robot

1032 Articles

Web Tool Lets You Take Steam Controller For A Drive

June 30, 2026 by 7 Comments

One of the simplest robots to make is a bristlebot — a motor with an offset weight is attached to the head of a toothbrush, and the resulting vibrations will move the contraption across a flat surface. [Very Lazy Pixels] recently took this idea a bit further by turning the Steam Controller into a steerable, bristlebot-like robot.

To drive one’s Steam Controller across a desk, all that is needed is for a computer with a paired controller and a Chromium-based browser. From there, using the WASD buttons, the web interface converts traditional video game inputs into controller motion by spinning the controller’s rumble motors at a specific frequency. With precise control of these motors, the controller can move forwards and backwards and even turn, which is a great deal more advanced than the traditional bristlebots generally manage.

Part of what makes this possible is Valve’s willingness to release information about many of their products to the general public, enabling anyone to modify or upgrade those products to their liking. While not completely open source, it’s a step in the right direction and enables fun projects like these. We’ve seen other Valve products turned into surprisingly barebones single-board computers as well as custom portable workstations thanks to this philosophy.

Continue reading “Web Tool Lets You Take Steam Controller For A Drive” →

Increasing Local GPS Accuracy For A Small Robot

June 25, 2026 by 32 Comments

Even though GPS makes it possible for us to easily navigate around the planet in almost any vehicle we’d like, whether that’s a passenger vehicle, airplane, or cargo ship, it’s not really suitable for applications that require sub-meter accuracy. For that, some specialized hardware is needed, and [GreatScott!] shows us how to do it using a small robot as a platform.

The key to extremely accurate GPS signals in this case is using a receiver that supports real-time kinematic positioning (RTK). This type of system relies on a base station with a known position communicating with local mobile receivers to increase the precision of those mobile receivers by comparing the phase angle of the received signals. Of course these modules are much more expensive than the average standard GPS receiver, but for this kind of accuracy there is always a cost.

After getting a baseline accuracy of around two meters with a standard GPS receiver, [GreatScott!] installs the RTK GPS mobile receiver on a tracked robotic platform and a base station on a fence post. With the RTK system running, the limiting factor in accuracy became the robot’s steering system, as its turning radius and steering algorithms weren’t up to the task of hitting centimeter-sized targets out of the box.

But, as a proof-of-concept, it goes to show how accurate GPS can be as long as the right hardware is used, and for practical applications is good enough to mow a lawn with a robot or even do some amateur land surveying.

Continue reading “Increasing Local GPS Accuracy For A Small Robot” →

Print Your Own Robby The Robot

June 9, 2026 by 5 Comments

When it comes to robots, few are as iconic as Robby. [Ogrinz Labs] has wanted to build one and even examined a real one up for auction to get high-res photos of it. He also combined his designs with some other open-source designs, and it looks good. He’s released his design as a Creative Commons-licensed set of STL files that you, in theory, could print. There are more details and instructions in the video below.

If you are looking for something quick to print for the weekend, this isn’t it. As you might expect, this is a lot to print. The creator admits, too, that it isn’t totally accurate. It has bigger feet, for example, so his feet can fit inside. There are a few other modifications made for different reasons, but only a hard-core Robby enthusiast would notice any of them.

Continue reading “Print Your Own Robby The Robot” →

Building A C-3PO You Can Really Talk To

May 2, 2026 by 7 Comments

C-3PO is one of the more famous movie robots out there. However, we don’t see a lot of replicas built, perhaps because in speech and mannerisms, he’s quite hard to replicate. Of course, that feat has become much more achievable with modern AI tech, as [Samuel Potozkin] demonstrates.

We’re not looking at a full C-3PO build here, it’s just the head—but for the project’s purposes, that’s all that was really required. The build relies on a Raspberry Pi 5 as the brains of the droid. It’s running a mic hooked up to a real time speech to text engine, and that text is then sent to a large language model for interpretation. Responses are then generated, passed through a processing layer to capture C-3PO’s general tone and vibe, and then handed off to a text-to-speech synth to imitate the iconic voice, played via speaker. The end result is a C-3PO you can actually talk to, which is something that might have knocked a few socks off when the movie first launched in 1977. In-depth materials for the build can be had via Google Drive and on Github.

This ersatz C-3PO isn’t an exact dupe of the movie ‘bot.  The protocol droid is a little slow to respond, and the patter isn’t quite on point, even if the voice synth makes a good effort at mimicking the original. Overall, it’s a little… robotic… something you wouldn’t say of the character in the movies. Still, it’s a great effort, and something we haven’t really seen much of before. If you like more classic droid replicas, though, we’ve featured those too. Video after the break.

Continue reading “Building A C-3PO You Can Really Talk To” →

PenPal, A Robotic Drawing Assistant

April 25, 2026 by 11 Comments

Emergent properties include examples like murmurations of starlings which can’t be predicted from looking at a single bird, weather which can’t be predicted by looking at a few air molecules, and consciousness which can’t be predicted by looking at a neuron. Likewise, when adding a new tool to a workflow, emergent properties can show up as well. A group at Chicago University developed a robotic drawing tool and a few artists developed some unique drawing methods using it.

The robotic pen uses a pair of tendons to extend the working end out a certain amount. From there it uses a set of servos to can be programmed to revolve around in a defined path, making repeating movements while the artist makes larger movements over the paper. Originally meant for shading, small circles or simpler back-and-forth movements were preset, but with full control over the pen’s behavior the artist can shift focus away to other tasks within the creative process. A study with ten participants was done which showed artists coming up with novel ways of using a tool like this, and others reporting that it’s almost like drawing together with another person.

Looking for novel ways that humans can interact with computers and robots can often lead to surprising outcomes like this. Members of this group aren’t new to novel human interface devices either; they’ve also built a squishy dynamic button as well.

Continue reading “PenPal, A Robotic Drawing Assistant” →

3D Printed Robot Arm Built For Learning Purposes

March 24, 2026 by 5 Comments

If you want to work with robots you can do all sorts of learning with software and simulation, but nothing quite beats getting to grips with real machinery. That was the motivation for [James Gullberg] to build this impressive robot arm. 

Featuring six degrees of freedom, the robot arm is mostly constructed of 3D printed components. This let [James] experiment with a wide variety of joint and reducer designs for the sake of learning and investigation. The base of the robot uses a fairly conventional planetary gear drive, while shoulder and elbow joints rely on split-ring planetary gearboxes to allow for high torque density with regards to size. [James] implemented a neat sensing technique here, integrating alternating magnets into the output ring gear which are monitored via a magnetic encoder. The wrist joint switches things up again, running via an inverted belt differential.

Running the show is an STM32 microcontroller, which talks to all the encoders, communicates with a Raspberry Pi over CAN bus, and handles all the necessary PID control loops and step generation for the drive motors. The plan is to run higher-level control on the Raspberry Pi which will run a ROS 2-based software stack. Already, the various joints look smooth and impressive in motion.

If you’re looking to learn about robot arms, you really can’t beat building one. We’ve featured a few projects along these lines before. Most of them aren’t exactly production-line ready, but they will teach you a ton about control, motion planning, and all sorts of associated skills. That experience can be invaluable if you intend to work with robots in industry.

Continue reading “3D Printed Robot Arm Built For Learning Purposes” →

Real Robot Makes Debut In Programming Game

March 19, 2026 by 1 Comment

Sometimes the right tool for the right job appears almost out of nowhere. That was certainly the case for [Jonathan] who came across an unusual but well-designed robot at a secondhand shop. The robot needed a bit of work to get back into a usable condition, but after that it was ready for use. For such a unique machine, it needed a unique place to work as well, so in this build [Jonathan] uses it as a real robot to recreate a popular board game meant to teach programming to children.

In the original board game, called Robot Turtles, there are no actual robots. Instead, players use cards to control turtles to reach objectives in much the same way that a programmer would solve a similar problem with a computer. A board game with such a name almost demands a robot, so [Jonathan] found a larger playing surface in the form of soft matting blocks, each with a number or letter, that can be assembled into a grid. To make the game, he built a Python application on top of the interface he reverse-engineered in a previous build. It handles the robot interface, control, input, and a PyGame GUI. The game can either be played in real-time, or the robot’s moves can be queued.

In addition to keyboard input, the bot can also be controlled by putting cards from the actual board game itself on an NFC reader he made. [Jonathan] has a four-year-old at home, so he hopes that all of these projects will have an impression and encourage experimentation and discovery of computers and programming.

Continue reading “Real Robot Makes Debut In Programming Game” →