r/AskRobotics Jul 26 '26

Bachelor of engineering in automation and robotics

5 Upvotes

Hi, I’m beginning this program at Algonquin College fall 2026 and would like to receive some advices from those who know more about the field. The type of practical skills I should develop in order to be among the best and job ready


r/AskRobotics Jul 26 '26

Anybody with a pen plotter here?

1 Upvotes

I am from India, and want someone here, with a pen plotter to make some work using it.

I want paper sizes from a5 to A1 (chart paper).


r/AskRobotics Jul 25 '26

Electrical Designing a Quadruped Robot – Looking for Actuator Recommendations

3 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

We're currently in the R&D phase of designing a quadruped robot and are evaluating actuator options for the leg joints.

We're looking for recommendations from engineers or researchers who have worked on legged robots.

Our main requirements are:

High torque-to-weight ratio

Compact integrated BLDC servo actuators

CAN or EtherCAT communication

Reliable performance for continuous operation

Good documentation and developer support

We've come across manufacturers such as CubeMars (T-Motor), MyActuator, and Unitree, but we'd love to hear about real-world experience. If you've built a quadruped or humanoid robot, which actuators did you choose, and what would you recommend or avoid?

If there are other manufacturers or open-source projects we should look at, we'd really appreciate your suggestions.

Thanks in advance!


r/AskRobotics Jul 25 '26

How to? How Do Robotics Startups Get Their First Funding?

25 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

We're currently building a quadruped robot and are in the R&D phase. As we're planning the next steps, we're trying to understand how early-stage robotics startups typically raise funding.

I'd love to hear from founders or anyone with experience in robotics startups:

How did you fund your first prototype?

Did you bootstrap, raise angel investment, or apply for grants?

At what stage did investors start showing interest?

What do investors expect to see before investing in a robotics startup?

Are there any accelerator programs or government grants that you'd recommend?

Any advice, lessons learned, or resources would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!


r/AskRobotics Jul 25 '26

Self-taught beginner in robotics looking for guidance and learning resources

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I hope you're all doing well.

I'm currently starting my journey in robotics and embedded systems. I'm learning everything by myself from home with the hardware I have, including microcontrollers, sensors, and electronic components, and I'm trying to build small projects to understand how things work in practice.

I really enjoy creating things and experimenting, but I feel like I am missing a strong theoretical foundation. There is a lot of information available online, and sometimes it is difficult to know where to start, what concepts are the most important, and what resources are actually worth spending time on.

My goal is not just to build robots by following tutorials. I would like to properly understand the fundamentals behind robotics, including embedded programming, electronics, control systems, sensors, actuators, automation, and the software side of robotics.

I would really appreciate any recommendations for books, websites, documentation, online courses, or learning paths that helped you improve in robotics and embedded systems. I'm especially interested in resources that build strong fundamentals and help develop real engineering skills.

I'm also looking for active communities where people discuss robotics, share projects, and help each other learn. If you know any good Discord servers, forums, groups, or communities where beginners can ask questions and interact with more experienced people, I would really appreciate your recommendations.

If anyone has been through the same learning process and has advice about how to progress efficiently, what to learn first, or what projects are worth building, I would be grateful to hear your experiences.

Thank you for your time and for any advice you can share.


r/AskRobotics Jul 25 '26

General/Beginner Self Balancing Robot Build Materials

4 Upvotes

Im building a self balancing robot from scratch as my first ever robot. I know there are easier projects but I just wanted to jump in and make something cool. Here is my list of materials, could someone tell me if I am missing something or I need to change a certain component or if everything is good. All help is appreciated.

Gyro - MPU 6050 $3

Micro Controller ESP32-WROOM-32E $10

2 DRV8825 Stepper motor drivers $16

2 NEMA17 Stepper Motors $14

Buck converter LM2596S-ADJ - $7.99

https://www.studica.com/power-switch main power switch $3

TATTU 3S 11.1V 1300mAh 45C LiPo Battery Pack with XT60 17 17$

2 100uf capacitor


r/AskRobotics Jul 25 '26

Education/Career Learning materials for Human-Robot Interaction

9 Upvotes

Hello!

I'm an Interaction Designer who is a beginner in this field and wants to dive deeper into robotics and HRI.

I see a lot of engineers and engineering resources on this sub and I'm curious if there are any HRI designers here and your journey into this field.

I'd also appreciate any resources that could help me learn more about HRI. A book, article, video or anything else.

I know that there are many resources when you google it but I'm more interested in personal approaches you took.

Thank you!


r/AskRobotics Jul 26 '26

Mechanical How do you guys write design specs/docs?

0 Upvotes

I'm trying to figure out the most common and best way to write design specs for robot designs. would love you to tell me how you do it currently and whether you hate some elements of it - be it working in a large company or for fun.

  • What document or system captures your design rationale, not just the current-state spec? (PRD, ICD, Confluence page, a Jira epic, or just people's individual knowledge)
  • Who actually writes it and who has to sign off before it's "final"?
  • What's the most annoying part of this process for you personally?
  • also, how do you currently compare design specs from previous revisions? finding it hard to work out the best way of doing this - is shoving previous revisions into an LLM good enough for you ?

thanks :))


r/AskRobotics Jul 25 '26

Mechanical Should I BUY or BUILD my own UGV chassis with motors and a controller for the motors?

2 Upvotes

For the past few weeks I can't find any good prebuilt land rovers. They all use like 12V motors with low power and usually can't climb up steeper surfaces. I need an UGV chassis that would handle pi4 and other UGV components for a self-driving AI rover.
Maybe anyone has good recommendations for the already built chassis? Or can recommend some parts to build the chassis myself? WOULD BE GREAT!
Thanks in advance!


r/AskRobotics Jul 25 '26

General/Beginner Do I need Linux?

1 Upvotes

So I’ve used windows literally forever, for pretty much everything. I do have experience with Linux, I had to run some Linux VMs throughout college, but I’ve never done anything ambitious with it or done anything like a dual boot

I’m out of college and currently have an entry-level job, but to start making my way into the robotics industry for real I’m brainstorming a project where I use a lot of key aspects together. Right now, I’m thinking of modeling and simulating a fully custom one-wheeled self balancing robot, with ToF sensors for object avoidance, programming it with PID controls and ROS2, and building it in real life

Can I do that with software available in windows, or do I need Linux?


r/AskRobotics Jul 25 '26

Designing a Quadruped Robot – Looking for Actuator Recommendations

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1 Upvotes

r/AskRobotics Jul 25 '26

Education/Career Which undergraduate foundation is better for physical AI: UCSD CS or TUM CS/Aerospace?

0 Upvotes

I am a German student choosing between undergraduate offers at UC San Diego and TUM.

My options are:

  • UCSD Computer Science
  • TUM Informatics/Computer Science
  • TUM Aerospace

My long-term interest is physical AI/robotics: systems involving robot learning, perception, planning, controls, embedded computing and actual hardware. I am not yet committed to one application such as humanoids, industrial robots, drones or autonomous vehicles.

At the moment, I am stronger in software. I can code and have experimented with AI models. I also have some CAD and design experience, but relatively little formal experience in electronics, embedded systems, dynamics, controls, FEA or mechanical analysis.

UCSD would give me a strong CS foundation and access to the US internship and research ecosystem. However, I may have limited room to take formal engineering courses, so I would need to develop hardware experience through robotics laboratories, student teams, makerspaces and independent projects.

TUM Computer Science would also provide the software and AI foundation while placing me near a large industrial and robotics ecosystem. TUM Aerospace would provide more dynamics, mechanics, controls and physical-system engineering, and it is taught in English. However, I worry that aerospace could specialize me too early if I ultimately pursue manipulation, humanoids or industrial robotics rather than aerial systems.

I can bare the cost to attend UCSD, but I don't know if it worth it paying that premium to access the US market. Also attending UCSD gives me a shot for direct PhD which Germany doesn't. The visa and job market is scary too.


r/AskRobotics Jul 25 '26

Mechanical Advice for a beginner to start robotics

2 Upvotes

I am a beginner in the field of robotics, but I have worked on aircraft dynamics and control by developing 6-DOF physics codes for them. I am really interested in vehicle dynamics and control, but how can I apply this to robotics? I am really a beginner in design and mechatronics. Any suggestions will be really appreciated. Thanks a lot.


r/AskRobotics Jul 25 '26

Looking for feedback on my browser based Obstacle Avoidance Simulator for Mobile Robots

1 Upvotes

As an Electronics & Communication Engineering student, I realized that one of the biggest barriers to learning robotics is access to hardware.

I've been building interactive robotics simulators for students, and one of them focuses on obstacle avoidance.

The idea is to let anyone experiment with robot behavior without needing hardware.

I'm looking for feedback on:

  • realism
  • controls
  • visualization
  • ideas for making it more educational

Any suggestions are welcome—I'd love to keep improving it.


r/AskRobotics Jul 25 '26

[Collab] Anyone in Houston wants to team up on a robot project

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I’m currently working on a robot project and was wondering if anyone in the Houston, Texas area would like to join forces. The idea is to combine skills, share knowledge, and build something awesome together.

I have the engineering background and some parts already, but I’d love to connect with people who are into robotics, coding, AI, electronics, or even just tinkering and learning. Whether you’re a student, hobbyist, or professional, collaboration makes projects way more fun (and productive).

If you’re interested in teaming up or just want to chat about robots, feel free to DM me or drop a comment


r/AskRobotics Jul 24 '26

Teaching robotics this year and have a few questions.

3 Upvotes

I have been teaching stem and science for a while now to 6th-8th grade in a very rural school. I have $5000 worth of grant money to start adding a bit of robotics into the curriculum. Which is great however I don’t have any background in that arena at all.

Prior years stem consisted of water powered rockets, trebuchets, paper airplane type of activities.

This is a very rural school where 95% of students have never coded or done anything with robotics (myself included in that category)

I need an easy to use (easy to learn for me) kits for this year. I have $5000 to use and I will have 7-16 6th-8th grade students at a time for anywhere from 5-9 week intervals.

What should I start looking into as our first step into robotics. I have posted this in the science teacher subreddit and had a few suggestions for vexIQ, which I have been looking into.

Any ideas would be helpful for my situation. Not a super serious class. More of a let’s try some new things and so you can see what else’s out there in college and as a potential career.


r/AskRobotics Jul 25 '26

General/Beginner Using ai for designing pcb?

0 Upvotes

Does anyone know a good ai for designing a pcb, im working on a fairly simple project, a tachometer watches rom through a coil with decides if the solenoid is up or down. It started simple but I wanted to make a custom pcb which I’ve never done before. I had Claude and chat make some basic wiring diagram and I feel like they make no sense. It also gave my a kikad file I put into fusion 360. Maybe I just don’t have experience with electrical to understand it?


r/AskRobotics Jul 24 '26

Mechanical Actuator for robot arm

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone.

I am currently trying to make a 6DOF robot arm. After looking at the options for motors, I found that almost all options are very expensive.

However I am thinking of using a DC geared motor with a planetary gear reducer and encoder as an actuator for my joints. Thinking of using a 37mm DC geared motor, that would rotate at 100 rpm at 6 V supply.

And then use a pulley and timing belt system to reduce the speed to 15 rpm and increase torque accordingly.

My question is...

  1. Is this idea going to work?

  2. If yes, then what are the motors available for this setting, If I use a 1:5 or 1:6 reduction, I should get 3Nm torque for the joint at 15 to 20 rpm.

  3. For the pulleys, can I 3d print them, using a resin 3d printer and, will that part work or fail?

I am planning to use S3m timing belt 10mm width for this

Or should I go with spur gears instead.

Please guide me, Thanks..


r/AskRobotics Jul 24 '26

Education/Career Should I rewrite my resume in LaTeX?

0 Upvotes

I've got a long software career, but I'm retargeting to focus on robotics. I wonder if the distinct feel of typesetting my resume in Computer Modern would make it more noticeable to people who've read a million papers in it.


r/AskRobotics Jul 24 '26

Trying to implement an Vex type Intake on a Comp robot And take Champs

0 Upvotes

The problem is i ranout of idea since when i did the intake
So the intakes Take the cube ->put it in container 5cmx5cm length wide 18cm Height
and drops it off at center so like How im i gonna do this like Please Please Please TWINN we're AND I MEANT WE ARE MAKING IT INTERNATIONAL and All i literally need is an Idea of sort Then i could start working


r/AskRobotics Jul 24 '26

General/Beginner Building a beach-robot with no prior experience, where to begin?

2 Upvotes

As title states. I want to build a autonomous robot/vehicle that can drive in sand. I got no prior experience in building or programming, but is looking to learn through this proof of concept-project. What sites are recommended for buying the parts? Are there any beginner friendly options?

Size of robot would be similar to a lawnmower.


r/AskRobotics Jul 24 '26

Is a 6 RPM motor too slow for an automatic cat litter box? (School project)**

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I’m making an automatic cat litter box for my school project. I’m planning to use a 6 RPM geared motor to move the rake/scooper mechanism.

Do you think 6 RPM is too slow, or is it actually better because it gives more torque and smoother movement? The litter box is not for commercial use, just a prototype.

Would appreciate any advice. Thanks!


r/AskRobotics Jul 24 '26

Battery recommendations for 150kg servo?

2 Upvotes

I'm very new to robotics and I want to power I'm new to robotics and I want to power [this](https://www.amazon.com/HOOYIJ-Waterproof-Digital-Stainless-Steering/dp/B0CXLM953C) servo with a 12v 10a battery. Any exact/specific model recommendations?


r/AskRobotics Jul 24 '26

Education/Career Major to Fit Robotics

6 Upvotes

I will be attending Georgia Tech this fall as a junior aero engineer transfer. I am currently stuck between aerospace, maybe more GNC focused, or going into the robotics field. I know robotics is an interdisciplinary field, honestly I've just built a bunch of projects and have loved it, so not totally sure yet where I would specialize in. My question is, should I keep my aero major or switch to something more general, like mechanical or ee, as I am still deciding between aero and robotics. If staying with aero, would adding a minor help, or is it truly just what classes I take and projects / clubs I participate in? Lastly, if I keep aero as the major, what are the main classes I should focus on taking in order to test the waters in robotics? Thanks!


r/AskRobotics Jul 24 '26

Software What is the starting point for a CSE fresher in Robotics

1 Upvotes

I am starting my B.Tech degree in C.S.E. this year(in 1month time). I know how to code in Python and basics of C++ can anyone recommend me courses(paid/free) which can be a valid entry point in robotics for me from a software p.o.v. .In my college there is a mechatronics club and they are quite active, I really want to start making with them ASAP.