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TechWithMatthew

@techwithmatthew

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🤖 Robotics, AI & all things hardware
⚙️ Making complex tech make sense
📩 DM or Email for collaborations:
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The brain is working, so now it’s time to give our AI robot a way to move 🦾🤖

For this step, I’m using the UNIHIKER Robotics Extender Board to make connecting the robot’s servos much easier. ESP-Claw understands our robot’s architecture and the components connected to it, so the AI can interact with the hardware we add to the robot.

That means we can ask it to create a custom servo skill for the hardware we’ve connected, giving the AI a way to control the robot’s arms.

Now that we’ve got the brain, face, and moving arms working, it’s time to move over to CAD and start building the actual body.

If you want to build one yourself, I’ve put the full project on my website, including the setup and all the components I’m using. Comment ROBOT for the full project or check the link in my bio.

#robotics #ai #stem #engineering #microcontroller

@dfrobot_official by @techwithmatthew

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15 days ago

When a robot has multiple joints, calculating its final position using individual equations quickly becomes complicated. Transformation matrices provide a more scalable way to handle this.

A transformation is simply a way of describing how one coordinate frame relates to another, including how it has rotated and moved.

Each joint gets its own transformation matrix, and by multiplying these together, we can calculate the final position and orientation of the robot's end effector relative to its base. Each transformation builds on the one before it, so the order of these matrices matters.

This approach is widely used in robotics, from industrial robot arms to humanoid robots, because it provides a consistent way to describe how every joint contributes to the robot's overall movement.

#robotics #roboticsengineering #engineering #kinematics #stem by @techwithmatthew

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3 months ago

You don't need more microcontrollers. You need fewer reasons to fight your hardware.

When I'm choosing a board, I'm not asking "Which one is the most powerful?" I'm asking:

• Does it have the peripherals I need?
• Will it physically fit the robot?
• Is there enough processing headroom?
• Will it scale as the project grows?
• How much development time will it save?

The "best" microcontroller is rarely the one with the highest specs. It's the one that lets you spend the most time building and less time working around limitations.

Spend an extra 10 minutes choosing the right board, and you can save hours later in the project.

Think your toolkit is better? Let me know down in the comments 👇

#robotics #microcontroller #stem #engineering #arduino by @techwithmatthew

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3 months ago

I thought my robot needed some fresh air...

Inspired by the legendary @hisashi.nakagawa

#robotics #engineering #stem #technology #innovation by @techwithmatthew

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5 hours ago

Someone recently asked me if I think a degree is a MUST for a job as a robotics engineer.

Personally, I think a degree is one of the strongest foundations you can give yourself for a career in robotics. Depending on the company, country and role, it may even be a requirement. University gives you structured learning, guidance and the opportunity to tackle a wide variety of challenges and projects.

That being said, I don't think learning should stop at university, or that it's the only way to develop practical skills. Thanks to the internet, you can follow online courses, tutorials and build your own projects from home. @hacksterio for example is a great platform if you're looking for project inspiration!

If you know where you want to end up but aren't sure how to get there, start by looking at job descriptions for the roles you're interested in. See what qualifications and skills employers are asking for, then work towards them.

Do you think a degree is important for a career in robotics? Let me know in the comments ⬇️

#stem #robotics #education #microcontroller #tech by @techwithmatthew

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a day ago

Stop wasting your money on microcontrollers you don't need.

A lot of the time, a cheaper board could do exactly the same job. You don't need to pay for processing power or features your project will never use.

But sometimes spending a little more is worth it. If a more capable board saves you hours of development, debugging or working around limitations, the extra cost can quickly pay for itself.

The goal isn't to find the cheapest microcontroller. It's to find the cheapest one that gets the job done without creating more work later.

What's your go-to budget board? Let me know down in the comments 👇

#robotics #microcontroller #arduino #stem #engineering by @techwithmatthew

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13 days ago

What happens when you combine a microcontroller with an FPGA?

Meet the Vicharak Shrike Lite - a compact and affordable development board that brings programmable hardware and software together on a single board.

Project reel coming soon... 👀 @vicharak_in

#FPGA #Microcontroller #EmbeddedSystems #Electronics #Engineering by @techwithmatthew

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3 months ago

Let's make an AI desktop robot that can move, chat, and interact!

The first step is to get the robot's brain up and running. The UNIHIKER K10 gives me the hardware to build around, while ESP-Claw connects it to an AI model - the same AI you’d normally chat with. Instead of only responding on a screen, this AI can control the robot’s hardware and eventually interact with the physical world. I can also customise how I want the robot to behave by giving it its own memory, personality, and more.

The brain is working, so the next step is the body. If you want to build one yourself, I’ve put the full setup and build on my website, including links to the components I’m using. Comment BRAIN for the full project or check the link in my bio.

#robotics #ai #stem #engineering #microcontroller

@dfrobot_official by @techwithmatthew

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19 days ago

Have you ever built a robot using both an FPGA and an MCU?

SENTINEL // 01 is a small autonomous detection system where a servo motor sweeps an ultrasonic sensor from side to side, measuring what’s in front of it as it scans. It’s built around the @vicharak_in Shrike Lite, a development board that combines an FPGA and an RP2040 microcontroller. The FPGA handles the low-level hardware control, while the RP2040 handles the main logic and communicates with my Python radar interface.

As the servo physically scans the area, the ultrasonic sensor takes measurements and the laptop turns those readings into the radar display you see here, in real time. The result is a robotic sensing system, giving a robot a way to detect and understand its surroundings without needing a camera.

I’ve documented the full build on my website, where I go into more detail on the hardware, code and how the FPGA, RP2040 and Python interface all work together.

Comment “LITE” and I’ll send you the full breakdown 👇

#FPGA #microcontroller #robotics #embedded #electronics by @techwithmatthew

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a month ago

A robot doesn't just need to know where it's going - it also needs to know where it is right now.

Forward kinematics gives a robot its own sense of position using only its own joint angles and link lengths. Without this, it couldn't accurately follow a path, avoid obstacles, or know whether it had reached its target.

It's a deceptively simple idea, but it's one of the core building blocks that you need to know about if you're building a modern robot.

Want to see how it's implemented in code or explore my interactive forward kinematics demo? Comment "FORWARD" and I'll DM you the link.

#robotics #roboticsengineering #engineering #automation #programming by @techwithmatthew

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3 months ago

A package arrived from @dfrobot_official 👀

And I think I’ve got pretty much everything I need to start building a desktop companion. Imagine your own mini robot that can see, talk to you, move, and even help you work.

I’m going to turn the build into a series so you can follow along and build one too.

What would you want your robot to be able to do?

#robotics #stem #dfrobot #ai #engineering by @techwithmatthew

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2 months ago