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Neufangled Robotics describes Stringman as a $795 open-source cable robot that moves a gripper through a room using four ceiling-corner anchors. The company lists a 1.9 kg average payload in a specified room configuration and says its design files and control software are public; independent performance and safety assessments are not provided in the supplied material.
Neufangled Robotics is presenting Stringman, a $795 open-source room-scale gripper robot that uses four motors and lines anchored near ceiling corners to move objects through a room. The company says the system can carry an average payload of 1.9 kilograms in a specified 7-by-7-by-3-meter room, offering a different approach to moving parts than a conventional robotic arm.
Stringman’s four anchors define a work area, with the lines suspending a gripper that can travel across the room rather than operating within an arm’s fixed reach. Neufangled lists a maximum payload of 2.2 kilograms near the floor and an average of 1.9 kilograms for the stated room configuration, after accounting for the gripper and marker. The published figures assume a 28-newton line-tension limit; the company says payload varies with position and is strongest near the room’s center.
The listed system has a traverse speed of about 0.4 meters per second. Its gripper uses a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W, while the anchor units use Pi 3A+ boards; a separate computer runs the controller. Neufangled specifies 3D-printed components, 5 GHz Wi-Fi for the system, and room dimensions ranging from 3 to 10 meters across diagonally and 2.3 to 4 meters high. Installation requires secure mounting points, such as wall studs or structural columns.
The company says it has published the mechanical CAD, circuit-board designs, software, bill of materials and build guide, and describes the project as OSHWA certified. It also says the robot can operate on a local Wi-Fi network without sending data off the network, with AI models running on the owner’s hardware. These are product and design claims from the maker; the supplied material does not include independent testing or a third-party comparison.
A Different Way to Cover a Room
Stringman’s central proposition is that overhead cables can cover a large workspace without a mobile base or a long series of arm joints. That could appeal to home labs and small automation projects where objects need to move between work areas, but floor space is crowded or fixed robotic arms cannot reach. The system is also positioned as a carrier for parts between other robots and workcells.
Neufangled compares Stringman with a 0.75-meter serial arm, claiming an average payload of 1.9 kilograms versus 0.32 kilograms for the arm when both use the same stated actuator type. It also advertises roughly 500 times more work volume per dollar for its selected comparison. Those numbers depend on the company’s room, arm and pricing assumptions, and do not by themselves establish equivalent precision, reliability, setup effort or usefulness across tasks.
The open hardware and software may let researchers and hobbyists inspect, modify and build on the design. At the same time, a room-scale installation is not simply a desktop device: it requires suitable mounting surfaces, a clear operating volume and lines running overhead. The price and advertised payload are therefore only part of the practical trade-off.
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How the Cable Layout Works
Stringman belongs to the cable-driven robot category. Rather than supporting a tool with a rigid arm, its motors adjust lines from ceiling-corner anchors to position a suspended gripper. The company says the lines share the lifting load, and that the gripper can reach areas where wheeled or legged robots might be blocked by floor clutter.
Neufangled says the anchors can be attached to wall studs or strapped to structural columns, then calibrated through a setup process it describes as taking about five minutes. When parked, the lines sit near the ceiling, but they remain present while the robot is installed. The maker also says its control interface and certain model-based behaviors are intended for local use and experimentation, including collecting training examples through the interface.
The company reports about 1,000 hours of testing in real homes. The source does not identify a test protocol, the number of installations, or whether those hours were independently verified. The figure is thus a manufacturer-reported testing history, not a published certification of long-term performance.
“Tension is all you need”
— Neufangled Robotics, in its product description
Independent Testing and Home Safety
The published material does not provide independent verification of Stringman’s payload, speed, work-volume or price comparisons, nor detailed test results supporting the reported 1,000 hours of home testing. It is also unclear how accuracy, repeatability and performance change across different room sizes, layouts and mounting conditions.
Safety is another open question for prospective users. Neufangled says the motors relax when line tension reaches 28 newtons, allowing the lines to be pulled loose, and says the overhead lines are usually out of people’s way when parked. The source does not include an independent safety assessment, a full account of failure scenarios, or details about how the system behaves during power or connectivity loss. Installation suitability will also depend on whether a room has secure anchors and a usable path that avoids low-hanging fixtures.
Availability, Builds and Validation
The next practical step for interested users is to review the published build guide, bill of materials and design files, then determine whether their room can support the anchors and operating lines. Neufangled lists a price of $795, but the source material does not specify what components that figure includes, whether shipping or taxes are additional, or how widely the system is available.
Further public details on production, support, independent testing and safety documentation would help buyers judge the gap between the advertised specifications and performance in their own homes or labs. Until then, the reported payload and coverage figures should be read as manufacturer specifications tied to stated assumptions, rather than independently established results.
Key Questions
What is Stringman?
Stringman is a ceiling-anchored, cable-driven robot from Neufangled Robotics. Four motorized lines position a suspended gripper so it can move objects through a room.
How much does Stringman cost, and what can it carry?
The company lists a price of $795. It advertises a 1.9 kg average payload and up to 2.2 kg near the floor for a specified room setup, subject to a 28-newton line-tension limit. The source does not clarify what is included in the listed price.
Is Stringman open source?
Neufangled says the mechanical CAD, PCB designs and control software are published, along with a bill of materials and build guide. The company also describes the project as OSHWA certified.
Can it be installed in any room?
No. The installation needs secure mounting points, such as wall studs or structural columns, and enough clear space for the lines and gripper. Neufangled says rooms with obstructions in the operating area, including some low-hanging fixtures, may not be suitable.
Have Stringman’s performance claims been independently verified?
The supplied product information contains manufacturer-reported specifications, including payload and testing hours, but does not cite independent verification. Independent measurements of performance and safety are not provided.
Source: neufangled.com
