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| The MeArm robot |
All you need is a "screwdriver and enthusiasm" - the robotics parts are pre-cut from acrylic, and the four servo motors can be connected to the Arduino or Orangepip compatible "Brains Board" - the MeArm's bespoke controller. Full build instructions and a simple joystick are provided, and the Brains Board is shipped with some code pre-installed. There are currently two versions of the kit - a complete kit with all components included, and a 'Maker' version which just contains the acrylic parts and servos.
It can be built from scratch, then programmed in Scratch - the drag and drop language used widely by children in primary and secondary schools.
It has all been a bit of a rollercoaster for Benjamin Gray, the creator of MeArm, which he hopes can become "the most accessible Robotics learning tool in the world".
Being featured on The Gadget Show was an early boost. Then in December 2014, within 24 hours of the project being launched on the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform, it reached its initial funding goal (subsequent goals such as hexagonal keys, Wii compatible pads and Bluetooth support were also met). The buzz about the MeArm spread last year and was picked up by several distributors.
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| Ben Gray |
When he attended the Pi Wars event in Cambridge at the beginning of last month, the interest in the MeArm took Ben by surprise. Among those flocking to his stand were representatives from Rapid. We worked quickly and little more than five weeks later the MeArm is in stock at Rapid - an almost unprecedented turnaround for a new supplier. "I had assumed this was how you guys operated - Rapid by name and nature", Ben says. Well to a degree - but there was something about the MeArm that sped the process up. In short, MeArm ticks all the right boxes - it is educational, open source, breaks down knowledge walls (eg. how to wire up and program a robot), is ideal for primary age children and genuinely inspirational.
But what inspired Ben to develop the MeArm?
"I saw a product on Kickstarter that said it was Open Source, Educational and Accessible", Ben told us this week. "When I looked further than that headline it wasn't any of those things - which really irritated me. Rather than spend my energy ranting in the comments section I turned it into designing the MeArm."
Sharing the knowledge that went into the MeArm has always been a key part of the project. In fact, Ben is something of an open source evangelist. He makes a distinction between 'open-washing' and truly 'open source' projects: according to Ben, if the source code and design files cannot be found within ten minutes of discovering a project, it does not deserve the name. All the MeArm laser cutting files are available online, so people can build the robotic parts themselves from their own acrylic sheets. The source code is available here.
What is your ultimate aim for the project?
"To make the most accessible Robotics learning tool in the world", says Ben. "Something that was at a great price and packed in as much learning potential as possible. The fact that you can do some very basic coding to get it working but also do advanced robotics coding means we're a little way towards that goal."
The terms of its open source license helps with the aim of getting the MeArm into schools. Tutorials and programming code developed by MeArm users around the world can be made available when Ben sells the product to schools. This week he is demonstrating MeArm at Rapid's stand at Bett 2016, the UK's largest educational technology show:
— Benjamin Gray (@benbobgray) January 20, 2016
What's next for MeArm? What does 2016 have in store?
"There's a lot in the pipeline for MeArm. We'd like to be continually improving our documentation, design and production techniques. We make everything in the UK so we can improve it as quickly as possible. There are also some new products on the way, but that's all I'll say about them for now!"
Rapid not only stock the kits but has supplied Ben through the years of prototyping and design. Ben tells us that "Rapid have been vital, not only in the development but the production of the MeArm. We get all of our solder from you and a lot of the components that go into the product. Because your service is so fast we don't have to hold a lot of stock, giving us better cash flow."
The MeArm is now available from Rapid.
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