Build a Robotic Arm for Accessibility

Join the Pilot Project (Grade 9-11):

Are you ready to use your creativity and STEM skills to change lives?

The STEM Impact Society is launching its first pilot project, and we want YOU to be part of it!

Problem: People with limited upper-body strength or tremors face barriers in everyday tasks like carrying a cup or moving a book.
Solution: A low-cost assistive robotic arm designed to support lifting and stabilize motion for common tasks.
Status & Timeline: Concept & early prototyping · 8–12-week cycle (Winter Cohort)
Key Metrics: Lift 1–2 kg safely · Tip deviation < 10 mm · Spill rate < 5% (10 trials) · Setup < 2 minutes

Students are currently improving the servo motor system — writing custom Arduino code to read potentiometer angles and map them to precise servo motor positions (0°–180°), calibrating and testing each component individually.
The team is using Arduino IDE 2.3.6 to write, compile, and upload their code, and are actively updating board libraries as part of the upgrade process.
In parallel, a student is using SOLIDWORKS xDesign — a professional 3D CAD software — to engineer a structural housing and enclosure for the system’s electronics components.

Hybrid meetings & workshops in Vancouver or Richmond, BC
Vancouver: 271 E 2nd Ave, Vancouver, BC
Richmond: 100–13775 Commerce Parkway, Richmond, BC