Robots
Every robot I have built, hacked or kept running since 2010, with the tech behind it and the best posts about it. The robots in the lab each have their own page.
In the lab now
Sanbot ElfActive
17 service humanoids, about 10 running. Now has a native ROS 2 driver written in Kotlin, and turns out to strafe.
Android · Kotlin · ROS 2 (DDS) · LiDAR
InMoovActive
3D-printed open-source humanoids on MyRobotLab, now with a ROS 2 driver and driven from a Meta Quest headset.
Arduino · MyRobotLab · ROS 2 · VR teleop
AfobotActive
Small desk robots with a screen face that pans and tilts. The body for Sophie, a voice companion for care homes.
Android · wake word · LLM + TTS
TurtleBot 2Active
A Kobuki TurtleBot brought back from ROS 1 on a Jetson TK1 to ROS 2 Humble in Docker. Maps, patrols and gets a proper LiDAR.
ROS 2 · Jetson · LiDAR
ROS 2 roverActive
A Raspberry Pi 4 rover I designed in Tinkercad, with a Neato LiDAR and a Pi camera. Where I learned ROS 2, SLAM and navigation.
ROS 2 Humble · Raspberry Pi 4 · LiDAR
Wheelchair robotActive
An electric wheelchair rebuilt as a robot with arcade RC steering, with a latching e-stop and a 300 ms watchdog. Records its own runs.
Arduino · Raspberry Pi · ROS 2
KeeckerActive
A rolling home projector from a company that folded. Got in through its USB port and gave it a new driver app.
Android · ADB · reverse engineering
iPALParked
A child-sized companion humanoid with working arms, running Android 7. It comes with a ROS driver to explore.
Android · ROS
On the bench
Robot armsBuilding
Desk arms learning to pick things up, from a ROS 2 LEGO-brick picker to a LeRobot SO-101 pair.
ROS 2 · Python · LeRobot
G-WizParked
One of the first mainstream electric cars, back on the road and fitted out to record real driving data.
Raspberry Pi · GNSS · IMU · LiDAR
Drones and UGVParked
A Tarot FY680 and a DJI NAZA hexacopter, a Parrot Bebop 2, and a monster-truck ground vehicle on ArduRover.
ArduPilot · MAVLink
Hall of fame (2010–2017)
LEGO wheelchair2012
World first: six NXTs and Rotacaster wheels carrying a 90 kg person. Shown at the World Robot Olympiad in Kuala Lumpur.
LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT · RobotC
EV3 roller skates2015
Motorised LEGO roller skates: two EV3s and four NXT motors per foot, built on a Friday night.
LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3
VEX IQ skateboard2015
16 motors on two brains. Over 1,000 people had a go at New York World Maker Faire.
VEX IQ
George and BOB2010–11
Giant LEGO robots. George, 5 ft 7 in and PS2-controlled, was featured in HispaBrick magazine.
LEGO Technic · MINDSTORMS
LEGO humanoid2016
A large LEGO humanoid designed to see, point, talk and listen, with a tablet in its chest.
LEGO MINDSTORMS · tablet
VEX EDR tank2017
My first ROS robot: a ride-on VEX EDR tank mapping with LiDAR, shown at VEX Worlds 2017.
ROS 1 · VEX EDR · LiDAR
Mr Purple2016
A phone-controlled VEX IQ robot built to show off the VEX Smart Radio at the VEX World Finals.
VEX IQ · iOS · RobotC
More LEGO and VEXArchive
Gearboxes, trains, arms, pneumatic engines and Rotacaster weight tests.
NXT · EV3 · Technic · VEX
