Elephant Robotics Unveils the ultraArm P340, Takes Aim at Computer Vision Robotics Education

Elephant Robotics has announced the launch of another robot arm, and this time it's aiming to teach users about artificial intelligence and computer vision with what it is calling the ultraArm P340.

"UltraArm is a small desktop robotic arm. It is designed with classic metal structure and occupies only an area of A5 paper [around 5.8×8.3"]," Elephant Robotics writes of its latest launch. "It is equipped with high-performance stepper motors, and it owns ±0.1mm repeated positioning accuracy and high stability. UltraArm can achieve the precise writing and drawing, laser engraving, and can be freely matched with multiple accessories such as slide rail, conveyor belt, myAGV, and cameras."

It's this latter accessory that the company is hoping to use to introduce computer vision into the hobbyist end of the robot-arm market. Each arm comes complete with educational materials based on the Robot Operating System (ROS), OpenCV, and Python, including lessons on the principles of palletizing robots, use of the various available end-effectors, and embedded machine learning.

For those looking for more direct control, a DIY kit is available without the camera system and with the company's Elephant Luban one-click software for path generation — allowing the arm to grip a pen and act as a plotter, or for the addition of a laser module for low-power laser engraving. The myBlockly drag-and-drop block-based Python development environment provides accessibility for younger users, while ROS simulation control is available for more advanced operators.

The metal arm is capable of handling a payload of 650g (around 23oz) with a claimed ±0.1mm (±0.004") accuracy across its 340mm (around 13.4") operating radius and with four-axis operation powered by what the company promises is a "high-performance stepper motor" design. The company further claims a 5,000 hour working lifespan, with support for 24/7 operation.

The new arm comes five months after Elephant Robotics unveiled the myBuddy, a dual-arm "humanoid collaborative robot" powered by a Raspberry Pi and designed to offer a friendly face for human interaction projects. Two months prior to that the company launched the single-arm six-axis MechArm, also Raspberry Pi powered, as a successor to the M5Stack-based myPalletizer.

Elephant Robotics is taking orders for the ultraArm P340 at $649, a claimed $50 saving from the eventual retail price, with shipments expected to begin in February; a variant with Vision Kit accessory costs $948 with picking kit, slide rail kit, or conveyor belt kit.