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I Built a Robot Just to Feed My Dog

I repurposed Marlin, closed-loop steppers, and a PS4 controller to build a CNC robot on rails that does one thing very well: feed my dog.

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  • A German-Engineered Robot Arm Just to Feed My Dog
hardware
ongoing project
ROBOT marlin Robotics engineering closed loop control CNC python Cad nema 17 harmonic drive Motion Control automation

This project was created on 12/30/2025 and last updated 6 hours ago.

Description

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.

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