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Week 19 - Invention, Intellectual Property and Income

Edited on: June 10, 2026

Dissemination Plan

RoboBuddy is released under a CC BY-NC-SA license. This means anyone is free to use, share, and adapt the project as long as they credit the original author, don't use it for commercial purposes, and share any derivatives under the same license.

All design files, firmware and documentation are publicly available through the Fab Academy archive. The hardware design files (PCB, enclosure, basket) are available for download on the respective weekly documentation pages.

Future Possibilities

RoboBuddy in its current state is a solid proof of concept, but there are several directions I would like to explore in the future:

  • Path recording & playback — already implemented in another firmware version but not yet installed and tested: manually drive a route, record it, and replay it forwards and backwards. A simple but effective form of semi-autonomous navigation.
  • LIDAR sensor — adding a LIDAR module would give RoboBuddy proper spatial awareness and open the door to fully autonomous navigation and room mapping.
  • Better sensor coverage — the current HC-SR04 sensors only cover the front; adding sensors on all sides would make the robot even more robust.
  • Improved app — a more polished UI with status feedback and route visualization would complement the path playback feature nicely.
  • Follow Me (UWB) — a Follow Me function using UWB positioning was part of the original concept and would still be a great addition, but UWB hardware turned out to be too expensive for a hobby project for now.
  • Rotating cleaning attachment — only half-serious, but thanks to RoboBuddy's robust construction and higher weight compared to conventional robot vacuums, a spinning mop attachment mounted underneath could actually provide better floor contact pressure. Never say never.

Progress Summary

What has been completed: - Belt-driven differential drive chassis with 3D-printed enclosure - Custom PCBs plotted with vinyl plotter on FR4 with copper foil - Modular PCB tower and battery holder - Firmware with motor control and HC-SR04 obstacle avoidance - React Native app with joystick and speed control over WiFi - Magnetic basket for payload transport - Full Fab Academy documentation across all weeks

What remains: - Installing and testing the path recording & playback feature - App polish

What's Working — What's Not

Working well: - Differential drive and belt construction perform reliably - TMC2209 drivers are whisper-quiet and easy to tune - Obstacle avoidance runs smoothly - Magnetic basket concept works great in practice - WiFi control is responsive with no noticeable lag

Still needs work: - Path playback feature is implemented in another firmware version but untested in hardware due to time limits.

What I Learned

This project taught me that building something that actually moves and works end-to-end is a completely different challenge than any individual weekly assignment. Getting all subsystems (mechanics, electronics, firmware and app) to work together reliably required constant iteration and a lot of patience. The custom PCB production with the vinyl plotter was one of the most unexpected highlights of the project: To prove the concept of being able to produce at least single-sided PCBs at home was a delight.