FabCare x Physical AI¶
Description in Schedule¶
Date: Monday, July 27, 2026
Time: 14:30–18:30
Room: C | E14, G-Shop-2
Track: Systems & Scaling
Participants: 10
This workshop explores the intersection of electronic music and embodied robotics, using synchronized systems to create responsive, performative experiences. Participants will work with modular electronic music tools alongside Seeed Studio’s Rebot Arm to design systems where rhythm, tempo, and sonic structure directly drive robotic motion in real time.
Speakers
- Adriana Cristina Cabrera Galindez
- Enrico Bassi
- Eric Pan
- YaoHui Zhu
- Jennie Wang
What I Learned¶
The workshop began with Adriana introducing the Fab Challenge held in Bali in 2022. She explained how one of the challenges focused on prosthetics and assistive technologies, highlighting the need for affordable, accessible solutions that can improve people's daily lives. This served as an introduction to how robotic arms can be used not only in manufacturing and automation, but also as assistive devices for people with disabilities or limited mobility. The discussion emphasized how open-source tools and digital fabrication can help make these technologies more accessible.
After the introduction, we each received a Seeed Studio reBot Arm together with its handheld controller. We connected the robotic arm to a computer and paired the remote, allowing us to manually control each axis of the arm. This gave us a good understanding of its movement, precision, and operating modes before moving on to more advanced features.
One of the most interesting features of the reBot Arm is that it can also be trained to perform tasks automatically. Instead of manually controlling every movement, the robot can record demonstrations or be programmed to repeat actions, making it useful for repetitive tasks, prototyping, education, and AI-assisted workflows.
For more information about the robotic arm, see the Seeed Studio product page:
- https://www.seeedstudio.com/reBot-Arm-B601-RS-Assembled-Kit-with-Gripper-p-6865.html
Software Installation¶
To control and configure the robotic arm, install SenseCraft Robotics:
- https://sensecraft.seeed.cc/en/robotics#download
Once installed, connect the robot arm to your computer and follow the setup instructions provided by the software.
Borrow the Arm¶
From my understanding, Seeed Studio may be able to support Fab Labs, cities, or other organizations that want to host a similar Physical AI workshop. This could include the possibility of borrowing or getting access to a reBot Arm for an event.
The details shared during the workshop were slightly different from the information on the following pages, so these links are best used as a starting point for learning more and contacting Seeed Studio directly:
Final Thoughts¶
Overall, this was a fun workshop. We connected and set up the robotic arm, installed the required software, and were quickly able to control it remotely and move it around. The setup process was straightforward, and it was interesting to see how responsive the arm was.
From what was explained during the workshop, the arm is also capable of AI-based training. It has a camera mounted near the gripper and another camera overlooking the work area, which can supposedly be used to recognize objects and train the arm to perform tasks automatically. I didn't stay long enough to see or try those features myself, so I can't comment on how well they work, but it was interesting to learn about the possibilities.
I'm definitely interested in exploring the possibility of borrowing one of these robotic arms so I can spend more time with it. I'd love to experiment with the AI features, see what it's actually capable of, and try training it myself. Even just from the short time I spent with it, I thought it was an awesome piece of hardware. It left me wanting to learn more, experiment more, and see what kinds of projects I could build with it.
I'd also encourage other Fab Labs to apply to borrow one of these arms if they have the opportunity. Even a short hands-on experience was enough to get me excited about its potential, and I think it's well worth experimenting with and exploring what it can do.