Im currently studying mechanical engineering at the university of Maryland, and realized that a lot of the typical mech E jobs don't seem very appealing to me. I was initially studying psychology on a premed track but switched over to engineering because I was interested in math and physics. I didn't really have much guidance when it came to picking which subfield in engineering I would major in, so I resulted in doing Mech E. I interned at Hutchinson last summer as a design engineer and it upset me so much that I barely used anytg wa taught in school. So after I started to reconsider if I had picked the right major. My friend who is getting his masters in computer science spoke to me about robotics and all the different research opportunities and I was really intrigued. Im well aware that saying I want to do research in robotics is very very vague, but what steps can I take to genuinely find a domain within robotics ill enjoy and how can I as a current Mech E start my endeavors into getting into that area of robotics? Only thing I have planned is to network with my professors to see if they're doing any research related to robotics and reading research papers. But then again since I don't know what area in robotics I want to focus on is that even a good idea?

Hi everyone,

I'm a senior in mechanical engineering at McGill with a strong interest in robotics/mechatronics/IoT, especially medtech. I've spent most of this summer weighing one big decision: pursue a 2-year thesis master's, or go straight into industry after my bachelor's. Here's my thinking on both sides.

Why a master's appeals to me

Mechatronics is inherently multidisciplinary, so I suspect a master's isn't just useful but actually required for some roles in this space. I'm also genuinely drawn to a thesis track over a course-based one: I want to work (when in industry) in new product development, not maintaining legacy products, and I'm passionate about working on something novel. A thesis gives me a shot at doing that: a year or so of deep, high-level work on an original project, ideally with a professor who has industry ties (I've already identified a few who fit). If I go this route, I'd also want to aim for a top school rather than staying at McGill, but I honestly don't know how competitive that makes me. I'm not sure how McGill is viewed by admissions committees at top programs, so I don't even know if I'd have a real shot getting in.

Why industry appeals to me

The alternative is skipping the master's and working my way up directly. I'm confident I could grow quickly that way, and I'd supplement it with side projects and self-directed learning. That said, part of me still leans toward the master's. The multidisciplinary nature of the field and the chance to work on something novel at a high level are hard to walk away from. There's also the fact that most side projects end up being fairly "cheap," derivative GitHub-clone type builds, whereas a thesis is a genuinely serious, sustained piece of work. That gap in depth is part of what keeps pulling me back toward the master's. Still, I can't fully rule out the industry path.

Some context on where I'm coming from

I've prioritized my GPA (3.7/4.0) over extracurriculars, so I have some projects but no design-team experience, you know the kind that tends to land internships at places like Tesla. That's part of why the master's appeals to me: if I already sacrificed project time for grades, doing a thesis feels like a natural next step. And honestly, two years feels like a small trade-off in the long run, especially given my long-standing interest in research with real industry ties.

TL;DR: Senior in MechEng at McGill, want to work in new product development. Deciding between a thesis master's (research tied to industry) or going straight into industry with side projects on the side.

My main questions:

1. Is a master's actually valuable for someone aiming at NPD/startup-style work in this field?
2. Would it give me a real edge over other candidates?
3. Is my instinct right that the multidisciplinary nature of mechatronics makes a master's more worthwhile?
4. Or is skipping it, going straight into industry plus side projects, the smarter move?

Would love to hear your thoughts, especially from anyone who's made a similar call.

This is going to be my biggest project. I did some research but am stuck and I just don't know how to proceed.

Am also looking for someone who is willing to work on this project. I mean you so the same thing in your home and I do the same. We will keep sharing insights and also if successful we can push the project to double pendulum balancing.

Also has anyone else made/worked on the similar projects?

Also can you guys tell me what tools are required to make this project?

Thanks

Hello!

I have an idea for a sculpture that would involve some kind of automated mechanism. It's hard to describe it in words, but essentially I want to make a realistic heart out of paper mache and chicken wire, leaving the inside hollow. Inside of the "exoskeleton" I want to put some kind of pump mechanism filled with fake blood that can squirt the blood out in a heartbeat pattern.

I have pretty much no experience doing this kind of thing (im not even sure if this is considered robotics) so I wanted to see if anyone has suggestions on how I can do this in the simplest most beginner friendly way.

Hi Reddit. I am not in the field but I am very interested in the development of robotics. (Just curious) probably not going into the field but very interested and excited about future of robotics

1. What is going on right now? Overall.
   
2. What are some major problems in robotics and major direction?
   
3. Which specific labs in which universities or companies are doing well on their research direction?
   
4. What are some of the leading universities labs and companies globally?
   
5. What is academia compared to industry?
   
6. Where are the centers of robotics?

I would really appreciate any inside perspective.

Those may sound like some naive questions but I am not in the field so forgive me.

I'm new, I'm a Mechanical Engineering Major, with Minor in Robotics, Diploma in Mechatronics. I know, electronics, kinematics, design and dynamics of a Robotic Arm, But I want to learn what the industry is using, that I researched was ROS 2, Gazebo, RViz (correct me if I'm wrong). I also took a course on Udemy for ROS2; but I believe that the course content is little slow and sluggish. I have very less time (about a year) before I stand infront of an interviewer; and have to speed up. Can anyone experienced in the field guide me a little bit. Thankyou so much for your time.

I have an upcoming technical interview for a Software/Embedded Infrastructure role at a vertically integrated robotics company.

The position focuses on the software layer between high-level AI/vision models and the low-level motor drivers and actuators, running on an NVIDIA Jetson edge platform.

The system involves Linux services communicating through zero-copy IPC, CPU affinity/core pinning, EtherCAT communication with motor controllers, and real-time sensor pipelines for vision and kinematics.

The first round is expected to focus on low-level C and systems programming.

Given this architecture, which areas would you consider the highest priority to study? Also, what are some representative interview questions you would expect for this kind of role?

Thanks!

Hey there! I'm sorry my friend said TECHNICALLY sensors are a robotics topics so I thought I'd start here lol, if i got the wrong subreddit to ask this question please let me know.

I'm an animation student and for a project we want to make it where when you lift off an object off of a touch censor, it triggers an animation on an ipad. I did some research that a resistant touch censor would be the best option?? But other than that, I'm not entirely sure how to make this possible. Where do I start? is there a specific code I need to learn? What technology would I need to get for this? please help I have only coded once in high school.

Thank you!

I’m a CS major nearing graduation and I’ve been thinking about getting into robotics. I’m very comfortable with programming and math, but I have very little hands-on experience with embedded systems or electronics.

One piece of advice I’ve come across is to get some hands-on experience with an actual robot, so I’m considering buying a robotics kit and working through various projects with it. I’m primarily interested in using this as a way to learn the fundamentals and eventually build toward more advanced robotics projects.

I’ve been looking at the kit below as one possibility. For someone coming primarily from a CS background, would this be a good starting point? Are there particular robotics kits, platforms, or projects you would recommend instead?

I’d especially appreciate advice on what would give me the most useful experience for eventually pursuing robotics professionally.

https://www.waveshare.com/product/robotics/robot-arm-control/robot-arm/roarm-m2-s.htm

Hey guys I’m currently learning AI/ML and I’m really interested in getting into robotics as a hobby. I want to eventually implement my ML projects into actual physical systems.

I’ve never worked with robotics before. Should I start with Arduino? I’m also learning C++ so I thought it might be useful for both.

How did you guys get started with robotics and what would you recommend for a complete beginner?

Also if anyone is just starting out like me and wants to learn/build together I’d love to connect.

I’m particularly interested in MiR-type AMRs, but I would also like to learn about autonomous forklifts, goods-to-person robots, mobile manipulators and other small-scale logistics solutions used in factories and warehouses.

Could you recommend useful research papers, technical articles, case studies, standards or other reliable sources?

I would also be interested in hearing about your practical experiences:

What kinds of tasks have the robots handled?

What were the biggest integration or navigation problems?

How well did they work in a changing environment shared with people and other vehicles?

How difficult were fleet management, charging, maintenance and connections to WMS, MES or ERP systems?

Did the system deliver the expected productivity or return on investment?

Were there any limitations or failure modes that vendors did not emphasize beforehand?

Both positive and negative experiences would be valuable. I’m not interested in one particular manufacturer at this stage and sources in English are perfectly fine.

Thanks in advance!

I'm building a 6-DOF robotic arm with FT5330M servos (35.5 kgcm @ 7.4V, 180° travel), driving them directly from an ESP32 with hardware PWM. I want to add an AS5600 per joint for more precise positioning. The goal is to use the arm for imitation learning, so I need to read the true joint angle at every timestep — both to record demos and to feed the policy.

My plan is to power the servos from a 2S LiPo (7.4V) through a separate distribution bus. The ESP32 shares ground with that bus but only sends signal. On top of that, an AS5600 per joint through a TCA9548A mux, with the magnet on the moving link rather than the servo horn. Plus an INA226 per joint for current the datasheet gives Kt as 10 kgcm/A, so current reads directly as joint torque, and it doubles as stall detection.

A couple of questions:

Will this plan work well or do I miss something?

Should I gut the internal driver? Building my own H-bridge and PID would give me full control and clean feedback through the AS5600, but that costs time and money. Is it worth it, or does my plan work fine as is?

If I don't gut it, is there any way to get past the 180° limit externally? And do I actually need 360°? The STS3215 in SO-101 has it, but I'm not sure whether that's a requirement or just a nice-to-have.

Note: I don't have access to the STS3215 used in the LeRobot SO-101 arm, so I'm trying to build something capable of the same tasks with the servos I can access.

Hello, am making a line follower robot, before I buy all the parts I was wondering if someone could help me by giving me some tips I should keep in mind before doing so or assmebly.

Current parts like:

1000rpm n20 - motors

L298N- Motor Driver (Due to low budget)

Arduino Nano

Custom 8 channel sensor (photoresistor and 3mm led lights)

CD4067 - multiplexer

For assembly:

Veroboard as body

n20 motor mounts (3d print)

mini breadboard for easy prototying

We created an AI harness + LLM to control ROS2 robot simulations

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUbNv2Tulas

hi guys just asking for tips and recommendations
we are having a small compitition in school
and we are tasks to make a 3 in 1 bot
consist of maze bot, linefollower bot, and sumobot.
i was thinking on using 4 tof sensors
and 8 ir array do yall think this is good? thx