'Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness due to the alterations of a protein called dystrophin that helps keep muscle cells intact'.
(Muscular Dystrophy Association - Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) - Diseases (2021, April 29))
Approximately 4.78 people out of 100,000 possess the DMD in the world. To help those people improve their autonomy, we decided to create a robotic arm, accessible and customizable. Our goal was to create an arm, controllable with an android app, and under a ~400€ budget, using a 3D printer.
This project was possible thanks to Niryo's 3D models of the arm, the FabLab of ECE Paris school and HandiTech.
The usage of the arm is under the responsability of the user.
To learn how to use our arm, please go through our course.
You'll find further informations in our GitHub and all the ressources in the following link.
Finally, dont miss to visit our YouTube page.
This is the code for the android app to control the robotic arm.
In order to create a connection between the app and the Raspberry, you need to have followed the Raspberry Pi steps before.
- On your Android, go to the DOWNLOAD_APP_APK folder and click on "ArmBot_app_vYYYYMMDD.apk" to download it.
- Explore the files of your Smartphone to find the APK application file you previously downloaded.
- Click on the file and press “Install” to launch the installation.
⚠️ Warning : By default, Android do not allow the installation of application not installed via the Play Store. You need to permit the installation of application from unknown sources.So navigate to your phone settings menu then to the security settings. Enable the Install from Unknown Sources option.
ℹ Note : To create an APK in Android Studio, go to "Build" and select "Build Bundle(s) / APK(s)" and click on "Build APK(s)".
- Once launched, you'll end up on the home page.
- You'll be able to come back to the home page at any type by clicking on the
button.
- The message under the "Home" title outputs the state of the Bluetooth connection between the app and the Raspberry.
ℹ Information : To use the app, you'll need to enable Bluetooth and allow the localisation.
-
Click on the
button to enable the Bluetooth if not already enabled. -
Click on the
button to search Bluetooth devices. -
In the Bluetooth page, select the Raspberry Pi which should be already paired and wait until the "Connected : 'Raspberry name'" message appears under the "Home" title.
-
Click on the "Enter" button to go to the controllers.
ℹ Note : The top buttons enables to control the arm; the bottom ones control the robot gripper.