2025-07-23
projects
robotics
electronics
code
We exhibited our robot at Open Sauce 2025!
The Bobamabob, V1
It's a robot that makes boba! You can find a video of it in action at https://bobamabob.com/.

It took about 6 months of outside-of-job time, starting from almost no knowledge of how to put a robot together. Plus, we kind of built two copies of this robot since my friend and I live in different states.
Our original idea of a hamburger-making robot was "too hard." That didn't make this boba robot any easier. Not sure why all our ideas were food robots.
I learned:
- how to make a gantry
- timing belt and stepper motor
- controlling stepper motors
- controlling a gantry with pathfinding firmware
- using aluminum extrusions
- cutting aluminum extrusions with a mitre saw
- pumping and managing liquids in a robot
- designing numerous custom parts using FreeCAD and 3D printing the parts out
- using epoxy
- learning about food safety
- how to network with people
- talking to other people about robotics
- setting up and managing a booth at a convention
- talking to people nonstop at a convention is very tiring and tiring to the voice. if you find yourself in this situation, continuously drink water!!
- the environment you build something in greatly contributes to your motivation to work on that thing
- connecting with people on linkedin and networking
- working with different DC voltages
- debugging power supply errors caused by mysterious short circuits (thanks michael! you know who you are)
- how to make a big sugary, squelchy mess inside of a robot