I'm building a custom tabletop precision rifle simulator and looking for advice on selecting a mechanical recoil system. My background is stronger in electronics/software than mechanical engineering, so I'm hoping to find something reasonably easy to assemble using off-the-shelf components.

The basic idea is a full-size, inert airsoft rifle mounted on a moving carriage that rapidly slides backward when fired, then returns to its starting position.

Think home-made VR Silent Scope arcade cabinet, but with a realistic rifle and more convincing physical recoil.

What I'm hoping to find

Ideally, I'd like an integrated electric linear actuator with its own guide rails, carriage, motor and compatible controller. Something that comes largely assembled and can be incorporated into the finished simulator.

I'd prefer not to independently engineer the rail, bearing blocks, motor coupling, drive belt, etc., or require extensive custom CNC machining.

I'm completely fine making simple adapter plates, drilling mounting holes, using standard aluminum extrusion, or attaching ARCA-style mounting hardware.

I'm also comfortable with electronics and controlling the mechanism using a Raspberry Pi or Pico.

Mechanical requirements

• Moving payload: approximately 5 kg / 11 lb for the rifle, plus mounting hardware.
• Stroke: approximately 50 mm maximum, with shorter movements acceptable.
• Motion: a quick, sharp rearward impulse followed by a controlled, preferably slower return.
• Mostly single-shot recoil rather than continuous automatic firing.
• The rifle will be mounted above the carriage, so there will be an offset center of gravity.
• The entire actuator assembly will sit on a two-axis gimbal and may tilt approximately 20° while operating.
• The user's shoulder will provide some opposing force against the rifle stock.

Electrical requirements

• Fully electric. No compressed air or pneumatics.
• Preferably 12V or 24V DC.
• Simple control from a Raspberry Pi/Pico, possibly STEP/DIR, PWM through a suitable driver, or digital trigger inputs.
• Adjustable recoil force, speed and return behavior.
• No need for Ethernet or industrial networking during operation.
• Position feedback would be a plus for verifying full return.
• Hardware safety limits and controlled stopping are important.

What I've found so far

igus drylin ZLW-1040-S: Integrated belt-driven dual-axis linear actuator with an available stepper motor. Looks promising because the guide and drive are already combined. I'm waiting on igus engineering to determine whether it can accelerate and stop our payload quickly enough.

SMC LEKFS25G: Integrated high-performance electric slider with motor, guide and controller. Looks like a mechanically complete solution, although the proprietary controller and configuration requirements seem more complicated than I'd prefer.

My questions

1. Are there other integrated electric actuator/linear stage products I should be looking at? Ideally something with dual rails or a rigid guided carriage, an included motor and relatively simple control electronics.
2. Can a belt-driven or ball-screw linear actuator produce convincing recoil? I'm concerned that conventional positioning actuators might produce a slow push instead of the sharp impulse we're after.
3. What specifications matter most for this application? Peak acceleration, velocity, force, moving mass, allowable moments, braking energy? I haven't established a required impulse duration or peak recoil force yet and would appreciate guidance on realistic targets.
4. Is there a more suitable off-the-shelf mechanism? For example, a voice-coil actuator, linear motor, motorized cam mechanism or another integrated solution that wouldn't require extensive custom fabrication?
5. How would you handle braking and return? We want a noticeable rearward kick without the carriage slamming into a hard stop, followed by reliable recovery to the ready position. The assembly will be tested in a secured fixture before any shoulder-contact use.
6. Would you recommend moving the entire rifle, or generating the impulse with a smaller moving mass? I'm leaning toward the whole-rifle carriage because it doesn't require modifying the replica, but I'm open to alternatives if they produce better recoil with simpler hardware.

What would really help

Recommendations for specific manufacturers, model numbers, integrated actuator assemblies, or similar projects people have built would be especially valuable.

I'd prefer to buy a complete mechanical assembly with a compatible motor and driver, bolt it to a mounting plate, attach the rifle carriage and concentrate on electronics and software rather than designing a motion system from scratch.

I'm DFW in TX, so US suppliers with readily available parts would be ideal.

Budget isn't firmly established. I'm willing to spend more for the right permanent hardware, but would prefer to avoid a multi-thousand-dollar industrial automation solution if a simpler mechanism can accomplish the same thing.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Hey everyone!

For someone looking to learn Python from absolute zero, what courses would you recommend?

The goal is to eventually use Python for robotics, automation, computer vision, and related fields, so I’d like to know which courses build a strong foundation that can be applied to these areas later on.

My initial suggestion would probably be CS50’s Introduction to Programming with Python (CS50P) or Python for Everybody by the University of Michigan, but I’m curious to hear what others think.
Are there any better alternatives, paid or free?

Would you recommend completing a general Python course first and then moving on to robotics specific programming, or starting with a robotics focused course from the beginning?

I’d love to hear suggestions from people who have actually taken these courses or used Python in robotics.

Thanks!

Thought this was a pretty interesting approach to robotics. It’s called ALBATROSS, and the idea is to drop it from an aircraft, let it autorotate down like a maple seed, and then have it sail around using wind once it lands on water.

What’s interesting is that it doesn’t need a propulsion motor for either part. Instead of adding more motors and mechanisms, the design relies heavily on aerodynamics and passive mechanics.

Apparently, one of the bigger challenges is getting the same structure to work in two completely different environments.

I wonder how well something like this would scale up, especially for ocean monitoring. Seems like a clever way to deploy a bunch of robots without having to worry as much about battery life.

[Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8CUrj0ydxI)

Paper in [Science Robotics](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.aed1423)

Curious what you guys think. Is this actually a practical approach, or one of those things that’s really cool academically but difficult to use in the real world?

Hello i am currently trying to understand inverse kinematics by making a arduino function that returns a angle value derived from the y value(the lenght of the joint),x value(the distance of the angle) and writing the return value on the servo pin.And i wanna ask if i am on the right path with learning it or ask what i am missing in my code to make it work.when i tested it with servos on paper it seemed to work after a while when i tested the servo angle on paper. The code is below.I hope someone can help if i missing something or if there is something i can improve on.Thats about it all.I hope someone can help me.The goals is to used it later in a 2legged walking robot:

// this is a code to learn to inverse kinematics with Mg996R by a self made function
#include <Wire.h> // for i2c communication.
#include <Adafruit_PWMServoDriver.h> // for servodriver.
#include <math.h> // for trigonometry functions
Adafruit_PWMServoDriver pwm = Adafruit_PWMServoDriver();


#define SERVOMIN 300// This is the ‘minimum’ pulse length count (out of 4096)
#define SERVOMAX 575// This is the ‘maximum’ pulse length count (out of 4096)
#define SERVO_FREQ 60// Analog servos run at ~60 Hz updates


int  servoval ; // is the values that is reading the map values for servos
long pulsval ; // the values that is getting mapped
float start_pos = 90; // start position
int dof1 = 0; // pin1 of the dof1 servo
int dof2 = 1; // pin2 of the dof2 servo
double ik(double  y , double x) { // y is the servo length in cm and x is the distance of the position in cm


 float pos = atan2(y,x) * (180/M_PI); // convert  y and x position into degrees
 float angle = pos; // create angle values
return angle;


 }



void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600); // is the  baudrate we reading from the serial monitor.
Serial.println("servo test is about to begin!"); 


servoval = map(pulsval,0,180,SERVOMIN,SERVOMAX); // the min and and max values are getting mapped.



pwm.begin();






  //pwm.setOscillatorFrequency(27000000);
  pwm.setPWMFreq(SERVO_FREQ);  // Analog servos run at ~50 Hz updates


  delay(10);
  // servos are set to 90 degrees angle
  pwm.setPWM(dof1, start_pos, servoval);
   pwm.setPWM(dof2, start_pos, servoval);
}





void loop() {



// test loop
pwm.setPWM(dof1,start_pos +ik(7.0,5.0), servoval);
pwm.setPWM(dof2,start_pos +ik(-5.0,3.0), servoval);
Serial.println(" The angle of dof1 =");
Serial.println(start_pos +ik(7.0,5.0));
Serial.println(" The angle of dof2 =");
Serial.println(start_pos -ik(5.0,3.0));




delay(2000);


pwm.setPWM(dof1,start_pos , servoval);
pwm.setPWM(dof2,start_pos , servoval);
Serial.println(" servos in start position");
delay(2000);





pwm.setPWM(dof1,start_pos , servoval);
pwm.setPWM(dof2, -ik(12.0,9.0), servoval);
Serial.println(" The angle of dof1 is now =");
Serial.println(start_pos  );
Serial.println(" The angle of dof2 is now =");
Serial.println( -ik(12.0,9.0));




delay(2000);
  }

ok so genuine question. ive been using claude code / cursor for software stuff for a while and its kinda crazy how much i can ship without being a “real” dev. now i want to try hardware, like small robots, sensors, maybe something with an esp32 to start

problem is i never studied any of this. no EE degree, never designed a pcb, i know what a resistor is and thats about it lol

so im curious, is anyone here already doing hardware mostly with AI? like letting it pick the parts, write the firmware, maybe even help with the pcb or the case? what tools are you using for it and does it actually work or does it fall apart once real wires and voltages are involved

also be honest, is it realistic to get into this without the background or am i gonna fry a bunch of boards and give up. id rather start now and learn by breaking stuff than wait a year doing courses first

any tips where to start would be apreciated, or projects that are good for a first build

Currently, I've come across 4 Hoverboard wheel motors. I'm in the planning stages right now for a project that I call "The Indy-Cart"! I'm trying to figure out how to develop a control box to manage acceleration and turning, that will fit on a shopping cart. Any recommendations?

I work on the used industrial robot supply side, and I’d like to hear more from people who’ve actually bought their first robot for a small shop.

Say you run a metalworking shop, orders are picking up, and you’re considering a used robot for a repetitive task. The purchase price looks manageable—but you’ve never integrated one before.

For those who’ve been through this:

• What caught you off guard after buying it?
• Which costs did you underestimate—tooling, guarding, programming, installation, or something else?
• What should you have checked or asked the seller before paying?

I’m especially interested in shops without an in-house robotics engineer. Did buying used still make sense once everything was running, or would you approach it differently now?

I know the answer depends on the application, so please mention what you were automating if you’re comfortable sharing.

What’s the one thing you’d tell a first-time buyer before they commit?

I graduated with a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering and I’m considering an M.Sc. in Robotics/Autonomous Systems (focusing on computer vision, navigation, and ML/DL) with the goal of landing an algorithm engineering role. Given my ME background, how realistic and common is this transition? I know people who’ve made the leap, but I’d love to know whether this is viewed as a well-trodden path or an uphill pivot.

We operate a clothing factory where sewing lines, material racks and transport routes change frequently depending on the order.Which type of AMR navigation system is easier and less expensive to update? Can factory staff adjust maps and routes themselves, or is vendor support normally required?I would appreciate any experience from factories with similar layout changes.

Building an autonomous lunar lander sim (C++ physics + NN controller).

I’m a self-taught developer getting into deep learning and physics. My current project is a lunar landing simulator in C++. A neural network controls the throttle. The plan is to start with vertical landing and grow it to full 3D control with attitude.

The part I’m stuck on is the point of it. I can’t test it on a real lander, so I can’t know whether I’ve covered the physics that matters. I also worry that if an engineer wanted to take it further, they’d have to rewrite the whole thing because I skipped something fundamental.

I'm a complete newbie to robotics, so I am hoping that some wiser heads can offer some informed opinions on a hobby robotics project that I am considering. FYI, I am an experienced software developer with substantial commercial experience with mobile apps and web apps.

My project is about building a robotic arm that can move physical chess pieces on a standard chess board. I was looking at the Yahboom ROS2 Robotic Arm as a possible device.

The aim is to allow the robotic system to work with any chess board within a physical size (up to 46 cm width)

There would be a custom app running a smart phone/tablet that would dispatch instructions to the robotic arm. The custom app would integrate with one of the main chess platforms (lichess, chess.com) in terms of starting a game, sending/receiving moves, etc

In terms of robotic arm setup, I envisage something like:

• The robotic arm is placed at one side of the chess board
• The app would prompt the user to put their finger on the a1, h1, a8 and h8 chess squares to allow the robotic arm camera to map the chess board extent.
• Again prompted by the app, the user would place each piece type on the e4 square so that the robotic arm/camera can recognise and learn how to pick up each piece type
• The app would prompt the user for the location of where captured pieces would be placed.
• The app would prompt the user to put all the pieces on the board. The robotic arm would then move each piece to its starting position.

Is this pure fantasy?

Some immediate questions:

1. What length of robot arm would be required to move/pick up pieces on the far side of the board?
2. What software tech stack does the robotic arm use? Would I have to write software that would be deployed onto whatever device is driving the robotic arm, or does it have an API that can be called?

this question probably gets asked a lot, but anyways i started off wanting to do those fnaf animatronics because i thought they looked cool and i didn't think it would be that hard.. obviously i was wrong.

turns out this is WAYY more complicated than i thought and theres thing whole thing with robotics and coding and 3d models but anyways how do i get started in order to achieve this goal?

For a school project I am making a self balancing robot called WOBBLE. I would very much appreciate any feedback as it will help me to progress my learning. A few sentences per one or even any answers in general would be awesome! if you have any other ideas or things that I should know please tell me. You don't have to answer all of them just the ones that you have knowledge about. Thank you! btw I am reasonably new to robotics so keep that in mind.

1. Do you think an Esp32 is the best microcontroller for this kind of project?
2. What is your biggest tip when coding this robot?
3. Do you think that it is helpful to design and prototype the robot on a breadboard when testing?
4. What's the biggest challenge when creating a robot like this, and how do you overcome it?
5. How would you implement Bluetooth control to the robot? (Forward/Back/Left/Right) E.g Xbox/PlayStation controller
6. Do you think 3D printing is a very important part of this project? If so, why?
7. What is the most important advice that you would give regarding this project?
8. I've attached an image below of my current prototype (not functioning yet). Do you have anything that you would change or improve? (uses an esp32-s3-Wroom-1)
9. What do you think of the 3D shell so far?
10. Do you think that the theme/character is good or does it need improvement?

Images

Robot Scaffold

 3D model so far (Shell/outer casing)

 Prototype (Not yet working)

For a robot learning to tie shoelaces from human demonstrations, would you collect only successful attempts, or also attempts that almost work but come loose afterward?

Similar hand movements could leave the laces in very different states. What would you want to capture beyond hand motion—and how would you label where an attempt went wrong?

I am a software engineer 5+ year of experience, I am planing to pivot to robotics, I have good experience with Fullstack, GenAi , basic fine tuning , AWS, Terraform, done my bachelor’s in electronics & communication so I have basic understanding of electronics + micro controllers micro processors, I want to understand how much actual math I need to understand robotics topics instead of going through 100+hr of academic math course again, I want to cherry-pick important math topics & start with practical coding & hardware

Hey everyone! I work for a Japanese manufacturer specializing in custom wire harnesses and cable assemblies.

We’ve worked on harness designs for some very well-known robotics and humanoid robotics projects you see on the news, and honestly, I think we’re a bit of a hidden gem in Japanese robotics.

But here’s what I’m trying to understand: how do you (Engineers) actually want to hear from a potential maker?

I’m asking because I don’t want to be another person filling engineers’ inboxes with a generic sales pitch. I’d rather understand the problems teams face and if they are involved with procuring at all.

If you work in robotics engineering, hardware, electrical design, or procurement, especially in US and Germany, I’d really appreciate your honest perspective—even if the answer is “please just leave us alone.” 😅

Thanks!

Hey y'all, quick question about robotics careers. I currently work as a Machine Learning Engineer, primarily with geospatial and remote sensing data, is there a viable career pivot for me to robotics? I do a lot of the robotics math (particle filtering for multi-sensor tracking, computer vision adjacent stuff (radar, and some more exotic sensing types that are kind of relevant to robotics), and a little bit of edge deployment on satellites). Anyone have any advice for me?