MTarm
MTarm is a desktop robot arm with the ability to perform various tasks including writing/plotting and object handling by simply changing the tool attached at the end-effector.
It is based on the more established industrial robots, but with low cost, simplicity and a small footprint being at the centre of its development.
The current iteration of the design is a 4-axis robot (MTarm 4R), with plans to develop this into a 6-axis robot (MTarm 6R) in the next iteration.
The robot is made up of a lightweight 3D printed structure on the outside, with geared stepper motors, microstepping motor drivers and Arduino Due under the hood; all supported on an aluminium base. The next iteration of the robot will most likely make use of belt drives in an attempt to reduce joint backlash while keeping its low cost and design simplicity.
The robot has a 1 kg payload capacity, and can be controlled using G-code via MTcontrol-hub software.
MTcontrol-hub
MTcontrol-hub software is a programme for controlling MTarm robots. Future updates will allow the programme to be used to control similar 4-axis or 6-axis robots driven by stepper motors and microstepping motor drivers by implementing a general method for inverse kinematics. It includes a simple graphical user interface (GUI) and a 3D model of the robot for online and offline simulation.
For more complex motion, the programme includes a G-code sender where individual G-code commands can be sent to the robot. A file containing G-code commands can also be loaded and automatically fed line by line to the robot for continuous motion.
The programme can also be used as a general purpose G-code sender or serial terminal for any device that can send and receive commands via serial communication.
See the Tutorials page for more information and examples of how to use MTcontrol-hub.