Niryo NED Robot and Conveyor System Object Sorting & Control

About this project

My research group recently purchased a Niryo NED Robot and Conveyor. The NED is a 6-axis robotic arm with open-source technologies for education, research, and vocational training. This robot and conveyor system is being used in a research project for sorting objects.

Robotics and automation education and research provide an opportunity to create change and develop solutions to problems faced in society. Addressing economic and environmental sustainability is vital for future generations. Recycling and reusing items can reduce waste and expenditure.

Some electrical engineering courses often rely on hardware components such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, voltage regulators, and diodes for project work. For example, students are required to construct an electrotechnology product in the Electrical and Electronics Applications course. The construction could be on a printed circuit board (PCB) or breadboard. After project work, the constructed PCBs are left in storage or thrown away. Used components are often discarded instead of being reused. Sorting parts is tedious, and this could be achieved using an automated sorting system.

Currently, a complete proof-of-concept Matlab controller app has been developed that detects, classifies, and sorts objects. Special thanks to the team at Niryo and The Brainary for their assistance.

A customised workspace has been developed for the Ned robot to recognise and pick objects. An overhead camera uses four corner markers to calibrate the workspace and translate object locations to the robot's reference frame. Machine learning algorithms such as shallow neural networks, support vector machines, and deep learning, are being used to detect and classify objects in the workspace.

Please view the LinkedIn video below for the Matlab App :

Matlab machine learning Basic workspace navigation

Full proof-of-concept video

Here are some videos of presentations made at international conferences:

For more details on this project refer to the following:

Journal Articles

1. Chand, P. A Low Resolution Used Electronics Parts Image Dataset for Sorting Application. Data, MDPI, 2023, 8(1), 20. https://doi.org/10.3390/data8010020

2. Chand, P. and Lal, S. Vision-based Detection and Classification of Used Electronics Parts. Sensors, MDPI, 2022, 22(23), 9079. https://doi.org/10.3390/s22239079. https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/23/9079

Conference Proceedings Papers

1. Chand, P. Developing a Matlab Controller for Niryo Ned Robot Control.​ 2022 IEEE International Conference on Technology Innovation and its Applications (ICTIIA), 2022, pp. 1-5, doi: 10.1109/ICTIIA54654.2022.9935911

2. Chand, P. Investigating Vision Based Sorting of Used Items.​ 2022 IEEE International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Engineering and Technology (IICAIET), 2022, pp. 01-05, Malaysia (online). 10.1109/IICAIET55139.2022.9936813

Newsletter Articles

1. Chand, P. Sorting Objects with the NED Robot and Conveyor, The Brainary. https://thebrainary.com/blog/sorting-objects-with-the-ned-robot-and-conveyor/ 2022 .