What are some of the best practices and standards for robotics design and prototyping?

I think it‘s not the most important these days to have a full plan of how to develop and integrate new robotic skills or applications. Met‘s handle it as humans and ever being done evolution. Start with an idea, focus on it, get some feedback, try and fail until you come to a solution. After your first steps it will lead you to more improved robotics. It‘s the same as in leadership, try not to be the best, try to make everyone better. Means, try not to develop the perfect, it only applies to a few characters on earth. Develop step by step until you get to the one really fascinating development

Another example could be agricultural robotics, where the problem lies in traditional farming methods being labor-intensive and less efficient. Robots can solve these issues by autonomously managing tasks like planting, weeding, and crop monitoring. Key specifications for an agricultural robot would include autonomy, durability and energy efficiency. 1. Autonomy: To navigate independently, the robot requires advanced localization technologies like GPS. 2. Durability: To withstand various outdoor conditions and terrains, the robot needs to be weather-resistant and rugged. 3. Energy Efficiency: To cover large areas, the robot should have long battery life or even solar charging capabilities.

For instance, creating an agricultural robot involves key hardware: a durable chassis, GPS for navigation, sensors for obstacle detection, a high-resolution camera for monitoring plant health, precise actuators for plant interaction, and a sustainable power source. On the software side, the use of a robust framework like ROS, versatile languages like Python or C++, and algorithms for image interpretation (machine learning) and navigation (SLAM, etc.) are needed. The selections should be a careful balance of your needs, skills, and budget, while ensuring component compatibility and adherence to safety and performance standards.

Funny, that I described above by accident…but it‘s right. Further picking up the 3D planing status. It‘s a great tool to minimize errors in the first steps. Super agree that documentation is key to success. Nothing helps more to write down why or how you failed or succeeded. If we wouldn‘t have found documentation from the past we probably wouldn‘t have been able to be at the point where we are richt now.

It helps to separate functionalities in early stages: 1. Mechatronic design - tools like SolidWorks 3D, PCB, Electrical and Altium can help take care of this 2. Software design - tools may involve Raspberry Pi running ROS to interface with sensors and actuators

There are some key standards for certain types of robots and these standards have some regulatory backing, so if your robot is operating in certain environments and is going to be sold on the market, make sure you are in compliance from the first design. For robotic arms, the key standard to follow is ISO 10218 with the US equivalent being ANSI R15.06. Both of these standards have a Part 1 and a Part 2. Part 1 applies to the manufacturer of the arm and one needs to be in compliance if one wants to get the CE mark for sale within the EU. Part 2 applies to integrators and will be a focus on agencies like OSHA if there is an incident.

Yes, I need to say, BUT, please be yourself in it. If you are not a full passion tech. guy, focus different. I know colleagues and friend who get robots home to implement in their homes to make them look more beautiful or develop new applications. If you don‘t have passion for it, your success might not happen or take longer. My heart burns for robotic and automation processes, that‘s why I succeed in publishing them by sharing with my own thoughts and no AI. Enjoy what you do and you‘ll succeed.

In my experience, simulation tools are an excellent way to test out your concept designs even before prototyping them. Gazebo, Unity or other similar tools can be of great help for this purpose.