Robotic Arm on 4-Wheel Mobile Platform for Competitive Gaming Applications

This paper presents the design and development of a robotic arm mounted on a four-wheel mobile platform, addressing the gap in affordable educational robots that combine mobility with manipulation. Most existing systems are either stationary arms or simple wheeled bases, limiting their usefulness for competitive and training applications. To overcome this, a mobile manipulator was developed that integrates a stable wheeled base, a robotic arm, and embedded electronics with control logic for both manual and autonomous operation. Experimental testing evaluated speed, placement accuracy, and reliability in game-like scenarios, demonstrating efficient navigation, precise pick-and-place performance, and responsive control. Although its payload strength is lower than industrial manipulators, the system strikes a balance between cost, mobility, and manipulation capabilities. The prototype offers strong potential for educational robotics competitions, STEM-based learning, and lowcost training environments, while leaving scope for future upgrades such as vision-guided control and machine learning-driven autonomy.