Mycobot 280
Compact 6-DOF collaborative robotic arm for education
$599 – $799
The Mycobot 280 is a lightweight, desktop-sized collaborative robotic arm designed for educational institutions, researchers, and hobbyists. With 6 degrees of freedom and a 280mm working radius, it offers precision manipulation capabilities in a compact form factor. The robot supports multiple programming environments including Python, ROS, and Arduino, making it ideal for learning robotics fundamentals and rapid prototyping.
Released: 2020
Overview
The Mycobot 280 represents Elephant Robotics' commitment to democratizing robotics education through accessible, high-quality hardware. This 6-axis collaborative robot arm combines professional-grade precision with an affordable price point, making it an ideal platform for students, educators, and makers to explore robotic manipulation and automation concepts.
Weighing just 960 grams and featuring a compact footprint of 138mm x 138mm, the Mycobot 280 fits comfortably on any desktop or laboratory workbench. Despite its small size, it delivers impressive capabilities with a 280mm working radius and 250-gram payload capacity, sufficient for educational demonstrations, pick-and-place tasks, and light assembly operations.
Designed with versatility in mind, the Mycobot 280 supports multiple programming languages and development environments including Python, C++, Arduino, ROS 1 and ROS 2, and visual programming through myBlockly. This multi-platform compatibility ensures that users at any skill level can engage with the robot, from beginners using drag-and-drop programming to advanced developers implementing complex motion planning algorithms.
Key Features
- 6 Degrees of Freedom: Full 6-axis articulation with high-precision servo motors for versatile manipulation tasks
- Multiple Programming Options: Support for Python, ROS, Arduino, C++, and visual programming environments
- Compact Desktop Design: Lightweight 960g construction with small footprint ideal for educational settings
- Modular End Effector: Standard mounting interface compatible with various grippers, suction cups, and pen holders
- Multi-Connectivity: USB, Bluetooth, and WiFi communication options for flexible integration
- Open Source Ecosystem: Comprehensive documentation, sample code, and active community support
- Safe Collaborative Operation: Low-power servo motors suitable for human-robot interaction in educational environments
Applications
The Mycobot 280 serves as an ideal educational platform for robotics courses in universities, technical colleges, and STEM programs. It enables hands-on learning in kinematics, motion planning, computer vision integration, and robotic manipulation. Research laboratories utilize the platform for algorithm development, particularly in areas such as machine learning for robotics, trajectory optimization, and human-robot interaction studies.
Beyond education, the Mycobot 280 finds applications in desktop automation, rapid prototyping, and maker projects. Hobbyists and small businesses employ it for light assembly tasks, quality inspection demonstrations, creative applications like drawing and 3D printing assistance, and as a testbed for developing custom automation solutions before scaling to industrial systems.
Technical Highlights
The Mycobot 280 achieves its precise motion control through high-resolution servo motors in each joint, delivering repeatability of ±0.5mm across its working envelope. The robot's kinematic design follows a standard 6R configuration, making it an excellent platform for teaching forward and inverse kinematics concepts while providing real-world validation of theoretical principles.
Elephant Robotics has prioritized software accessibility with comprehensive SDK support across multiple platforms. The myCobot Python library provides intuitive APIs for motion control, while native ROS integration enables seamless incorporation into robotic systems and simulation environments like Gazebo and RViz. The robot's modular architecture allows for easy expansion with additional sensors, cameras, and custom end effectors, making it highly adaptable to diverse educational and experimental requirements.
Videos
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