MOTUS’ 3D printed robotic arm wins Student Design Challenge for Digital Fabrication

MOTUS, Final Degree Project by the Undergraduate Degree in Industrial Design Engineering student Alex Latorre, tutored by Dr. Jonathan Chacón, has won the Digital Fabrication Student Design Challenge of Autodesk Fusion 360. A challenge promoted in collaboration with the Instructables website, where participants share their projects and explain their work process. In this latest edition, 46 projects were submitted and 22 different prizes were awarded, including the first prize (Grand Prize), which went to MOTUS.

MOTUS is an open-source robotic arm printed entirely in 3D. Using Elisava’s methodology, the project has been developed following an inspiration phase, an ideation phase and, finally, an implementation phase. These phases include user-centred research and design, specification of a value proposition and technical solution related to 3D modelling, material selection, finite element analysis and business modelling, among others.

The final result is a fully 3D-printed robotic arm with a reach of 600 mm and a payload of 0.5 kg, conceptualized and designed for use in academic environments. These results are supported by all the calculations and processes involved in the development part of the project.

MOTUS proposes an affordable and flexible solution that can be enjoyed by anyone interested in this field. It has been designed to give access to the academic and educational aspects that robotics can support, fostering a creative environment in which users can learn through the learning-by-doing method.