RA01 · 4-axis desktop robotic arm

Plug it in.
Write code.
It moves.

A real 4-axis robotic arm your students build, then program in the browser, on the Chromebooks they already have.

Buy the kit See how it works

4

axes of motion

160 mm

working reach

13 weeks

of curriculum included

0

installs, runs in the browser

Think it’s hard to get started?

Three steps from cardboard box to a moving arm. No software to install, no IT ticket to file.

01

Build it

Laser-cut plates, four servos, one board. Every screw is numbered in the guide, so students assemble the arm themselves and learn the mechanics as they go.

Every part of the kit laid out: laser-cut black acrylic plates, four servos, controller board, fasteners and tools
02

Plug it in

One USB cable to any laptop or Chromebook. The browser studio finds the arm on its own. Nothing to download, nothing to configure.

03

It moves

Run the first program and the arm picks something up. That first movement is the hook. Everything after it is engineering.

This is not a toy.

Under the acrylic is the same engineering as an industrial arm: four servo joints, inverse-kinematics math, and firmware your students compile from real C++, not a locked-down app pretending to be code.

  • Real C++ toolchain. Code compiles to firmware and flashes over USB.
  • Inverse kinematics. Students give it a coordinate; the math finds the joint angles.
  • Open firmware. Arduino-compatible board. Inspect it, change it, break it, fix it.

pick_and_place.cpp

arm.moveTo(120, 40, 80);   // x, y, z in mm
arm.grip(CLOSED);
arm.moveTo(0, 150, 60);
arm.grip(OPEN);          // cube delivered
Black laser-cut acrylic · four metal-geared servos · ~160 mm reach.
The RA01 arm mid-explosion: plates, servos and linkages separated in space on a dark background

Inside the machine

Every part has a purpose. See inside.

Explore the arm
studio.codinginabox.com

The whole lab runs in a browser tab.

Chromebooks, iPads, managed school laptops. If it opens a web page, it programs the arm. Nothing to install, so IT never has to say no.

Blocks C++

Start in Blocks, flip to C++ when they’re ready. Same program, both directions, one click.

  • Works on the Chromebooks your school already owns
  • Built-in simulator when the hardware is shared
  • Flashes real firmware over USB from the page

The program

13 weeks. 8 modules. 10 labs.

A full semester of standards-aligned curriculum ships with the kit, with teacher guides, pacing, assessments. Not a PDF of project ideas.

Module 1 · Wk 1

Assembly & calibration

Build the arm, zero the servos, first joystick drive.

lab 01
Module 2 · Wk 2-3

Joints & angles

Degrees, ranges of motion, why the arm reaches ~160 mm.

labs 02-03
Module 3 · Wk 4-5

First programs in Blocks

Sequences, loops, and the write-flash-move cycle.

labs 04-05
Module 4 · Wk 6-7

Blocks → C++

The same program, two views. Students cross when ready.

lab 06
Module 5 · Wk 8-9

Coordinates & kinematics

From joint angles to x-y-z, the math that moves the gripper.

labs 07-08
Module 6 · Wk 10

[module: pick and place challenges]

[placeholder: timed sorting and stacking tasks]

lab 09
Module 7 · Wk 11-12

[module: capstone build]

[placeholder: student-designed automation project]

lab 10
Module 8 · Wk 13

Showcase & assessment

Demo day, rubric-based assessment, portfolio export.

assessment
Aligned to NGSS [mapping] CSTA [mapping] ISTE [mapping]

For your classroom

A full semester, planned. The curriculum ladder takes a class from first assembly to autonomous pick-and-place, with teacher notes, pacing, and assessments for every module.

13

weeks

8

modules

10

hands-on labs

Purchase orders accepted from U.S. schools.

A row of RA01 robotic arms on classroom desks, students working at each station

Built for the classroom, not adapted to it.

Class sets ship station-numbered with spare parts. The teacher dashboard shows every student’s code and progress across all 13 weeks. We accept purchase orders from U.S. schools.

  • Class-set logistics

    10-station packs, numbered boxes, replacement acrylic and servos included, so no arm sits out a semester waiting on parts.

  • Teacher dashboard

    See every student’s studio session, push starter code to the whole class, grade against the built-in rubrics.

  • COPPA-compliant by design

    Consent flows for under-13 students, no ad tracking, district data agreements on request. Ask our competitors for this page. It does not exist.

Pricing

Closer to a textbook than to a $1,000 arm.

Classroom robotic arms run $995-$1,790 per station before curriculum. Ours ships with the studio, the LMS and all 13 weeks included.

Single kit

$[price]

one arm, one student or family

  • The complete RA01 arm kit
  • Browser studio account
  • Full 13-week course
Buy a kit

Class set

Most classrooms

$[price]

per station, covering arms, curriculum and teacher tools for a full class

  • 10 arm kits + spare parts pack
  • Teacher dashboard & LMS with every student’s progress
  • 13-week curriculum with pacing guide and assessments
  • Priority classroom support
Get a class-set quote
“[Testimonial, teacher quote goes here: what changed in their classroom the week the arms arrived.]”
[Name] · [Role], [School]

Put a real robot on every desk.

The arm, the browser studio, and a semester of curriculum. One box, one budget line.

Buy the kit Talk to us about class sets

Get told when the arm ships

Occasional, short, and about this one product.