LEVA – Introducing advanced robotics into the workplace

We are a team of third-year bachelor students from ETH Zurich, ZHAW and ZHDK. Our team consists of six mechanical engineers, three system engineers, two industrial designers and one electrical engineer. Over the course of two semesters we are building a cargo robot that is able to carry a payload, navigate on uneven terrain and climb stairs.

The transportation and construction industries have the highest incidence of back injuries. It is not surprising that back pain is the primary cause of both workers’ compensation claims and occupational disability in the United States. LEVA is trying to prevent this by introducing advanced robotics into the workplace.

Our robot is equipped with a LiDAR sensor and two cameras for navigation and four compact cameras to track the cargo box. At the moment it is intended that LEVA will be used for applications in the building sector.

The electrical system must provide adequate power to the sixteen motors to ensure safe operation. To achieve this, we have designed a power distribution board capable of supplying up to 20A to each motor The PCB includes an MCU and a CAN communication interface, enabling communication with the locomotion computer. Thanks to the sponsorship of Eurocircuits, we were able to manufacture a high-quality and compact PCB.