Simba GaoMECHANICAL / MECHATRONICS
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ORIGAMI ROBOTICS / ROBOTICS INTERN

Design and Prototyping of 6-DOF Arm & Autonomous Mobile Base

I designed and prototyped a modular six-axis arm and a gearbox with ≈20 arcmin backlash, and integrated sensing and motion-command workflows on an omnidirectional mobile base.

My roleArm design and fabrication, custom gearbox development, and Jetson Nano / ROS2 mobile-base integration.

  • Mechanical design
  • Strain-wave gearing
  • CNC + 3D printing
  • ROS2
  • CAN + LiDAR
CAD of the modular six-axis robotic arm.
Modular arm CAD · physical prototypes below
6 DOFModular arm architecture
≈20 arcminReported gearbox backlash
8:1 / 64:1Selectable reduction ratios

01 / ENGINEERING PROBLEM

Compact actuation and a mobile platform

The arm needed compact, cost-efficient joints that could be fabricated and assembled as modular units. In parallel, the mobile base needed onboard computing, sensing, and reliable motion commands to support autonomous navigation. My work connected mechanical prototyping with the electronics and software needed to operate the hardware.

02 / METHODS & DEVELOPMENT

Design, prototype, and integrate

Click images to enlarge

01

Build the arm around modular joints

Physical arm-joint prototype with printed housings and integrated actuation.

CAD → fabrication → assembly

Printed housings and CNC components

Integrated motors and transmissions

Modular joint assemblies

I developed the arm’s mechanical design and manufactured printed and CNC components. Physical joint prototypes let me work through the interfaces between housings, actuation, and the assembled arm.
02

Develop the custom transmission

CAD of the compact custom strain-wave gearbox.Joint actuator hardware showing the motor, bearing, and machined housing.
I developed a strain-wave gearbox with selectable 8:1 or 64:1 reductions and approximately 20 arcmin backlash. The CAD and actuator hardware show how the transmission, bearing, and motor were packaged into a compact joint.
03

Connect sensing to mobile-base commands

AgileX mobile base with onboard computing, power electronics, and LiDAR during integration.

Mobile-base integration

LiDAR → onboard sensing

Jetson Nano + ROS2 → command handling

CAN → base communication

Teleoperation + pose commands

I integrated the AgileX omnidirectional base with Jetson Nano, ROS2, CAN communication, and LiDAR. Teleoperation and pose-command workflows established the platform’s operating foundation for autonomous navigation.

03 / RESULTS & OUTCOME

Custom hardware and an operating base

PHYSICAL PROTOTYPES + SYSTEM INTEGRATION
≈20 arcminGearbox backlash · component result
CNC + FDMArm hardware fabricated
ROS2 + CANMobile-base command workflows

The work produced modular arm prototypes, a custom low-backlash transmission, and an integrated mobile-base control setup. Gearbox backlash describes the transmission, not end-effector positioning accuracy. Mobile-base results cover sensing, teleoperation, and pose commands; broader autonomous-navigation performance was not quantified.

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