Robotic Arm Cube Stacker

Assembled robotic arm with a red gripper, mounted on a black base with visible Arduino and breadboard wiring, on a desk in front of a monitor

C++ · Data Structures & Algorithms · 2025

Role: Mechanical Design & Software
Timeline: Jan 2025 – Apr 2025
Team: Team of 4
Tools: C++, Data Structures & Algorithms, Mechanical Design

Prototyped and programmed a robotic arm that stacks weighted cubes into ordered piles, simulating an industrial pick-and-place line.

The Problem

Our MREN 178 (Data Structures & Algorithms) final project needed a real mechatronic application of the course material. We picked an industrial pick-and-stack process to simulate.

My Approach

I worked on both the mechanical and software sides. On the mechanical side, I helped design an arm structure that could take repetitive stacking loads without losing placement accuracy, accounting for kinematics and load distribution. On the software side, I wrote the control logic in C++ and used a stack data structure to manage cube order and placement.

Outcome

We delivered a working prototype and presented it, along with the source code, during the course's lab demonstration.

Robotic arm with a red gripper next to two partially built cube stacks on a desk — Arm mid-stack during a demo run

Early prototype of the arm base with a single servo joint and gripper, wired to an Arduino Mega on a workbench — First prototype, arm base and wiring

Completed, organized cube stack

GitHub Repo Watch Demo Video