V1.1ar

AAR6: 6-DOF Robotic Manipulator

AAR6 is a 6-DOF (Degrees of Freedom) desktop robotic arm ecosystem. This project integrates motion control, custom hardware design, and interactive 3D visualization into a unified platform. It is based on the open-source PAROL6 design by Source Robotics, heavily modified with custom electronics and a robust QP-based differential controller.

📂 Project Structure

This repository is organized as a monorepo containing all sub-systems of the AAR6 robot:

1. MCU Firmware (STM32)

The low-level "brain" of the robot, running on an STM32F446 microcontroller.

• Real-Time Control: Implements a 20kHz motion engine for smooth step generation.
• S-Curve Profiles: Uses 7-segment S-curve trajectories to minimize jerk and vibrations.
• Driver Interface: Communicates with TMC5160 stepper drivers via SPI.
• Telemetry: Streams high-frequency joint states and system health to the host PC.

2. Robot Controller (CPP/QT)

The advanced kinematic engine and 3D visualization suite.

• Kinematics Engine: High-performance Forward and Inverse Kinematics (FK/IK) implementation.
• Differential QP Controller: A singularity-robust solver using Selective Damped Least Squares (SDLS) and Quadratic Programming (OSQP).
• 3D Visualization: A Qt/QML based interface for real-time monitoring, gizmo-driven movement, and simulator functionality.
• Collision Checking: Integrated environment awareness for safe motion planning.

3. Control Board (KiCad)

Custom PCB design (KiCad) that integrates all electronic components.

• Motor Control: Supports 7× TMC5160 drivers (6 joints + 1 gripper).
• Sensor Integration: Interfaces for AS5600 magnetic encoders and limit switches.
• Connectivity: High-speed USB tracking and power distribution logic.

4. ROS 2 Workspace

Integration layer for the Robot Operating System (ROS 2 Jazzy).

• Environment: Containerized ROS 2 development via Docker.
• Bridging: Scripts to bridge URDF standalone commands to standard ROS 2 topics.
• MoveIt Support: Configuration files for advanced trajectory planning.

5. Documentation

Technical reports, schematics, and academic documentation.

• Technical Report: Detailed LaTeX documentation covering mathematics, hardware specs, and software architecture.
• Schematics: PDF and image exports of the electrical design.

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🚀 Key Features

• Singularity Robustness: Graceful handling of wrist, shoulder, and elbow singularities using adaptive damping.
• Interactive Control: Move the robot via 3D gizmos, joint sliders, or direct Cartesian input.
• Optimized Communication: 921,600 baud DMA-based serial link for low-latency host-to-MCU coordination.

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🛠️ Components Overview

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📜 Documentation & Attribution

• Mechanical Design: PAROL6 by Source Robotics
• Core Libraries:
  • EAIK (Eigen-based Analytical Inverse Kinematics) - Primary analytical seeder for IK.
  • OSQP (Operator Splitting QP Solver) - Numerical optimization for differential control.
  • FCL (Flexible Collision Library) - Real-time collision checking and environment awareness.