3D Pen Used To Build Cleaning Robot That Picks Up Socks

Your average 3D printer is just a nozzle shooting out hot  plastic while being moved around by a precise robotic mechanism. There’s nothing stopping you replacing the robot and moving around the plastic-squirting nozzle yourself. That’s precisely what [3D Sanago] did to produce this cute little robot.

The beginning of the video sets the tone. “First we create the base that will become the robot vacuum’s body,” explains [3D Sanago]. “I quickly and precisely make a 15 x 15 cm square almost as if I were a 3D printer.” It’s tedious and tiring to move the 3D printing pen through the motions to build simple parts, but that’s the whole gimmick here. What’s wild is how good the results are. With the right post-processing techniques using an iron, [3D Sanago] is able to produce quite attractive plastic parts that almost justify the huge time investment.

The robot itself works in a fairly straightforward fashion. It’s got four gear motors driving four omniwheels, which let it pan around in all directions with ease. They’re under command of an Arduino Uno paired with a multi-channel motor driver board. The robot also has a servo-controlled arm for moving small objects. The robot lacks autonomy. Instead, [3D Sanago] gave it a wireless module so it could be commanded with a PS4 controller. Despite being referred to as a “robot vacuum,” it’s more of a general “cleaning robot” since it only has an arm to move objects, with no actual vacuum hardware. It’s prime use? Picking up socks.

We’ve seen [3D Sanago]’s fine work before, too. Video after the break.

9 thoughts on “3D Pen Used To Build Cleaning Robot That Picks Up Socks

  1. Looking at the thumbnail I also was amazed with the quality. But turns out the 3D pen is just used to make plastic sheets, which are then finished with various other tools.

    It’s a great prototyping method, but I would just buy PVC foam plastic sheet ready made – superglue sticks to it great and it is easy to cut.

  2. 100% chance I’d burn myself if I were him.

    Not that I’d spend 2 hours with a 3D pen to make a sheet.
    But I do admire his skill in using that hot knife thingy though.

Leave a Reply to IIVQCancel reply

Please be kind and respectful to help make the comments section excellent. (Comment Policy)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.