All projects
AM-003 · University of Waterloo · Robotics / Product Design
Autonomous 3D-Printed Crane Robot
A 3 DOF pick-and-place crane that locates, grips and moves payloads on its own, with a custom ray-fin gripper and load-cell force feedback.
- Placement precision
- 3 mm
- Trial success rate
- 95%
- Motion
- 3 DOF
01What
- Designed and built a 3 DOF autonomous crane pick-and-place robot
- Designed for precision, range of motion and gripping irregular surfaces
- Locates, grasps and transports payloads without human intervention
02How
- Designed in SolidWorks and programmed in C++ on Arduino
- Developed "Ray Fin" end-effectors integrated with a load cell
- Designed a custom bearing carriage in place of standard linear rails to reduce mass
- Fabricated drivetrain components with 3D printing and machining to optimize torque transfer
- NEMA 17 steppers drive the lead screw axes, a high-torque NEMA 23 rotates the base and an SG90 servo actuates the gripper
- Arduino Mega maps a dual-axis joystick and push button to 3-axis motion, with load-cell gripper force feedback
03Results
- Achieved 3 mm placement precision with a 95% success rate across trials
- Demonstrated grasping of complex shapes with the custom ray-fin gripper
Tools & methods
SolidWorksC++Arduino3D PrintingMachining