A build your own robot manipulator for manufacturing education

Robotics is one of the major disruptive technologies of our time, and offers significant opportunities for innovation and competitiveness in the global marketplace. However, in resource-poor countries like India, engineering education is hampered by a lack of access to affordable and innovative hands-on practical education modules for the laboratory. This is especially the case in emerging disciplines like robotics. Moreover, expensive commercial grade robots offer limited scope for experimentation and learning outcomes in an academic setting. This situation can be remedied with the increasing affordability and versatility of open source hardware like microcontrollers and microcomputers, commercial off-the-shelf components like motors, actuators, sensors and power transmission mechanisms, as well as free, open source software. In this paper, a low-cost build your own (BYO) three-link electrically actuated robot manipulator is designed and developed for adoption in robotics and mechatronics laboratory courses. It can be disseminated and adapted on a wide scale at affordable cost for hands-on manufacturing education.