Elephant Robotics Technology Mycobot-280-Pi (4010100016)

A robot arm that needs a separate computer is a robot arm with a leash. The Elephant Robotics Technology Mycobot-280-Pi (4010100016) cuts that leash: the computer lives inside the arm, so a monitor, a keyboard and a mouse are enough to start teaching it to move. For classrooms, workshops and small labs around the Caribbean, where bench space and budgets for extra hardware are often tight, that is a practical way to begin with robotics.

This product is available through this page, by quotation.

Background

The company and its lineage

Elephant Robotics builds compact collaborative robot arms for learning, development and light automation. Its myCobot family spans small desktop arms and larger models, and the family is grouped under the Cobots category and the Elephant brand pages of this store. The myCobot 280 Pi comes in two versions: the 2023 version and an earlier version. The figures on this page belong to the 2023 version, and nothing here should be read as a figure for the earlier one.

The idea behind the family is simple. A person who wants to learn how a six-joint arm behaves should not need an industrial cell, a safety cage and a specialist to get a first program running. A small, light arm that sits on a desk makes that first step much easier.

Positioning and key technology

The defining feature of the Pi model is its controller. It uses a Raspberry Pi microprocessor with a built-in Ubuntu Mate 20.04 operating system, developed for robots. The main control uses a 500 MHz VideoCore VI GPU and 2GB of memory, and an auxiliary control core carries 4MB of flash. Because of this arrangement, the arm can be used by connecting a monitor, keyboard and mouse, without a PC as master control.

Movement comes from 6 built-in metal servo motors. The product responds quickly and rotates smoothly due to little inertia. Each motor uses a 12BIT magnetic encoder, the gears are steel, and the shell is metal. The arm supports ROS 2, Mac and MODBUS, which matters for teams that work across different computers and software stacks.

Technical Specifications

Specifications as published by the manufacturer; confirmed against the datasheet at quotation.

The manufacturer has not published the dimensions, the package contents, the ingress protection rating, the rated power consumption, the repeatability, the maximum joint speed or whether a camera is included; they are confirmed at quotation.

What makes the Mycobot-280-Pi different from an arm that relies on a PC?

The main difference is where the thinking happens. With many small arms, the arm is only the moving part, and a laptop or desktop does the work of planning and sending commands. Here, the Raspberry Pi microprocessor and the Ubuntu Mate 20.04 system sit inside the product. A student can plug in a monitor, a keyboard and a mouse and work on the arm directly, with no PC as master control.

This changes how a classroom or workshop is set up. There is one device to hand out, one place to keep the software, and no question of which laptop has which version of which tool. When a team does want to work from a computer, the arm still supports ROS 2, MODBUS and Mac, so it is not locked into the standalone way of working.

The build also deserves a mention. A metal shell, steel gears and 6 built-in metal servo motors with 12BIT magnetic encoders are not what many people expect from a desktop learning arm. The working lifespan is 500 h, which gives a buyer a concrete figure to weigh against the planned hours of classroom or lab use.

How does the Mycobot-280-Pi compare with other Elephant Robotics arms?

Within the same maker, the choice depends on the controller and the scale of the work. The Elephant Robotics Technology Mycobot-280 Jetson Nano (4010100018) belongs to the same 280 family but is built around a different main controller, so teams whose work centers on that kind of computing board may want to compare the two. The Pi model suits buyers who want the Raspberry Pi route and the built-in Ubuntu Mate 20.04 system.

For work on a larger scale, the Elephant Robotics myCobot Pro 630 Robot Arm (4010200011) sits higher in the range. No figures for either of these appear on this page, so each should be compared on its own product page.

Who is the Mycobot-280-Pi for?

Schools and training centers are the first segment. A single arm with its own computer is easy to place on a bench, and students can write and run programs on the device itself. Teachers get a platform that shows real joint motion rather than a simulation on a screen.

Makers and prototype builders are the second. If the goal is to test an idea, such as moving a light object from one spot to another, the 280 mm working radius and 250 g payload give a clear sense of what is possible, and the standalone design keeps the setup small.

Research and development teams make up the third segment. Support for ROS 2 and MODBUS means the arm can be brought into larger software setups when needed. Teams who need heavier work should look at other models in the Cobots category or at the wider Elephant range.

What is the Mycobot-280-Pi used for?

1. Robotics teaching: students learn joint control, motion planning and programming on a real 6-joint arm.
2. Standalone workstation: connect a monitor, keyboard and mouse and work on the arm without a separate PC.
3. Prototyping: test small pick-and-place ideas within the 280 mm working radius before committing to a larger system.
4. Software integration: link the arm to ROS 2 or MODBUS based setups in a lab or workshop.
5. Maker projects: build demonstrations and experiments on the bench with a light arm that weighs 860 g.
6. Skills training: give trainees hands-on time with the kind of arm they may meet in later automation work.

Pricing and Availability

No price is printed on this page. Request a quotation and we will confirm the version and the terms. Delivery, customs and support are arranged together with the quotation. The Elephant Robotics Technology Mycobot-280-Pi (4010100016) is available on this page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the arm need a PC to run?

No. It uses a Raspberry Pi microprocessor and the built-in Ubuntu Mate 20.04 operating system, so it can be used by connecting a monitor, keyboard and mouse without a PC as master control.

How far can the arm reach and how much can it carry?

The 2023 version has a working radius of 280 mm and a payload of 250 g. It has 6 degrees of freedom.

How accurate is it?

The positioning accuracy is ± 0.5 mm.

What power supply does it use?

The power input is DC 12V5A.

Which software and systems does it support?

The arm supports ROS 2, Mac and MODBUS, and it runs Ubuntu Mate 20.04 on the built-in controller.

What are the main ports?

The arm has USB 3.0*2 and USB 2.0*2.

Where can I buy the Mycobot-280-Pi and what does it cost?

You can request it through this page. The cost is given in a quotation, which also covers delivery, customs and support.

Summary

The Mycobot-280-Pi removes the leash that ties most desktop arms to a separate computer. It carries its own Raspberry Pi controller and Ubuntu Mate 20.04, it has 6 metal servo motors and a metal shell, and it still opens up to ROS 2, Mac and MODBUS when a project grows. For anyone in the Caribbean who wants to start teaching or prototyping with a real robot arm, this page is the starting point.