Design Development and Analysis of 3-DOF Robotic Arm

The paper presents the arm design, kinematics analysis, path planning, and CAD modeling, enabling the practical use of a low-cost robotic arm as a laboratory model for teaching and learning about robots. The arm design is created using Fusion 360 software and features four servo motors as actuators. Kinematics analysis is performed using the Denavit-Hartenberg convention. The proposed framework encompasses a robotic arm with three degrees of freedom (3-DOF) and employs four DC servo motors for each joint's movement. Arm motion control is based on an Arduino control unit, utilizing a Python-based Graphical User Interface (GUI) with a kinematics algorithm in the backend, providing a user-friendly environment for remotely controlling the robot arm's end-effector. The path planning framework is constructed using cubic splines, taking joint restrictions into account. The effectiveness of this approach is validated through RoboAnalyzer simulation results, demonstrating improved motion accuracy, smoothness, and efficiency. Additionally, this robot arm can operate autonomously for pick-and-place applications with the assistance of an Arduino controller.