WLKATA Robotics Wants to Put a Little Industry on Your Desk with the Haro380 Robot Arm
With a 17.6-ounce payload capacity, 335-degree movement, and 0.05mm repeatability, the Haro380 is a miniature marvel.
WLKATA Robotics has launched a crowdfunding campaign for a high-precision miniature robot arm, building on its earlier Mirobot work with a considerably more powerful redesign capable of carrying a payload of over 17oz: the Haro380.
"Our objective is to equip the new generation of engineers with the expertise and equipment required to thrive in the technological environment of tomorrow," WLKATA's Ruiqing Jia claims of the company's goals. "We believe that learning and using robotics is a crucial aspect of a well-rounded education, and we are enthusiastic about assisting students in exploring the powerful potential of robotics and utilizing them to uncover the vast unknowns of the Earth, the universe, and beyond."
The Haro380 is WLKATA Robotics' second crowdfunded robot arm project, after the launch of the Mirobot in July 2019. Successfully funded — though with a small minority of backers failing to receive hardware, which the company has blamed on invalid shipping addresses or pandemic-related delays — the Mirobot offered six-axis control with 0.2mm repeatability over a 180-degree 335mm reach with up to a 150g payload.
The Haro380, by contrast, is a beefier creation built to what the company claims is an "industrial-grade" standard, offering a longer 380mm reach over a 335-degree working area with a more precise 0.05mm repeatability. "It offers everything an industrial robot has to offer: great accuracy, high payload, and zero backlash," Jia claims. "More affordable and compact than the usual industrial robots. Better precision and payload than those robots typically used in classrooms."
The arm comes equipped with a magnetic docking system for its end effectors, allowing for automated tool changes. The standard bundle comes with a suction cup and a two-finger soft gripper, with an optional end effectors kit adding three- and four-finger soft grippers, dual and quadruple suction cups, a soft beak, and a pneumatic gripper. Other upgrades including a laser-engraving tool, a conveyor belt with bundled color sensor, a sliding rail set, and the PLC Learning Station — providing a miniaturized example of a PLC-controlled factory system for educational purposes.
The Haro380 is now funding on Kickstarter, with physical rewards starting at $3,599 for "super early bird" backers — a claimed 54 percent discount over WLKATA's planned retail price.