Neufangled Robotics Friday Update Jan 16 2026

[Nathaniel Nifong]

I have a nice progress to show you this week! My latest video is out detailing the cost breakdown of building this open source robot

• The PCB for the next version of the gripper worked correctly on the 2nd try. This consolidates electronics and makes the part cheaper to produce

• A key bug was fixed in calibration, and alignment is now basically perfect. Everything downstream that was affected is now working much better.

• I have been invited to the Riot Foundations Program. Riot is a startup accelerator based in Raleigh. I will be attending the free four week program.

• A new neural network for target identification is ready. It handles higher resolutions and a greater variety of targets. 

Bad news: SD cards have increased in price by 32% since my last purchase. Motor controllers by 12%. Brushless DC motors by 21%. I’m thinking it might be prudent to stock up before I have to pay for a single SD card with a wheelbarrow full of cash.

In other words, by the time I finish this, the “$1000” robot target may be a little out of date.

You may know that the “pilot” version of Stringman is complete and available for sale. But I am dedicated to rapid design iteration and testing. Both the gripper and anchors are getting a new hardware design revision soon. Here’s a preview.
It may not look much different, but this gripper represents a 50% reduction in assembly steps, 20% reduction in cost, improved encoder resolution, lower weight, a wider field of view camera, and a completely new wrist DoF. And there is no compromise on grip strength.