Face-Tracking Robotic Arm

Built for Imperial's physical computing module — the brief was to create a human-interactive robot from 3mm plywood. I built a 5-axis robotic arm that tracks faces using computer vision and an ESP32 camera.

The interaction

The arm detects faces in real time and moves to track them using servo and stepper motors. It only tracks my face — nobody else's. It can also be controlled fully by infrared remote.

Construction

Started with CAD, then lasercutting. Iterated many times: added supports and counterweights to prevent tipping, redesigned the servo mounts to halve plywood usage, added ports for direct board connection without disassembly.