Magic Trick Performing Robot

Project Overview

This project is a fully integrated robotic system designed to perform a complete magic show, with an expandable architecture that makes it easy to add new tricks and performances over time.
Below is a technical overview of this project.

Developed an end-to-end 6-DOF system spanning 3D CAD, electromechanics, embedded firmware, and ROS 2.
Integrated MoveIt 2 IK/FK, OMPL, and ros2_control for 100 Hz trajectory execution and joint-state feedback.
Developed vision-guided manipulation: object localization, hand-eye calibration, and coordinate-frame transforms.
Developed ESP32/FreeRTOS motor-control firmware using ISR, PWM, and CAN/UART/I2C interfaces.
Architected a behavior-tree orchestration framework supporting concurrent tasks, preemption, timeout/retry/fallback policies, fault recovery, lifecycle management, and system-wide telemetry.

Watch the magic show below and see it in action!

Magic Trick Demo

System Gallery

Vision System — camera-based perception for detecting and tracking objects during the performance.

ROS 2 100 Hz Closed-Loop Control (Cartesian Movement)

Magic robot hardware control architecture — Hardware control architecture connecting the Raspberry Pi, ESP32, CAN network, motor drivers, and 6-DOF arm.

CAD and URDF models of the robot for mechanical design and ROS 2 simulation.

MoveIt 2 and ros2_control closed-loop workflow — MoveIt 2 and ros2_control workflow from target pose and path planning to hardware feedback.

Hand-drawn electrical wiring plan — Electrical wiring plan for power, safety, communication, and motor-control components.

ESP32 FreeRTOS motor-control software architecture — ESP32 FreeRTOS architecture coordinating command queues, dual-core tasks, hardware timers, rails, and servos.

Behind the Scenes

Hidden Electromechanical Mechanism.

Building the Magic-Performing Robot — a timelapse of the assembly and development process.

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