A technology startup called UFACTORY based in
Shenzhen, China wants to put miniature robotic arms in your homes. Their
product called the uArm Swift is not just a regular robotic arm that is already
pre-programmed from the (u)factory but one that can learn new tasks.
The uArm Swift is not the company’s first product
actually, some of you might have heard of them back in 2014 when they launched
the uArm Metal. Their new product has been in the works since 2015 and is
expected to ship this year.
The uArm Swift is an open sourced Arduino-based
desktop robotic arm “whose capabilities depends on your creativity”. Available
in two variants: the uArm swift and uArm Swift Pro, both versions are made from
square aluminium alloys and have a 4-axis parallel-mechanism structure. The
uArm Swift can be programmed to do a number of tasks from light painting to
laser engraving to 3D printing and even to pick up drinks and serve to guests.
You can also teach the robots new tasks in a different number of ways:
- There is an offline mode where you guide the robot’s arm to do what you want and it records it to memory. Or the gesture mode where the robot mimics your hand movements to perform tasks.
- There is also the uArm Studio, a Blocky-based graphical program that you can use to control the robot.
The uArm Swift and Swift Pro are currently on
crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. Depending on the variant, additional
accessories, and units you need you can spend from US$ 209 to US$ 1599. Shipping is
said to begin in April and should be completed to all backers by May.
