MeArm - Your Robot | Hackaday.io

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Description

The MeArm project aims to bring a simple Robot Arm well within the reach and budget of the average educator, student, parent or child. The design brief we set out with was to build a full robot arm kit with standard low cost screws, low cost servo motors and using less than 300 x 200mm (~A4) of acrylic. Where the MeArm project is different is that the problem it’s trying to solve isn’t about robotics but about getting people into science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics or STEAM. The more people who are involved with these STEAM activities the more chance we have of solving all of life’s problems, from cancer to getting humanity to Mars. There are well over 1,000,000 MeArms in the wild at the time of writing, we've just fulfilled a Kickstarter for the controller, which marks the start of a new chapter, taking the MeArm to anyone who wants to learn to code!

Details

The MeArm is an Open Sourced Robot Arm. It's small, like pocket sized and that's for a reason. It can be cut entirely from an A4 (or more accurately 300x200mm) sheet of acrylic and built with 4 cheap hobby servos. It's live on our site for about $35 or £25 for those in the UK. All the files are linked on this project page and hosted on thingiverse. It supposed to be an educational aid, or more accurately a toy. It still needs some tinkering but is at a good first draft state. There will be more instructions coming and no doubt more tweaks too.

Please get involved, build your own, break it, improve it and break it again.

Components

4 × 9g Hobby Servo Cheapest servos you can buy. Want this to be affordable and hackable

1 × A4 Acrylic Sheet 3mm The aim is to cut the whole arm from an A4 sheet, with a laser cutter

1 × Arduino Uno or Leonardo

1 × Various M3 Fixings List to follow

Project Logs

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10 year update...
ben.phenoptix • 4 days ago • 0 comments

It's been a while since we've updated this project but there's been a lot of metaphorical water (and physical water) under both real and metaphorical bridges.

MeArm became a business in its own rights, supplying the mighty but short-lived Hackaday store, the amazing Adafruit, and the international RS components. We employed someone to run the lasers and a while later we formed another company, called Mime Industries, were we took on a drawing robot called the Mirobot and planned to make more products for makers and fans of open source worldwide.
Things went well for a while, we employed another person, and got an even bigger laser. A kickstarter for the Raspberry Pi version followed, and we fulfilled that with no issues. Personally I struggled with the split of labour in the business where I was managing the production and fulfilment and no longer making product decisions. We launched the version 2.0 which massively reduced the build time, introduced a PCB to the bill of materials, and relied on nitrile bands to hold it together. It was launched along with the MeArm Pi with mixed reviews as to it's stability.
While the company wasn't perfect my dad passing away suddenly hit me very hard, the company started to struggle as I was running the sharp end of things. Things wound down somewhat and as directors we went our separate ways with in the company. I closed up our office and sadly made the two people who'd joined us redundant, with plenty of notice and on the best possible terms. It was sad but I was in no state to carry on carrying the weight of a company.
Eventually MeArm was licenced to a company called Kitronik, who are a very lovely bunch. I redesigned the MeArm, removing the nitrile bands, but keeping the PCB (for now). This version 3.0 is the current version. Is still quick to build but has better stability and a simplified bill of materials. I also joined Kitronik for a time as a staff member and continued to support the MeArm as a product.
Working for Kitronik was a great experience, but I was offered the chance to do some freelance design and took the opportunity. Later I decided to take the MeArm back "in house" which is essentially in my workshop, a building I built at the end of my garden.
That's where we are today. The version 3.0 is the current build, but I'd love to reconnect with Hackaday to redesign a fourth version. A version where we say goodbye to the PCB, which is essentially a $2 solution to a 10 cents problem, and also a big barrier to entry for those wishing to make their robot at home. There are some other fixes and changes on the list too, but we'll have an open discussion about that on here as we progress.

Thank you for following the project, and I hope this update is of some interest. Massive thanks for supporting me and the project over the last decade. If you want to try out the current state of the MeArm check out our (my) store at mearm.com
MeArm on the Raspberry Pi
ben.phenoptix • 01/26/2016 at 15:29 • 0 comments

So it's been a while in coming but I finally took a look into running the MeArm on a Raspberry Pi. I've not done this before because mainly I find the Pi a Pig to work with. Really I find the set up frustrating when I could just use USB into my PC for better hardware hacking. But hey ho, lots of folks love the Raspberry Pi so I should really be looking at it a little more!

It was actually a lot easier than I expected to get the PWM outputs working on the GPIO, thanks to some software called Servo Blaster. The Fritzing image below is actually a little more complex than it needs to be, but making it simpler would have made it look more complex...

I've put together a WIP over on the MeArm site blog.
Documentation Frenzy!
ben.phenoptix • 09/04/2015 at 16:11 • 0 comments

Some great new docs done this week! Full guide on how build our all included kit and also a new guide on setting up a MeArm on an Arduino. All available on our resources page!
I'll get the links updated on here too. But now onto the weekend!!
Another new derivative is born!
ben.phenoptix • 08/30/2015 at 21:26 • 2 comments

This would appear to be at least derivative number five and I'm really looking forward to the chance to go over the files of this one! The #eeArm has come to us via South Africa where it was part of a Tech Street Market project.
Looks like there have been some savings in the acrylic, which I would have thought might have weakened the structure a little, but I'm keen to see how it performs!
The finished article is a little funkier looking than our original. Really want to get one of these for the collection!
MeArms of the World!!
ben.phenoptix • 08/07/2015 at 21:11 • 0 comments

Putting together all the data we have to hand at MeArm Robotics we were able to cobble together this map showing the city or town where our robots have ended up. We'd like to make something to collect data on wild arms too, so if web forms to googlemaps is something you know about please get in touch!
Bit of a Hack Adds Polar Coordinate IK
ben.phenoptix • 06/08/2015 at 08:04 • 1 comment

We've had some really amazing contributions to the MeArm project and this weekend another one popped up on my twitter feed. A chap called Daniel Bailey put together a guide on running the MeArm with Inverse Kinematics (IK) - where you tell it where to go via coordinates rather than angles to point the servos at.
It's a really great guide which covers some concepts that need addressing in the MeArm instructions, like calibration. It also has great photographs:
It's amazing that someone has taken the time to do this work and it really makes the work we're putting in worth while! Many thanks Daniel, now everyone go and check out his site at Bit Of A Hack.
The MeArm makes RealSense
ben.phenoptix • 02/02/2015 at 21:37 • 0 comments

Points (skulls maybe) for a pun title please! Don't know if it's the black background or the sexy gold skull but I do love to write on the Hackaday.io site. Sorry that's a pointless aside. The point is that the MeArm has been shown to work rather well with the Intel RealSense Camera, as shown by the talented Bryan Brown on his youtube channel.
I thought this was impressive and wrote another blog about it at blog.mearm.io where I'm putting the majority of MeArm news these days. Only wish I had more time to write it all!
Hackaday Munich MeArm Giveaway
Jasmine Brackett • 01/05/2015 at 23:04 • 82 comments

Update: The winner of the MeArm Giveaway Random Draw is @Fidel salinas who mentioned @AFSLabs in their comment. We'll be in touch via private messaging to find out where to send the MeArms!
Commiserations to everyone else who entered. Don't forget to follow or skull the #181. #MeArm - Pocket Sized Robot Arm project, or if you are really desperate for a MeArm you can buy one over at the Hackaday Store.
Couldn't make it to Hackaday Munich? Heard about the great Robot Workshop? Well, we've got a pair of Limited Edition Hackaday Munich MeArms to giveaway to two lucky Hackaday.io members so they can experiment at home.
A big thanks to @ben.phenoptix for letting us hijack his project for a week, and for sending out the MeArms to the winners.
How to enter
All you need to do is leave a comment on this Project Log sharing this project with another member who you think would also love a MeArm.
You do this by using our new @username and #projectid feature e.g.
"@Adam Fabio, I've entered us into the MeArm giveaway. Check out
#181. #MeArm - Pocket Sized Robot Arm for more details."
Only leave one comment with mentions. You can comment more, but only your first comment with mentions will be entered in the draw. Comments without both a @username and #projectid mention will be ignored for the purpose of the draw.
Deadline
You need to leave your comment before midnight Jan 11 2015. On the Jan 12, we'll draw the winner at random, let everyone know who they are, and post the MeArms out to their new homes.
Got questions?
If you have any questions regarding the giveaway, you can ask them in the Project Log comments.
Hackaday Prize Party Munich - Special Edition MeArms!
ben.phenoptix • 12/19/2014 at 17:13 • 1 comment

The MeArm was lucky enough to be invited along to the Hackaday Prize Party in Munich. Since the MeArm was going to be used in the Roboto workshop we thought we'd make a little something special to honour the occasion. That was the Hackaday Prize Party Special Limited Edition MeArm!
25 were made for the event and boy were they made for the event! All assembled in the bar the night before the event by hard pressed Hackaday staff or by myself and willing volunteers at the prize party. Being tired and emotional at the end of the MeArm build marathon it seems I forgot one thing! The spares! We'd actually produced 28 as we expected there to be a few breakages. Since they were minimum it means we actually have three Limited Edition Hackaday Prize MeArms (numbered 26/25, 27/25 and 28/25) left!
If I only had a brain - MeArm Kickstarter
ben.phenoptix • 12/17/2014 at 21:17 • 0 comments

Been a while since my last project update and so much has happened with the MeArm. I've promised some time this week to get my Hackaday.io blog up to date now the preparations for the MeBrain Kickstarter have finished and we've launched!
The MeBrain is an Arduino-Compatible built on the Mega32u4. We want to make it as simple as possible to use the MeArm, but also pack so much cool stuff under the hood that you can't help but want to tinker.
The Kickstarter has gone well and reached target in just over 24 hours! We've just added some stretch goals to give us something new to aim at!

View all 26 project logs

Discussions

eliotsteckling wrote 09/07/2024 at 01:34

where is the file

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EngineerAllen wrote 02/06/2017 at 21:48

interesting

took me ages to read

funny enough, when i went to download the design from thingiverse a related one looked a lot better and had a lot more downloads so i went for that one instead so i wasted my time i guess

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ActualDragon wrote 02/13/2017 at 23:47

oh no here we go again

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muthukumaran wrote 12/04/2016 at 20:53

I am embarking on building a larger version of meArm (at least 1.5x
to 2x the original size). Some details of by my build (very rudimentary
as at now) are :
1. Planning to use MDF for constructiion
2. Arduino UNO with a spare 15 channel servo shield (I already have one so will put it to use)
3. Use TowerPro MG995 for shoulder, base and elbow rotations
4. Use a 6v 3A wallwart for powering motors and separate battery to power Arduino
I have a fundamental doubt on the design though
Since
shoulder and elbow motors are indirectly connected by parallel links, I
was wondering what would happen to elbow motor when shoulder motor is
actuated ? In other words, would shoulder motor not rotate the elbow motor indirectly even when elbow motor is not actuated? So, should the shoulder motor also account for the torque required for idle rotation of elbow motor shaft ?
I tried basic testing of TowerPro and it takes a fair amount of torque for idle rotation.
Even if I proceed with this approach, would elbow motor start acting like a generator for above scenario and would that damage the motor shield / arduino ?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions and clarifications

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abijithmm15 wrote 08/11/2016 at 15:32

i like u r project meArm,can it made to an large one.

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Daniel wrote 02/29/2016 at 15:28

I am now doing some analysis on the MeArm, starting with the work envelope. This might be interesting for some fellow engineers! #MeArm Adventures

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taylorf wrote 01/10/2015 at 02:51

@sgtsabot , maybe we'll both win by helping each other out. I've gone ahead and entered us! #181. #MeArm - Pocket Sized Robot Arm

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Jasmine Brackett wrote 01/12/2015 at 01:17

Hello taylorf, it's not clear I know, but can you go post your comment on the project log http://hackaday.io/project/181-mearm-pocket-sized-robot-arm/log/12024-hackaday-prize-party-munich-special-edition-mearms

That will make it a valid entry. Thanks.

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sgtsabot wrote 01/08/2015 at 02:08

Am I random enough to win a mearm? I think I am! The only thing cooler than robots is robots with lasers!

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Jasmine Brackett wrote 01/09/2015 at 22:12

Hello sgtsabot, go to http://hackaday.io/project/181/log/12633-hackaday-munich-mearm-giveaway. Read the 'How to enter' bit carefully, and leave a comment there. Then you might be in for a chance to get an arm!

Are you sure? yes | no

Jasmine Brackett wrote 11/18/2014 at 14:31

Hey Ben, great to meet you at Hackaday Munich. I thought I would let you know that Stefan-Xp has shared some images from the day starting with a few of the MeArm tables http://hackaday.io/page/601 :)

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Alvaro wrote 11/18/2014 at 13:16

Ben, I've been waiting for phenoptix to ship a mearm to me for a month and a half already. i've sent you two emails already -which have gone unanswered so far, meanwhile you're blogging and tweeting and whatnot. If you set up an online shop you have to take care of it instead of playing with gadgets all day long. I'm really pissed and you have my money already and I can't do a paypal dispute since I paid with Bitcoin.

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ben.phenoptix wrote 11/18/2014 at 13:39

Hi Alvaro, apologies that we missed your email (I can only find one though). It's been a busy period and I can but apologise and make sure the arm is sent. I'll also put a couple of metal gear servos in to try and go some little way to making up for the poor service.

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Alvaro wrote 11/19/2014 at 23:38

Thank you

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filid wrote 11/17/2014 at 07:20

Hi Ben,

thanks for giving me on of the arms on the hackaday in munich. I will use it as said on the next coderdojo in munich.
Here is the first glimpse of what we going to present to the kids.

http://www.linuxpinguin.de/2014/11/mearm-pocket-sized-robot-arm/

Cheers,
-mat-

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Jasmine Brackett wrote 08/06/2014 at 20:19

Hello ben.phenoptix, time to add a few more details to your project to give it the best chance of going through to the next round of The Hackaday Prize.

By August 20th you must have the following:
- A video. It should be less than 2 minutes long describing your project. Put it on YouTube (or Youku), and add a link to it on your project page. This is done by editing your project (edit link is at the top of your project page) and adding it as an "External Link"
- At least 4 Project Logs (you've got this covered)
- A system design document
- Links to code repositories, and remember to mention any licenses or permissions needed for your project. For example, if you are using software libraries you need to document that information.

You should also highlight how your project is Connected and Open in the details and video. There is a couple of tutorial video's with more info here: http://hackaday.com/2014/07/26/4-minutes-to-entry/

Good luck!

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JayPee wrote 07/26/2014 at 19:00

I kind of want to build one of these as a first robot arm project, however I have 1/4" acrylic and larger servos (sg-5010). I think I'll dl your files and scale them up so my motors will fit, and I promise to keep the M3 holes the same size. I'll keep you updated/appraised/etc!

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APBurner wrote 07/02/2014 at 19:11

Is there any way to get a printable PDF for those of us without a lasercutter of 3D printer. I could cut it out of plywood with my scrollsaw.

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ben.phenoptix wrote 07/11/2014 at 10:19

Sorry for the delay! Great idea, adding it now!

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ptkinvent wrote 06/18/2014 at 14:06

Pretty awesome, saw your design on Instructables.com as well

( http://www.instructables.com/id/MeArm-Build-a-Small-Hackable-Robot-Arm/?ALLSTEPS )

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Jasmine Brackett wrote 06/10/2014 at 19:13

Hello Ben, Good work with the updates and letting us know what happened at the Science Museum.

We've updated the submission process for The Hackaday Prize, so If you want to officially enter this project - login and use the 'submit to' under your project images on the left hand side.

Any problems give me a shout.

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glofishing wrote 04/17/2014 at 21:28

By challenge I mean, what is the torque profile? It looks like the torque profile is different from robots that hook the servo directly instead of through a linkage.

With your model of production you could offer multiple SKUs without incurring much extra cost. I could see a simple robot arm with 3 motors sparking the desire to buy a larger arm.

The arm looks cool but I have an arduino, servos that came with, and access to a 3d printer. A better audience to go after would be people who do not yet have an arduino.
I could see this thing sell a lot of units on kickstarter or science toy store, coming in a flat package where you break the parts off and screw together.
I recall the barebones arduino costs something like $5 total. Tack on another $6 for servos (or hobby motors with no feedback other than current monitor to prevent burnout).
The question is, how much does the frame cost?

BTW, theres an artical on hackaday for programming barebones arduino with the audio output. So it could still be a good device for hackers.

What is your goal with this project?

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ben.phenoptix wrote 04/29/2014 at 08:37

Thanks very much for your questions, sorry that 11 days have passed since you asked them but I've really been thinking about the project a great deal since then.

I'm not sure of the torque profile of the current MeArm but would like to find out, I've looked into measuring it but will have to look again as I'm still a little unsure of the methodology, if this is something you know about I'd be really grateful to have your input.

I could see the multiple arm model working, and have half an eye on that bringing in some larger servos and just dragging the whole model to scale it up.

As for the broader audience I've been thinking about that too. The plan is to build a bare bones Arduino compatible, either with the 328 for ease and through hole parts (that could be breadboarded) or 32u4 based to have USB connectivity without the need for another chip or external programmer. The board would have two joysticks for controlling the arm and be flashed with a basic sketch out of the box so to speak. It would be an Arduino at Heart project. The break out of a board idea was put to me a few weeks ago at an event and I like it, but broken acrylic is really sharp so that might limit that idea somewhat. Jack is making the files to test that to see.

I'll be taking the MeArm to the Science Museum in London for 5 days of workshops so will see what feedback we get there. It would be interesting to build a "retail" style product with it, but that wasn't the aim. A retail product or kickstarter would publicise the project so that would be advantageous.

The frame is cut from a single sheet of A4 size acrylic so depending on where you get your acrylic and if you have access to a laser cutter it could be as low as $1.

The goal with this project is to build a robot arm that is available at low enough cost as to be available to whoever wants one.

Are you sure? yes | no

ben.phenoptix wrote 04/17/2014 at 18:49

Not sure what you mean by what's the challenge? Could you explain a little more what you mean?
You could put a kit together yourself from the plans for around $10, as long as you were savvy with your servos and had access to a laser cutter. The problem with me providing a kit at the $20 price is there would be very little profit in it once other expenses were considered. Profit is important to me because my kids have become accustomed to food and shelter.
You could remove a servo but it you'd lose so much functionality.
There wouldn't be a massive difference in price for a wood kit, although it's a cheaper material its more difficult to work, you have to spend more time cleaning the laser and if you get a batch of crappy laser ply you get a lot of wastage.

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glofishing wrote 04/17/2014 at 16:39

What's the challenge with the design? I have never designed a robot arm in a serious manner.
This could be a cool kit if the pricing was better. Do you know the price difference between acrylic and wood? I could see myself really enjoying this if it was $15-$20 total. Even if it meant less degrees of freedom. 3 Motors would be enough for me.

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ben.phenoptix wrote 04/17/2014 at 13:56

Right now just an Arduino Sketch to control the servos, v.basic. Up to now it's all been about getting the hardware right. I'll add it to Github anyhow!

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glofishing wrote 04/17/2014 at 13:53

Is there software?

Are you sure? yes | no

MeArm - Your Robot

Description

Details

Components

Project Logs

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10 year update...

MeArm on the Raspberry Pi

Documentation Frenzy!

Another new derivative is born!

MeArms of the World!!

Bit of a Hack Adds Polar Coordinate IK

The MeArm makes RealSense

Hackaday Munich MeArm Giveaway

Hackaday Prize Party Munich - Special Edition MeArms!

If I only had a brain - MeArm Kickstarter

Discussions

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