After getting a meArm, I went to work making a bigger stronger longer version. I doubled the size, added bearings to the joints and removed wobble from the base. This version uses an electromagnet instead of a gripper and can lift over 5lbs. The creation and success of this project has motivated me into making other styles of robotic arms. I hope this will be an inspiration for other to do the same. My design can be found on Instructables and Thingiverse.
Robot arms are fun to watch and more fun to play with. This design gives you the added bonus of building your own robot arm. Using a 3d printer and parts from the hardware store I was able to increase the lifting ability and strength of the original “meArm” kit. I added a few new features to correct issues I had with the original kit.
To view the original “meArm” check out his project at Pocket-Sized-Robot-Arm-meArm-V04. I purchased his kit from Adafruit and had fun putting it together and trying it out. I love the design, it looks like a robot arm in a factory. The original “meArm” is a good kit but a little weak for any real use. So I fired up SketchUp and warmed up the 3d printer. Time to make it bigger, stronger and longer! I doubled the scale, added bearings to the joints for smother movement, and bigger servos to help move heavier objects. I had some issues to overcome and have more improvements I would like to make but I am well on the way to a successful project.
…Special thanks to: phenoptix for releasing this project as open source. I have learned so much!
Phenoptix MeArm Pocket Sized Robot Arm Kit – Powder Blue v0.4 – PBLU v0.4: We like our robots cute, functional, and fun – and this DIY project, the MeArm Pocket Sized Robot Arm fulfills all those criterias and more. The MeArm kit is an open source robot arm by Phenoptix that’s designed to work the Arduino (or any microcontroller that can drive hobby servos) to give you a moving, grasping robotic arm. (read more)
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