Manufacturing and Evaluation of the Open-Source AR3 Robot Arm for Educational Uses

Abstract

At the CSIR, a Learning Factory has been established to teach about the fundamentals of robotics and other Industry 4.0 disciplines. The Learning Factory makes use of the Annin Robotics AR3 robot arm: a low-cost robot designed for small automation processes, ideal for educational purposes. The AR3 robot was chosen based on its low cost and open-source implementation. The robot was built at the CSIR mainly from machined aluminium parts and 3D printed covers. To test the functionality of the robot, the AR3 open-source user interface was used. The robot may not be as precise as industrialized robots, but it provides similar functionality in a convenient format.