Am currently building a RC tank for a hobby project that wants to implement VSlam. Because of power constraints I want to use low power microcontrollers like esp32-cam and stream video to a laptop that then computes the navigation data. The idea being the ESP32 cam will upload IMU+stereo camera data -> Laptop computes current path and location -> Streams back navigation instructions. This doesnt have to be completely real time, as the robot can wait until a navigation solution is computed, execute the solution, stream back then wait for further instructions. My question is are there better ways to do something similar? Accuracy is the most important quality here. Or would a Lidar soluation be better? submitted by /u/FollowingHumble8983 [link] [Kommentare]
I'm 15 years old and this is my hexapod project I have been working on for the past year, I learned a ton from it. Here are its specs: -Build: Mostly 3D printed, I used a model from Aecert Robotics from youtube, I made some changes and improvements to the model such as the femur joints that connect to the servos. -Parts: 24 channel Pololu maestro board, 11.4v lipo battery, 12x25kg servos, and 6x35kg servos (for the femur joints because they're under the most load). Cheap android phone for the controller and gyroscope, and a DROK buck converter. -Software: I made a custom android app for the controller that connects via wifi or hotspot, you scan a QR code and it opens the controller on your phone. I used inverse kinematic equations for the hexapod so it has complete control over the leg and body movement. -Stabilizing: Using the gyroscope from the phone it can also self stabilize, it can even walk and self stabilize at the same time. -Walking gait: There are 5 walking gaits so far: Tripod, ripple, wave, triple, and a custom one I made to look like a spider. -I'm currently working on a high precision robot arm and I would love some feedback: About 4ft long and hopefully can lift around 5lb. I should have some videos soon. If you want to learn more about the hexapod or the arm you can see them at my portfolio. submitted by /u/Safe_Tone1529 [link] [Kommentare]
That's a drone in the picture! Computational design generated a spinning drone that’s nearly transparent. Called the phantom twist, it's still loud, but it's quite hard to see with a human eye. See for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KQ7dKs1dpQ&t=1s submitted by /u/IEEESpectrum [link] [Kommentare]
Hi everyone, LinkForge recently crossed 5,000 downloads on the Blender Extensions platform, which was a nice milestone. The project started as a Blender extension for building robot models, but over time it has evolved into something a bit different: a programmable Intermediate Representation (IR) for robot descriptions. My goal isn't to replace URDF or XACRO. Instead, I see them as compilation targets, while the IR becomes the editable source model that can be validated before export. The core is written as a standalone Python engine, so it can run in Blender, from the CLI, or in automated pipelines. I'm curious what others think: Do you think robotics is missing a proper intermediate representation between CAD/design tools and formats like URDF or MJCF, or do existing workflows already solve this well? I'd genuinely appreciate feedback from people building robots professionally. GitHub: https://github.com/arounamounchili/linkforge Blender Extension: https://extensions.blender.org/add-ons/linkforge submitted by /u/Mysterious_Dare2268 [link] [Kommentare]
I have been working on this project over the past 6 months. Its a 3d printed hexapod robot dog, I call it HexaDog ZBD (English Pronunciation of ZBD means raggedy in Turkish). I used ESP32 S3 for its brains, 2x PCA9586 boards for servo connections, 18x DS3218 servos, 1x IMU, 3x 15a 300W buck converters and almost 2kg of PLA. Total robot weight is about 2.7KGs with 3s2p 18650 batteries (some sparks were created during the earlier design of the battery case) I have been testing it indoors and outdoors I am quite happy and surprised for the amount of work I got out of ESP32. I plan to convert the gait mechanism from Inverse Kinematics to a small neural network through imitation learning and run it on ESP32 as well if one core can handle the neural network while the other handles the WiFi access point and screen updates it will be golden! I have done the neural network generation from IK and controlled the robot with it in Pybullet now I have to try it on real robot. Total BoM was a close to 400 USD in Turkey (Import Taxes), but I checked on Ali and if you source them form China you can lower the costs down to about 200 USD. Amazon US prices are close to 300 USD. I plan to open source all desing files, scripts and android controller app APK. I am currently cleaning all my design files and scripts and organizing them so once I upload them there are no bugs. I wanted to get community opinion on it to see if anyone would also be interested in building one. If you wish to test it out in simulation before attempting to build one, the github repo link below contains a Pybullet demo of the robot. You can download it and control it in an empty Pybullet environment and check out the simulation script for yourself. https://github.com/serdarselimys/HexaDogZBD-PybulletDemo Let me know what you think, I wanted it to be an affordable and simple modular platform for anyone interested in robotics to experiment with it. submitted by /u/Xerd-R [link] [Kommentare]
MIT professor Yoel Fink talks about why tech companies often end up building similar products. He points to glasses, headsets and watches as examples of companies moving in the same direction. His argument is that this kind of pattern can cause teams to miss other paths. For smart fabrics, Fink says the starting point should be the fact that humans already wear fibers every day. Clothing is already accepted on the body in a way that metal, glass and rigid devices are not. That makes fibers a practical place to explore sensors, computing and human-machine interfaces. submitted by /u/Responsible-Grass452 [link] [Kommentare]
After designing and printing the gearbox in-house, it’s time to see how much torque it can actually handle. Early results look promising — more testing and improvements coming soon! submitted by /u/Personal-Wear1442 [link] [Kommentare]
Well, every post i see in this sub is about how robot almost killed someone.. So what could you guys said about soft robotics? Does market need it? Does engineers want it? Maybe someone even know current progress in this field? submitted by /u/Fabulous_Diamond_381 [link] [Kommentare]
Humanoid robots and physical AI were major themes at Automate 2026. The show featured more than 50 humanoid and quadruped systems, a significant increase from last year. Much of the discussion centered on commercialization, safety, deployment, dexterity, data collection, and training rather than future predictions. Several companies also showcased hybrid mobile manipulation platforms that combine AMR mobility with dual-arm operation, including new systems from Locus, Cobot, and Kinisi. On the physical AI side, Apptronik introduced Apollo 2 and its new Robot Park training facility, Generalist demonstrated its GEN-1 dexterity model, and FieldAI announced more than $100 million in revenue and customer contracts. submitted by /u/Responsible-Grass452 [link] [Kommentare]
I'm making a robotic mini rice transplanter, which will weigh around 4kg. Since Philippine rice fields are muddy, I'm planning to make a design with two 15cm diameter wheels that are designed with angled paddles on them, with a sled at the back. Using two 32gp 31zy 12v 80rpm motors. The back will be a sled. The two wheels will be steered with one high torque servo. The only thing I'm skeptical about is if it will work with that kind of setup. submitted by /u/spectralisunknown [link] [Kommentare]
Hello everyone, today we are opening Lucy to the r/robotics community. Lucy is an open-source robotics platform built on ROS 2 with a simple goal: One platform to rule them all. We've spent months building the foundation, and now we need your feedback to help shape what comes next. What is Lucy? Lucy provides a unified control layer for robotic systems, making it easier to configure, monitor, and control robots through a common ecosystem. The current beta includes: RViz and Gazebo integration URDF support 3D robot visualization Real-time joint control powered by ros2_control Animation creation and playback tools Webcam-based hand teleoperation Extensible ROS 2 architecture for custom interfaces and applications Try out our demo online ! 🌐 Lucy Control Panel Demo Help us with beta testing Follow the guide to install the full beta: 📋 Beta Test Guidelines And the most important for improving the project, give us your honest feedback please 🐞 Submit Feedback 📦 GitHub Repository 💬 Join our discord server to stay updated and discuss about the project We'd love to hear your thoughts, this is only the beginning ! Welcome to Lucy ! The Lucy Team ❤️ submitted by /u/sambrus_ [link] [Kommentare]