JesseDarr’s new project is different from the usual DIY robotics project. He has made a robotic arm called dARM. It is a robotic arm with 6 degrees of freedom, and most of the parts are 3D printed. He has used brushless DC motors for its working rather than servo motors. These are the kind of motors you would usually find in more advanced machines, and they help the arm move more smoothly and lift heavier stuff.
Jesse used ODrive S1 motor controllers to control the brushless DC motors in the robotic arm. There are eight of these controllers, and they’re all connected using CAN bus. This whole setup is linked to a Raspberry Pi 4B, which works like the brain of the robot. All the controllers are joined together in a row using simple twisted pair wires. This neat wiring makes the robot arm easier to build and manage. To make the project even better, different motors are used in different sections of the arm. Big motors lift hefty loads. Medium-sized motors go in the arm's mid-section, and a small motor operates the gripper at the end.
JesseDarr also shared all the details, like how he put everything together and how to set up the robotic arm. That means if you're someone who loves building things or wants to learn about robotics, you can actually follow his documentation and try making one yourself. It’s a great way to learn and make their own robotic arm.
