Niryo One: A New Robot Arm for Makers

Our latest roundup of robots launching on Kickstarter included three robot arms for makers. Now a little more than a week later, a new open-source, 6-axis robotic arm called Niryo One is taking Kickstarter by storm.

Lille, France-based Niryo is behind the Niryo One robot arm that can be powered by Arduino, Raspberry Pi and ROS. The goal of the Niryo One, which is 3D printed, is to make robotics accessible for everyone with a low cost and user-friendly experience.

The Niryo One is mainly targeting makers who want an industrial-like robot at home, while also going after schools and small companies. Early bird pricing is 549€ for the basic kit, while the 3495€ Educator Pack gets you five Niryo One robot arms. The plan is to start shipping in September 2017. At press time, the Kickstarter campaign had raised $19,804 of its $21,547 goal with 39 days left.

So why a 6-axis robot. As Niryo points out on the Kickstarter page, “most industrial robots (in car factories, for example) are 6 axis robotic arms, because they are the most efficient robots known for now. Having a six axis robotic arm, you can easily reproduce industrial use-cases, without having to sell your house or your car.”

There are multiple ways that the Niryo One can be controlled. Learning Mode allows users to move the Niryo One around with their hands saving certain positions along the way. The Niryo One robot arm can also be controlled with an Xbox or PlayStation remote, any web browser and an Android/iOS app

Niryo says the potential applications for the Niryo One are endless, especially because it’s open source and the developer community will continue to find new functionalities. Here’s a few fun applications Niryo sees for the robot arm:

Cooking

Drilling

Check out the in-depth Q&A with Niryo CTO Edouard Renard over at Robotics Business Review, our sister publication, for more about the development of the Niryo One and the benefits of using crowdfunding and open-source technology.