A local elementary school has an art program with a large emphasis on helping students with cognitive differences or motor impairments. In many cases, students can't grasp a brush or go through the motions necessary to create conventional art.
At the Rehabilitation and Neuromuscular (ReNeu) Robotics Lab, we decided to make a generic XY table to assist such students. We wanted an open source design that any art teacher could build, so everything besides the electronics was purchased from a hardware store for under $50 with no custom parts.
This is a robot that can control the location of an object with 2 motorized axes. I designed and assembled it in 2 days, showcasing its simplicity. It is programmed to receive inputs from a joystick and move the axes accordingly. A magnetic carriage rolls on paper above the plywood with a brush or marker to help students make art.
Click here to see the amazing art that these elementary students created!
