I built this robot for a very simple and slightly absurd reason: feeding my dog.
The project is intentionally playful and exists as a technical exploration rather than a replacement for actually caring for an animal. My dog is, of course, still fed normally — the robot is simply an excuse to build something complex, precise, and unnecessary.
The full build process and a live demonstration of the robot in operation are documented in a video linked below, showing the mechanics, control system, and the slightly ridiculous end result.
The system is a fully custom rail-mounted robot running on a two-meter aluminum rail. It combines CNC-machined mechanics with repurposed 3D-printer electronics and custom software. Motion is driven by four NEMA-17 stepper motors paired with MKS42C closed-loop stepper drivers and controlled by an MKS Robin Nano 1.2 mainboard from an old Sapphire Pro printer. A heavily modified version of Marlin is used purely as a generic motion engine.