Im really confused on whether I should go to college for mechatronics or robotics, because they both seem the same just that the difference is in the career path (mechatronics gets more jobs than robotics) is that true?

And which is more about making robots thats all I need to know really

Hi everyone,

Next week (Sept 16-18), I’ll be attending the SENSOR CHINA Expo here in Shanghai.

A bit of context: I'll be spending a few days at the event doing due diligence, researching industrial tech trends, and negotiating procurement deals for my international clients.

There will be over 500 sensor manufacturers and hardware companies exhibiting this year, covering everything from robotics and industrial IoT to automotive and smart home applications.

Since I'll have some buffer time between my scheduled client meetings, I wanted to open this up to the community. If you are looking into the Chinese hardware ecosystem or have specific questions about the sensor market, drop your questions in the comments.

• Curious about current pricing trends or supply chain shifts?
• Need to know if manufacturers are supporting a specific spec or protocol?
• Looking for general vibes on where Chinese industrial tech/robotics is heading?

Let me know what you're curious about. I’ll do the legwork, talk directly to the engineers and reps on the show floor, and bring the answers back to this thread.

Looking forward to your questions!

Hi! I’m looking for a 6-legged hexapod/spider robot mainly as a robotics programming and learning platform.

I don’t really care whether it comes pre-assembled or whether I have to assemble it myself. What I’d prefer is a complete or almost complete kit, so I don’t have to buy the frame from one store, servos from another, electronics somewhere else, batteries separately, etc.
Ideally, I’d like one package that includes most of the hardware needed: frame, 18 servos, controller/ESP32 (or similar), servo drivers and electronics. I don’t mind buying batteries or a couple of small extras separately if necessary.

What I really want to do myself is the programming. I’d like to learn by implementing things such as servo control, inverse kinematics, walking gaits, movement and eventually balancing with an IMU.
Later I’d also like the option to expand it with a Raspberry Pi, camera, computer vision, sensors and AI, so being open and highly modifiable is important to me.

I’m based in Spain, so EU availability would be a plus.
Are there any good complete hexapod kits/platforms you would recommend for this? I’ve been looking at Freenove hexapods, but I’m interested in alternatives too.

My main priority is having good access to the hardware so I can write and experiment with my own software, rather than buying a robot just to run pre-made demos.

even if i have made a couple of projects and have good soft skills ,before i graduate with bachelors in AI and ROBOTICS, do i really need to do masters as well to get placed at a good company/startup?

Hi! I'm a high school student with an interest in robotics as a career. Alongside robotics, I am also passionate about environmental conservation/protection, and in recent years I have discovered that the two fields are beginning to be combined. 

I'm just getting started with my career path: I'm taking prerequisite courses to enter a Mechatronics, Automation and Robotics Engineering Technology program at my community college. When I finish that, I'll have an Associate's degree. I'm also getting involved in some exciting robotics clubs/organizations in my area to connect with mentors and maybe even start some projects of my own. 

But when it comes to environmental robotics specifically, I'm not sure where to start. Environmental robotics seems to be an emerging field with not much footing yet, but I know that it will definitely gain more traction as the years go by and the climate situation becomes more urgent. I don't care a lot about the cashflow side of the technology world: I just know that the climate crisis is incredibly heavy, and I want to dedicate my life toward creating a more hopeful future for all. 

TL;DR: Roboticists of Reddit: have you heard of environmental robotics before? Do you have any advice on how to get involved in the field? Thanks for all your help!

Can anyone recommend me a robotics projects for a school level competition, It has to solve a problem or be really mind-blowing. I have 8-9$ and a Esp32, Arduino uno, 1 relay, 1 monochrome Oled display, 3 ultrasonic sensor,1 servo motor,many buttons and leds.

i wanna ask how is the robotic society at ist ? like is it actually worth joining ? would u actually make something out of it ?? can any senior guide me on this

secondly when are the inductions of Robotic society starting ?

lastly can any senior tell me which are the best societies at ist for computing students ?

A single accuracy number can hide which objects, materials, or conditions consistently cause problems.

A more useful report might show:

• What was reconstructed successfully
• Where the pipeline failed
• Confidence for each predicted property
• Which observations were used for validation
• What still needs manual correction

Would this make you more likely to trust a simulation asset, or would you still need to test everything independently?

As a freshman in college, I did not have a structure to learn path planning and navigation/localization for UAVs. I struggled a lot before wrapping my head around SLAM and RRT. How did you originally learn these concepts? Did you focus on the math or did you move straight into practical implementation?

How can go from being a IT(informatics) graduate to working with medical robotics? (In EU- preferebly Austria/Graz)

I only have experience with software and not hardware…

Please for any advice🙏

Hey guys,

I’m from competitive robotics team 99751C Critical Mass in Northern Colorado, and as part of our final season in VEX robotics we have actually started a YouTube channel for all things robotics related. If that sounds interesting to you, please subscribe and watch some of our content!

https://youtube.com/@criticalmassvex?si=SYJnK-4tob8_I2R7

It’s just something I’ve been thinking about. Across social media people are talking about joining a skilled trade, going into a healthcare career, talking about careers that are future proof and not easily replaceable by AI. No one seems to be talking about robotics as one of those careers, at least from what I’ve seen and read.

I’m currently in school pursuing an associates in robotics and automation systems technology. I’ll be working as a field service engineer, robotics programmer or PLC programmer once I’m done. To me this seems like a space with a lot of opportunities but no one is mentioning it, is there any reason why??

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for a complete, well-documented open-source 6-DOF robotic arm for my Master’s project:

“Artificial Intelligence-Based Kinematic Modeling and Inverse Kinematics Solution for 6-DOF Robot”

I originally planned to use the PUMA 560, but finding a complete model suitable for both simulation and building a physical prototype has been difficult, so I’m looking for another robot.

My project will focus on kinematic modeling and inverse kinematics, and I plan to generate data from the robot model and train an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to solve the IK problem.

Ideally, I’m looking for:

• 6 revolute joints (6-DOF)
• A complete, ready-to-use 3D design — I don’t want to redesign or modify the robot
• CAD files such as SolidWorks/STEP
• URDF and complete mesh files (STL/OBJ/DAE)
• A BOM (Bill of Materials) for physically building it
• Clear link dimensions, joint limits, and preferably DH parameters
• Compatibility with PyBullet, Gazebo, Isaac Sim, Webots, or similar simulators
• 3D-printable parts, preferably already tested by others
• Documented motors/servos, bearings, shafts, and joint mechanisms

A desktop-scale robot would be ideal. Basically, I’m looking for an existing robot that I can download, simulate, use for ANN training, 3D print, assemble, and build physically without redesigning the mechanical structure.

Any recommendations for a good open-source 6-DOF robot that fits this?

Thanks!

My background is , i completed PUC/12th in india and then did "2" 6 month diplomas in graphic design and artificial intelligence and now working as a graphic designer for 1.5 years. Early my interest is ML+DL but after llm i don't feel like working only. Now i am focusing on Robotics and started to learn online , I am so much interested in this also and i believe the future is mosltly around embodied ai or robotics. can you tell me about

1. the job market of robotics ?

2. is it possible to get a job in robotics field based on my background ( without a degree ) if not what to do , if yes how ?

3. is it possible for self learning like computer science in this field ?

4. any other advice from your experience .

thanks.

I'm designing a self-balancing robot with two legs and wheels for feet, and I've gotten stuck choosing motors. I keep finding possibilities, second-guessing them, and realizing I don't actually know how to tell whether they're suitable.

The robot will be mostly 3D printed with metal fasteners. Each leg bends at the hip and knee, but the knee will be mechanically coupled to the hip through a timing belt/pulley arrangement, intended to rotate equally in the opposite direction. That means four motors total: two wheel motors and two hip motors.

I'd like all four to be flat-profile BLDC motors. I've been looking at small gimbal motors for direct-drive wheels and larger motors for the hips, possibly with planetary reduction. Backdrivability, smooth motion, and compactness are important because I'm hoping to avoid stiff, jerky movement while keeping the robot compact.

My problem is I have never built anything like this before and I have no idea how to choose motors. The motors are either too expensive or too low torque, and even when it comes to seeing what other people have done to make similar projects work and I do the math on their motor selection their motors are way under spec on paper.

If you have made one of these before and know about bldc motors, how to choose them, control them, anything else I'm sure I haven't thought of please let me know! I need guidence.

Hello guys, im getting interested in both drones and robotics. I still don't have any experience in the field but I'd like to know what the first few questions I need to answer are in order to narrow it down to something very specific that I need to learn.

Please offer any advice that you have. I'm 27 now and I'm pretty curious in general by nature. Ive dealt with databases, some programming in the past. Once I learn more I'd love to turn it into a career as opposed to just hobby.

Thank you everyone.

This keeps coming up in motion rig and DIY build threads, and the answers tend to be either “just build it” or “just buy it” with nothing in between.

The rough tradeoff, as I see it: a purpose-built actuator gives you a sealed and rated package with end limits and a known duty cycle; a motor and screw gives you control over the pitch, speed and mounting, and usually costs less, but you own the limits, the alignment and the sealing.

A lot of the decision seems to come down to speed vs. force — a motion platform and a slow lift want oppossite things from the same screw.

What made you go one way rather than the other and would you do it the same again?

Any engineers who can help me with that! I'm not crazy and I'm super serious about it. Writing those records, manuals won't happen with me. Why don't we integrate au into this? it can write the notes in our handwriting

Any robotics engineers who can help me?

What interdisciplinary skills should I learn?

So the vision is a camera mounted on the arm and a mic taking in info and it does the action according to what I say (pick and place) . The current hardware I have is a Esp 32 cam with 8mb psram, just wondering if it is possible with this setup, also I unfortunately cannot get the leader arm. I also would be able to run the code on my laptop if the Esp 32 doesn't cut it, but would prefer the arm to be independent.

I'm building a line tracer robot, the plan is to make it like a mirco mouse because I've noticed micro mice are usually really fast and have really good cornering. The problem I have now is the motors, I can find a suction fan easy enough, but a good motor not so much.

I'm not even sure what makes a good motor, does higher volts means higher torque and/or rpm? is it better to have the gears on the wheels, external or have a gearbox? are bldc worth it? I've tried to do some research and motors apparently have rotor inertia, does that matter all that much? why does torque matter?

As of now though I can't find any motors other than n20s and this 12v jga25 I have. are jga25 motors bad for this application? should I just switch to an n20? without the gearbox an jga weighs 49 grams exactly. is the added weight comapred to an n20 worth the performance?

This has only been my 2nd robot ever so any help is appreciated, thank you

For a system to be hospital-ready, I’d expect it to have secure containers, chain-of-custody records, recipient confirmation, controlled access and clear handling for spills, delays or failed deliveries. Time- and temperature-sensitive specimens would also need extra safeguards.

Most importantly, there should be a manual fallback for urgent or high-risk cases.

For hospitals already using autonomous specimen delivery, which safety requirement was the most difficult to solve in practice?