ME 134: Robotic Systems

In ME134, teams are encouraged to design a robotic arm with 5-7 degrees-of-freedom (DOF) to complete a challenge of their choice.

My team developed a six DOF arm that was able to autonomously stack children’s building bricks by combining robust mechanical design with a well-built software framework. As the sole mechanical engineer of the team, I was entirely responsible for all mechanical aspects of the robot including the design and fabrication of each joint and linkage as well as the custom end-effector design.

The end-effector featured two 3D-printed graspers that slotted into the original claw linkage assembly and consistently oriented blocks within the end-effector for precision placement and repeatability.

The length of each linkage was selected to maximize the arm’s planar workspace while ensuring the motors did not experience torques beyond their rated capacity. Joints were 3D-printed to interface between motors and provide a means to feed cabling throughout the arm.