Date of Award
2026
Document Type
Thesis
Terms of Use
© 2026 Vansh Garg, Eric Chen, and Kaw Moo. This work is freely available courtesy of the author. It may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. For all other uses, please contact the copyright holder.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Engineering Department
First Advisor
Emad Masroor
Abstract
This project involved the design, fabrication, and testing of a 6 degree of freedom robotic arm. The goal was to demonstrate that a low-cost, 3D-printed system could achieve useful strength, modularity, and basic manipulation for simple pick-and-place tasks. Potential applications include education, prototyping, hobbyist robotics, and low-precision automation.
The mechanical system uses 3D-printed arm links, cycloidal gearboxes, belt-driven transmission, bearings, and a modular end effector. These components were selected to balance cost, manufacturability, and performance, with gear reduction used to increase available joint torque. The electrical system provides motor actuation, power distribution, and controller integration, while the software enables command-based control, manual operation, home positioning, and early inverse kinematics functionality.
The system was evaluated using the Rocket Assembly Challenge, where the arm was required to pick up and stack objects within its workspace. The total project cost was approximately $1,194.96, remaining within the $1,200 budget, while a simplified kit version was estimated at around $340.
The results demonstrate that a functional low-cost robotic arm is achievable, but several limitations remain. Structural rigidity, print tolerances, and electrical reliability affected performance, and the lack of a finalized control system limited repeatability. A custom PCB was designed but not implemented, and further work is needed to improve motion safety, collision avoidance, and feedback integration before the system can be used in more demanding applications.
Recommended Citation
Garg, Vansh , ‘26; Chen, Eric , ‘26; and Moo, Kaw , ‘26, "6 Degrees of Freedom Robotic Arm" (2026). Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards. 1087.
https://works.swarthmore.edu/theses/1087