished from the public consciousness in a remarkably short amount of time, but the concept was pretty neat. There is something exciting about the idea of fighting through motion-controlled humanoid robots. That is completely possible today — it would just be wildly expensive at the scale seen in the movie. But MPuma […]

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2011’s Real Steel may have vanished from the public consciousness in a remarkably short amount of time, but the concept was pretty neat. There is something exciting about the idea of fighting through motion-controlled humanoid robots. That is completely possible today — it would just be wildly expensive at the scale seen in the movie. But MPuma made it affordable by scaling the concept down to Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots.

The original Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots toy was purely mechanical, with the players controlling their respective robots through linkages. In this project, MPuma modernized the toy with servo motors controlled via player motion.

As designed, the motion-controlled robot has three servo motors: one for the torso rotation, one for the shoulder, and one for the elbow. If desired, the builder can equip both robots in that manner. An Arduino UNO Rev3 board controls those motors, making them match the player’s movement.

The Arduino detects player movement through three potentiometers — one for each servo motor. Twisting the elbow potentiometer will, for example, cause the robot’s elbow servo motor to move by the same angle. That arrangement is very responsive, because analog potentiometer readings are quick. It is, therefore, suitable for combat.

The final piece of the puzzle is attaching the potentiometers to the player’s body. MPuma didn’t bother with anything complicated or fancy, they just mounted the potentiometers to pieces of cardboard and strapped those to the player’s arm.

This may not be as cinematic as Real Steel’s robots, but you can recreate MPuma’s project for less than you spent to see that movie in theaters.

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The Swervebot is an omnidirectional robot that combines LEGO and 3D-printed parts

Robotic vehicles can have a wide variety of drive mechanisms that range from a simple tricycle setup all the way to crawling legs. Alex Le’s project leverages the reliability of LEGO blocks with the customizability of 3D-printed pieces to create a highly mobile omnidirectional robot called Swervebot, which is controllable over Wi-Fi thanks to an Arduino […]

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The base mechanism of a co-axial swerve drive robot is a swerve module that uses one axle + motor to spin the wheel and another axle + motor to turn it. When combined with several other swerve modules in a single chassis, the Swervebot is able to perform very complex maneuvers such as spinning while moving in a particular direction. For each of these modules, a pair of DC motors were mounted into custom, LEGO-compatible enclosures and attached to a series of gears for transferring their motion into the wheels. Once assembled into a 2×2 layout, Le moved onto the next steps of wiring and programming the robot.

The Nano ESP32 is attached to two TB6612 motor drivers and a screen for displaying fun, animated eyes while the robot is in-motion or idling. Controlling the swerve bot is easy too, as the ESP32 hosts a webpage full of buttons and other inputs for setting speeds and directions.

For more details on the Swervebot, you can read Le’s write-up here on Instructables.

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This robot can dynamically change its wheel diameter to suit the terrain

A vehicle’s wheel diameter has a dramatic effect on several aspects of performance. The most obvious is gearing, with larger wheels increasing the ultimate gear ratio — though transmission and transfer case gearing can counteract that. But wheel size also affects mobility over terrain, which is why Gourav Moger and Huseyin Atakan Varol’s prototype mobile […]

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If all else were equal (including final gear ratio), smaller wheels would be better, because they result in less unsprung mass. But that would only be true in a hypothetical world on perfectly flat surfaces. As the terrain becomes more irregular, larger wheels become more practical. Stairs are an extreme example and only a vehicle with very large wheels can climb stairs.

Most vehicles sacrifice either efficiency or capability through wheel size, but this robot doesn’t have to. Each of its wheels is a unique collapsing mechanism that can expand or shrink as necessary to alter the effective rolling diameter. Pulley rope actuators on each wheel, driven by Dynamixel geared motors by an Arduino Mega 2560 board through a Dynamixel shield, perform that change. A single drive motor spins the wheels through a rigid gear set mounted on the axles, and a third omni wheel provides stability.

This unique arrangement has additional benefits beyond terrain accommodation. The robot can, for instance, shrink its wheels in order to fit through tight spaces. It can also increase the size of one wheel, relative to the other, to turn without a dedicated steering rack or differential drive system.

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Exploring Alvik: 3 fun and creative projects with Arduino’s educational robot platform

Alvik is cute, it’s smart, it’s fun… so what can it actually do? To answer this question, we decided to have fun and put the robot to the test with some of the most creative people we know – our own team! A dozen Arduino employees volunteered for a dedicated Make Tank session earlier this […]

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Alvik is cute, it’s smart, it’s fun… so what can it actually do?

To answer this question, we decided to have fun and put the robot to the test with some of the most creative people we know – our own team! A dozen Arduino employees volunteered for a dedicated Make Tank session earlier this fall, and came up with a few great in-house projects for us to share – and you to try!

We were so happy with the creative and engaging ideas that we took them on the road for the Maker Faire Rome 2024: they were a hit and attracted many curious visitors to the Arduino booth.

Hello, Alvik!

This interactive project, created by Christian Sarnataro and Leonardo Cavagnis, brings to life Alvik’s friendly personality. By waving your hands in front of a Nicla Vision camera, you trigger a cheerful “big hands” gesture in response: it’s Alvik’s way of welcoming newcomers to robotics!

Why it’s great: The project highlights Alvik’s ease of use and intuitive interactivity, while demonstrating how advanced learners can tap into the robot’s AI capabilities to create meaningful, engaging robotic experiences.

Robo-Fight Club

Developed by Davide Neri and Alexander Entinger, this competitive game turns Alvik into a feisty battling robot. Participants control their Alvik to push opponents out of the arena, while trying special moves like “yellow-banana” for spins, “green-slime” to reverse controls, and “blue-ice” to freeze competitors for five seconds. Any robot stepping out of the arena automatically loses the match.

Why it’s great: Robo-Fight Club demonstrates how Alvik can be used for multiplayer, interactive gaming experiences while teaching users about programming logic and control systems.

Alvik Mini City

In this project by Giovanni Bruno, Julián Caro Linares, and Livia Luo, Alvik works tirelessly in a mini city, moving balls from one floor to another. The project showcases how robotics can assist in repetitive and potentially hazardous tasks, inspiring us to imagine practical applications for robotics in their daily lives.

Why it’s great: This project emphasizes how Alvik is more than just an educational robot – it’s a tool for exploring real-world use cases in automation and problem-solving.

Your turn!

Alvik is the perfect companion to learn coding and robotics because it’s easy to get started with, but powerful enough to support complex projects. With the option to program using block-based coding, in MicroPython or the Arduino language, everyone from beginners to advanced users can choose the environment that suits their needs best!

Inspired by these projects? Check out all of Alvik’s features and specs on this page, or go ahead and start your journey today! Don’t forget to share your creations with us: upload your projects to Project Hub or email [email protected] – we can’t wait to see what you build!

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This perplexing robotic performer operates under the control of three different Arduino boards

Every decade or two, humanity seems to develop a renewed interest in humanoid robots and their potential within our world. Because the practical applications are actually pretty limited (given the high cost), we inevitably begin to consider how those robots might function as entertainment. But Jon Hamilton did more than just wonder, he actually built […]

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It is hard to describe this robot without sounding like a Mad Libs game filled out by a cyberpunk-obsessed DJ. Hamilton designed it to give performances, primarily in the form of synthetic singing accompanied by electronic music. It looks like a crude Halloween mask given life by a misguided wizard sometime in the 1980s. It is pretty bonkers and you should probably watch the video of it in action to wrap your head around the concept.

Hamilton needed three different Arduino development boards to bring this robot to life. The first, an Arduino Giga R1 WiFi, oversees the robot’s operation and handles voice interaction, as well as audio playback. The second, an Arduino Mega 2560, moves the robot’s neck according to input from two microphones (one on the left, the other on the right). The third, an Arduino Uno R4 WiFi, controls the rest of the servo movement.

The result is a robot that is both impressive and also pretty disconcerting.

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This 3D-printed robotic arm can be built with just a few inexpensive components

Robotics is already an intimidating field, thanks to the complexity involved. And the cost of parts, such as actuators, only increases that feeling of inaccessibility. But as FABRI Creator shows in their most recent video, you can build a useful robotic arm with just a handful of inexpensive components. This is pint-sized robotic arm that […]

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This is pint-sized robotic arm that has some of the same features as big and expensive industrial robots, just on a smaller scale. Users can operate the four joints manually, but can also record a series of positions and let the robot automatically move from one to the next. That is a popular programming technique in many industries, making this robot useful for learning real methodology and for performing practical tasks.

The best part is that this robot is very affordable. All of the parts, with the exception of fasteners and electronic components, are 3D-printable. The electronic components include an Arduino Nano board and four SG90 hobby servo motors that can be found for just a couple of dollars each. FABRI Creator designed a custom PCB to host the Arduino, to provide power input, and to simplify the wiring. That PCB isn’t strictly necessary, but it results in a much tidier robot.

The assembled robot is small, but has enough reach to be useful and enough strength to lift light objects. It is a perfect starting point for people who want to learn robotics basics on a budget.

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Amassing a mobile Minion militia

Channeling his inner Gru, YouTuber Electo built a robotic minion army to terrorize and amuse the public in local shopping malls. Building one minion robot is, in theory, pretty straightforward. That is especially true when, like these, that robot isn’t actually bipedal and instead rolls around on little wheels attached to the feet. But creating […]

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Channeling his inner Gru, YouTuber Electo built a robotic minion army to terrorize and amuse the public in local shopping malls.

Building one minion robot is, in theory, pretty straightforward. That is especially true when, like these, that robot isn’t actually bipedal and instead rolls around on little wheels attached to the feet. But creating 10 robots is more of a challenge. Assuming a limited budget, the robots would have to be relatively inexpensive. So, how could Electo give them the ability to run around causing mayhem?

Electo’s solution was to make one smart minion, called King Bob, to lead all of the other minions of lesser intelligence. The basic design consists of an Arduino that controls the two drive motors and that can communicate with other Arduino boards via radio transceiver modules. Those components fit inside a 3D-printed shell and this basic minion is pretty affordable to construct.

But King Bob has more advanced hardware and special abilities. He can receive explicit movement commands from Electo’s radio transmitter controller, but also has some intelligence thanks to a single-board computer and a camera. That lets it run a computer vision application to detect and follow specific things that it sees. In this case, that is a banana.

King Bob could follow explicit commands or a banana, but what about the other minions? Electo gave them the ability to follow their leader by simply mimicking its movements. Any movement that King Bob makes is also transmitted over radio to the other minions, so they can make the same movements. This is intentionally clumsy (because minions), but lets the group move together in an entertaining way as they traverse shopping malls and movie theaters.

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