Frequently Asked Questions
What is the recommended age?
13 and up.
8 and up with adult supervision.
What are the robot arm's specifications?
Power: 5v, 2a
Servos: (5) - 9g 2kg/cm digital metal servos with feedback
Microcontroller: Arduino Nano v3.0 ATmega328P
USB connector: mini USB 5-pin
Reach: the robot arm can reach 17 cm from its center and has a radial reach of 180 degrees, and 360 degrees by bending its arm backwards. It working envelope is hemispherical in shape, reaching equal distances above, in front, behind, and to its sides.
Gripper: opens 7 cm with 0.4 kg clenching torque at its gripper
Lifting Strength: 0.5 kg to 0.1 kg at it furthest extent. (ex: can lift a pen or screwdriver, at its furthest extent, but not a metal wrench)
Degree of freedom: 4
What operating systems does the software it work on?
Windows 7, 8, 10 (64-bit)
What do I need to build it?
You will need 1 precision phillips screwdriver.
Can it operate on its own?
No. The robot arm requires a 5v power supply (included) and must receive commands from a computer. The robot arm does not store commands for stand alone operation.
Can I write my own software to communicate with it?
Yes. The communication protocol is intentionally simple to make it easy to write your own software to communicate with the robot arm. information on the protocol can be found in the download section.
Can I reprogram the robots firmware?
Yes. The Arduino firmware is open source and can be altered and uploaded to the robot arm using Arduino Studio. The arm may be restored to its original working condition be re flashing its firmware using the supplied software.
Is there an API?
Yes. the API is open source and is cross platform as a portable .NET assembly.
Is there a way to troubleshoot my robot?
Yes. the supplied software comes with a troubleshooting module that allows sending messages directly and an interface to diagnose all the robot arms commands and behaviors.