myPalletizer 4 Axis Robot Arm Available in M5 Stack & Raspberry Pi 4 Models

Elephant Robotics has developed a 4 degrees of freedom (DOF) robotic arm platform that comes in an RPI 4 model B version and an M5 version. The robotic arm comes in a compact design and supports several programming languages to meet the requirements of hobbyists and users in STEM related fields .   

In the past, LinuxGizmos reviewed the MyCobot robotic arm which has a similar concept to the myPalletizer. The myPalletizer arm is capable of carrying payloads of 250g, it weights 960g and both models feature 4x servo motors to enable 4 degrees of freedom. Additionally, the robot workspace for the myPalletizer is 260mm and the axis that interacts with objects moves 360 degrees. 

myPalletizer M5 Stack (left) and RPI 4 version (right)

The M5 Stack model features a 2” LED screen, a 5×5 matrix LED display while the Raspberry Pi version offers only the 5×5 matrix LED display. Both versions implement 4x high precision servo motors. The M5 Stack arm model is based on the ESP32 processor and it offers easy access to 21x I/O pins. Similarly, the Raspberry Pi 4 version has all of its ports exposed including the 4x USB ports, 2x micro-HDMI, and the 40-pin GPIOs. Both robotic arms ship with a power adapter and their operating temperature range is from 0 to 45℃. 

myPalletizer M5 Stack I/O interface (left) and RPI 4 I/O interface (right)

The myPalletizer uses a USB type C port to communicate with a computer to receive commands. Furthermore, it offers several programming languages to accommodate its users. For beginners, there is support for a block-based programming language similar to Scratch. Elephant Robotics offers several libraries compatible with C, C++, Python, JavaScript and the open source robotic platform ROS for more advanced users. 

Elephant Robotics offers a for firmware documentation. 

Block based programming  (left) and platform (right)

Lastly, the myPalletizer is compatible with other actuators from Elephant Robotics including an adaptive gripper, a suction pump attachment, G shape base to fix the arm into a flat surface and a camera for computer vision applications. 

 myPalletizer Pi demo

Further information

The myPalletizer M5 Stack version is available for $499 while the Raspberry Pi 4 version is available for $599. Shipping is not included. It also seems there will be a myPalletizer model that integrates a Jetson Nano in the future according to their gitbook. For more information, refer to the Elephant Robotics website.