r/AskRobotics

Hello, I want to get into advanced robotics. I am planning on buying an arm and playing around with it using lerobot. However, I want to look at alternatives before buying an arm. One arm I thought was interesting was SO-ARM101. It is around $300. What arms do you guys suggest/what alternatives do you recommend? I also have access to a 3D printer and a ton of Axon servos (like 10 of them lol) but I am not that good at 3D printing so I can't design anything. If there is a open source CAD design that could work as well. Thanks

I studied EE in college but have been working as a Software Engineer for the past 10 years. I've worked for a range of companies now, from startups to big tech, and mostly dealing with web technologies. While the compensation is nice, the work itself (full stack web development particularly) is starting to get a bit boring.

Recently I've been reading up on a bunch of topics around robotics and its gotten me interested enough to see if this is something I could pivot my career towards. Has anyone made a similar transition? How did you go about it and what was your experience like?

I've been thinking about how beginners should approach robotics today.

There are so many ways to start — Arduino, ESP32, ROS 2, simulation, computer vision, Python, C++, CAD, sensors, and now AI tools. The amount of available material is almost overwhelming.

A common path seems to be:

Arduino → basic sensors → line follower → obstacle avoidance → ROS → bigger projects

But I'm not sure there's one "correct" progression.

For someone starting robotics from scratch, would you recommend learning things in a specific order?

For example:

- Start with electronics and microcontrollers?

- Learn Python/C++ first?

- Build physical robots immediately or start in simulation?

- Learn control systems and PID early?

- Move to ROS 2 only after understanding the basics?

- Learn computer vision separately or integrate it into projects?

- Use AI coding tools while learning, or avoid them initially?

I'm especially interested in the transition from following tutorials to actually solving problems independently .

At what point should a beginner stop following step-by-step projects and start designing their own?

And if you had to start learning robotics again today , what would you do differently ?

I think the biggest challenge isn't finding tutorials anymore — there are thousands of them. It's figuring out which skills to learn first and how to connect them into real projects .

What learning path worked best for you?

I'm currently finishing my 2nd year of a PhD in Automation & Control Systems. Where I am, PhD programs are three years long, so I have roughly 18 months left before graduating and starting to seriously look for industry positions.

My research sits at the intersection of robotics, control system theory, and optimization, with a focus on topics such as MPC, nonlinear safe control, system identification, Gaussian processes, and distributed optimization.

I have a solid research background and regularly use Python, ROS2, Docker, Git, Gazebo/MuJoCo, etc., but I feel that I need to broaden my engineering skills before entering industry.

Over the next 18 months, I'd like to prepare for roles in areas such as:

- Robotics / autonomous systems

- Advanced control and optimization

- Robotics software / ROS2

- ML engineering applied to robotics

In particular, I would like to improve my C++, software engineering, ML engineering/MLOps, ROS2, system design, and technical interview skills, while continuing to leverage my control/optimization background.

I have around 8–12 hours/week available outside my PhD.

For people who have made a similar transition, how would you structure those 18 months? What skills would you prioritize, and what would you avoid spending too much time on?

I'm especially interested in advice on:

- What skills are actually valuable in robotics/controls industry

- Good resources or learning paths

- Projects that would make a strong portfolio

- How much time to dedicate to LeetCode/DSA vs actual engineering projects

- Whether C++/ROS2/ML engineering should be the main focus

- Any mistakes you made when preparing for the transition from academia to industry

I'd really appreciate advice from people working in robotics, autonomous systems, controls, or ML engineering.

I'm from a non-electronics background. After my PUC/12th , i did 6 month diploma in graphic design and currently working as a graphic designer for 1.5 years now i am planning to move into electronics due to AI issues , i don't know anything about the electronics or hardware industry but recently some articles suggested in demand jobs like robotics, embedded engineer , vlsi and plc etc..

1. is it possible to get a job in electronics without a degree ? if yes how ?

2. if not possible means what you suggest ( suggest any role transition like 1 year this role then try that role like instead of telling to do 4 years in EEE , i can't manage )

3. and any other advice about this industry reality.

4. Can I do a bootcamp/course and enter robotics, embedded, VLSI, PLC, etc. the way a CS graduate can do a coding bootcamp and enter frontend?”

thanks & regards

I am working with a startup and have been tasked with selecting a humanoid robot (though wheeled or quadruped/dog robots could also be suggested). It needs to be able to walk around an industrial environment and allow easy integration of our AI software. Budget is not a constraint.

Currently, I am torn between the Unitree G1 EDU / H2 EDU and the PAL Robotics TIAGo Pro.

Our requirements:

• We will focus solely on the software side, so the platform needs to be stable and reliable. Our goal is quality control, the robot should walk around and inspect different sections/areas.
• In the future, we aim to add acoustic diagnostics and temperature measurement (using a thermal/infrared camera), among other sensing capabilities.
• We also want to use this project to explore and learn more about humanoid robotics, since we believe the field has significant future potential.
• We want to build and implement our own software stack rather than rely on a finished product.
• Unfortunately, Unitree does not offer a self-charging (autonomous docking/charging) option, whereas TIAGo and AgiBot do.

Could you help me choose between these options, or suggest alternatives?

This will be for a school project. The project is as follows:

We want to make a robot/rover that when switched on or prompted will start going towards a dedicated rescue zone where it will have to pick up a prop/survivor, and it will have to avoid obstacles (rubble as debris) which will be arranged randomly in it's path. It will go to the resuce zone, avoiding the obstacles, pick up the survivor, turn around, avoid the obstacles again and come back to it's origin point. Also the robot has to make the entire journey on it's own, we will only prompt it to start.

Pls if anyone can write or send a video/link which would help us how to make it and also pls say if there is a simpler way of making it where it won't be this expensive.

The components:

1. Arduino Uno-compatible board — 1

2. 2WD robot chassis kit with two DC motors, wheels, and caster wheel — 1

3. L298N motor driver module — 1

4. HC-SR04 ultrasonic distance sensor — 1

5. SG90 servo motor for ultrasonic sensor scanning — 1

6. SG90 servo motor for rescue claw — 1

7. Simple robot claw/gripper — 1

8. Battery holder with batteries — 1 set

9. Jumper wire kit — 1 set

10. Mini breadboard — 1

11. USB cable for Arduino — 1

12. On/off switch — 1

13. Buzzer — 1

14. LEDs — 2–3

15. Resistors for LEDs — 2–3

16. Electrical tape — 1 roll

17. Zip ties — 1 pack

18. Small screws, nuts, and spacers — 1 set

19. Cardboard or foam board for the rover body and claw support — as needed

20. Lightweight survivor prop with a handle — 1

Hi everyone. Around COVID, I finished my Master’s in Robotics and started a PhD focused on planning and control.

The PhD was a bit of a shitshow. I didn’t make many relevant contacts, didn’t publish much, and came out of it feeling like I hadn’t really built the career I was supposed to be building. Somehow, though, I managed to land a research role at an automotive company.

It turned out that “research” wasn’t really what the company needed from me. Instead, I ended up broadening my skill set quite a bit, working mostly on data logging infrastructure and computer vision. I learned a lot, but eventually burned out and moved to a defense company, where I’m now working on a new robotics project being the “senior” in a junior team.

On paper, I guess my career sounds reasonably interesting. In reality, I feel like a fraud.
I’ve moved between different areas without ever really feeling like I found my path. I haven’t had much of a role model or mentor to guide me, so I’ve mostly just figured things out on my own and tried to keep moving forward.

The frustrating part is that I feel like a junior in almost everything. A lot of my Master’s colleagues are now moving into senior/lead roles, while I feel like I’ve spent the last several years becoming “kind of competent” at a bunch of different things without becoming particularly good at one.

Has anyone else ended up in a similar position after a PhD or several career pivots? How did you figure out what to specialize in, or whether you even needed to specialize? And how do you get past the feeling that you’re behind everyone else?

I'm considering starting my career in robotics, I was a part of college robotics club for the past 1 year and gained a good amount of knowledge and I still have 2 years to complete my college, ryt now I'm working in robotic arm and I have worked on slam ,nav2 .I have participated in many competitions and gained good knowledge in drones ,ros 2, autonomous navigation.What else I need to explore for getting a good job in robotics domain

I have done a bunch of robotics work (high school robotics as software lead, robotics internship as a SWE intern, etc.). I will be an MIT freshman in a few weeks and wanted advice on whether a career in robotics is for me. I really enjoy robotics but it's mainly the software side. I think I'd enjoy programming robotics systems more than a traditional big tech job at some software company like google or amazon. Are jobs typically software oriented, mechanically oriented, electrically oriented, etc or are companies looking for people who specialize in multiple aspects? I understand you need understanding of everything, but I'm talking about knowing enough to be able to program the systems but not have to do much mechanical or electrical engineering.

Also, how is compensation in for a robotics SWE compared to a traditional big tech SWE? From the research I've been able to gather, robotics pays less? Am I wrong? What companies are the "FAANG" of robotics? I'm considering applying to both SWE internships at robotics and big tech companies.

Also, would a CS degree be the optimal degree for what I want to do? I don't rlly want to do anything past a bachelors bc it costs money and time so I'd rather not do a masters or PHD. Is that a big limiting factor?

Would you say that robotics has greater job security than SWE at big tech rn or no?

Any other info you think necessary for me to know as I navigate my career in the next few years would be appreciated too! Thanks!

I am planning to make a display, which plays a video on a loop.

I don't have anything planned about which screen to use or which pricing unit to use.

The video which I plan to use is 720p.

Where to start from?

It is a small screen (larger that a smartphone, and not larger than a 15 inch laptop) at the center of a wall.

Where to start from?

Which components are required?

How much difficulty is it, as this is my first time doing something related to this.....

Hello everyone,

I am currently developing my thesis using a KUKA KR6 robotic manipulator. The purpose is to use it to test new and upcoming knee surgeries on cadaveric knees. The femur will be fixed to a table, and the manipulator will move the tibia in relation to it. I have programmed the trajectories in KRL, using LIN movements. I am now on to the part of programming the correct anatomical velocities.

The knee has 6 degrees of freedom, which correspond directly to Cartesian coordinates in my Kuka setup as follows:

X - Anterior Drawer

Y - Lateral Shift

Z - Joint Distraction

A - External Rotation

B - Flexion

C - Abduction

I have data on the angular velocity of knee flexion, and I want to translate it into information I can input into my KRL program. However, Kuka only takes VEL.CP, VEL.ORI1 and VEL.ORI2.

If I'm understanding correctly, VEL.ORI1 is the velocity of the Z axis turning on itself, so it's directly the External rotation velocity. However, I am not clear on what the ORI2 velocity is. I have seen on other online forums that it is the velocity of the angle phi, in spherical coordinates (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:3D\_Spherical\_2.svg), is that correct?

Additionally, does anyone have an insight on how I could translate the angular velocity of the flexion (B), into these velocity components?

So i am 16 right now but I really find robotics interesting, so I was wondering if anyone had recommendations of good projects I could try doing that could look for universities, and not be to expensive for the parts needed (even better if you could give links to parts)

I havent done anything like this before so im very inexperienced so that would also be a factor to what I could do

I have been following VLA research for a while and seeing good demos. I am wondering if anyone has productionized VLA for their use case ? If so, would love to learn more and what was there the key wins (more data, simulation, architecture) that you would attribute it to ?

Hoping to learn more from the community. Thanks in advance

Hi everyone!

I’m currently learning robotics on my own and I’m a complete beginner. I want to build a small robotic car that can follow a black line/track automatically (line-following robot).

I’m looking for a free robotics simulator that works well on Mac, preferably either:

A free simulator app for macOS, or

A web-based simulator that I can run directly in Chrome.

I’d like to practice the design, sensors, motors, and basic programming in simulation before building the actual robot.

If you know any beginner-friendly simulators or web apps that would be suitable for this project, I’d really appreciate your recommendations!

Thanks!

I'm interested in learning how robotic hands can sense things like pressure, temperature, roughness/texture, vibration, and skin deformation ... similar to how a human hand feels when touching another person.

I already have experience with coding and have taken an intelligent robotics course, so I'm looking for pointers on going deeper into robotic tactile sensing / electronic skin.

I'd especially appreciate recommendations for research papers, open-source code, simulators, datasets, projects or literally anything to get started.

No se absolutamente nada de robotica. No programación, no código, no materiales, cables, NADA. Pero me llama la atención mucho todo lo que es este tema como para estudiar una carrera de robotica.

Necesito mucho conocimiento para empezar? Hay mucha matemática, física, o algo? O ya estoy muy tarde?

I need a .stl file of robotic arm(manipulator) please, I need it like I pinned(comments ), please, I need it for my project, I need it🙏