Low Cost Robot Arm

Re:Low Cost Robot Arm by FeepingCreature on Tuesday April 02, 2024 @08:46AM (#39905100)

If they don't have to move fast, could you DIY an actuator with a stepper and a threaded shaft? Steppers are pretty cheap thanks to 3D printers.

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Re:Low Cost Robot Arm by RobotToaster on Tuesday April 02, 2024 @09:06AM (#39905307)

There are arms using steppers and 3d printed epicyclic or cycloidal drives.

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Re:Low Cost Robot Arm by FrojoS on Tuesday April 02, 2024 @09:31AM (#39905551)

For a useful robot arm, you need high forces/torques. Usually, this is achieved by high ratio [1] gearboxes between the motor and the joint. Those are expensive, and inefficient and make estimating the output force via the motor current almost impossible.

[1] In the order of 1:100, see e.g. https://www.harmonicdrive.net/

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