I displayed the robot at ImagineRIT this weekend, showing it making some basic shapes and text. I used the Jtech Photonics plugin for Inkscape to generate some Gcode for it, with a few modifications to make it work with a pen (the software is designed for use with laser cutters). Marlin, the open-source firmware I'm … Continue reading It’s Alive!
Category: robotics
Introducing N.C. Sketcher
I'm working on N.C Sketcher for my final robotics class at RIT. See other posts about this system on the project hub. While I have been sinking some time into exploring computer vision processes, I have also been working hard on coming up with an actual hardware platform. While benchmarking existing drawing machines, I made … Continue reading Introducing N.C. Sketcher
Detecting Edges of Objects using OpenCV
I've been starting to explore different methods for figuring out the location of drawing surfaces for my yet-to-be-named Drawing Robot. I have a few options available to me for use, which mainly include OpenCV, for both C++ and Python, and the imaging processing tools within MATlab. There are a few differences between these methods, and I've … Continue reading Detecting Edges of Objects using OpenCV
Drawing Machine, with a Brain
Drawing machines are a decent project to build from scratch, but they are not complex robots by today's standards. They use open loop motors, and the kinematic model is relatively simple and well-understood. Open-source firmware like Marlin can be used to control the robot like a 3D printer using G and M commands, and is easily … Continue reading Drawing Machine, with a Brain
Sketch Robot: Eyeing the Competition
I've been spending most of my free time these past few days researching existing concepts for drawing robots, exploring different unique methods, and narrowing down the scope of my project to something that could actually be realized. I've found quite a few different ideas floating around out there, some with obvious design issues, but many … Continue reading Sketch Robot: Eyeing the Competition
TigerBug: What’s your vector, Victor?
This is part of TigerBug, a robot design I am working on for use at RIT for research and as a fundraising tool . Take a look at the project hub for more progress on different components of this project. This update is about 2 weeks late due to the holidays, but a modicum of … Continue reading TigerBug: What’s your vector, Victor?
TigerBug: Mechanical machinations
This is part of TigerBug, a robot design I am working on for use at RIT for research and as a fundraising tool . Take a look at the project hub for more progress on different components of this project. Swarm robots are tiny. really tiny. They're intended to be as low-cost as possible, work … Continue reading TigerBug: Mechanical machinations
TigerBu(zz): The Simulation
This is part of TigerBug, a robot design I am working on for use at RIT for swarm research and as a fundraising/education tool . Take a look at the project hub for more progress on different components of this project. I (and quite a few other people in the robotics field ) am amazed by … Continue reading TigerBu(zz): The Simulation
TigerBug: Defining the Project
This is part of TigerBug, a robot design I am working on for use at RIT for swarm research and as a fundraising/education tool . Take a look at the project hub for more progress on different components of this project. This fall has been incredibly busy for me. Between my senior year courses, a … Continue reading TigerBug: Defining the Project
Using Kinematic Analysis to Create a Robotic Leg Model
One of my prior projects was A six legged robot, that used a simple rotational motion from a motor to produce complex rotational motion at each of its legs. The concept worked roughly, but the design process I had used to create it was pretty imprecise (aka, trial and error in Autodesk Inventor). There are some … Continue reading Using Kinematic Analysis to Create a Robotic Leg Model