Our Crowdfunding Groups
Our crowdfunding campaign has ended but you can still support RoMeLa by clicking here.
Hello friends of RoMeLa, it’s been a while!
Back in 2018 you made our first-ever Spark fundraising campaign a massive success. Together, you raised more than $118,000 for our program as we prepared to build our humanoid robot ARTEMIS and compete in RoboCup 2020.
Because of your support, ARTEMIS became a reality.
Although we didn’t get a chance to compete in RoboCup 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ARTEMIS has still found a way to make a splash in the world of robotics. And now, 5 years later, we’re ready to test our skills and the latest technology at RoboCup 2023.
This month, we launched a new Spark crowdfunding campaign to raise $50,000 to get our team to RoboCup 2023 and upgrade ARTEMIS’ technology.
This new actuator technology, called BEAR (Back-drivable Electric Actuator for Robotics), can be programmed to be stiff and precise, or to be loose and flexible on command, and can also sense the force being applied. This will allow ARTEMIS to run, jump, and kick with power and precision, and is exactly what a humanoid would need to dynamically traverse our busy human environments.
RoboCup 2023 is the ultimate showcase of a humanoid robot’s potential by playing a high-speed sport designed for humans, and ARTEMIS has demonstrated the skills necessary to beat the competition!
We’re ready to get back to RoboCup in 2023 and bring home the title to UCLA for the first time since 2015. Your support can make our dream a reality! You can renew your support of RoMeLa, check out our awesome perks for 2023, and learn more about the latest advancements in our lab by clicking here.
It's been a bit of a wait, but our 5-axis CNC mill is finally up and ready to start churning out parts for ARTEMIS!
Until now, we have been making all of our parts with a 3-axis Tormach CNC mill, which has proven to be a real workhorse in the lab. However, with only 3 axes, we were limited in the kinds of parts that we could make, so it was necessary to get an upgrade in order to manufacture the complex components that would make up ARTEMIS.
Our new DMU50 came in several months back, but due to some issues with getting the power hooked up and buying all the tooling we needed, it's mostly been sitting and gathering dust (the lame kind, not the cool, metal kind!).
Finally, we have everything we need to get the machine up and running, and boy is it a beauty to watch! Check out this awesome clip that Tym put together of him working on a part for ARTEMIS!
RoMeLa will continue to share updates with you as we make progress on ARTEMIS.
Until then, you can always follow RoMeLa on Facebook to see what we’re working on in the lab! Thanks again for supporting RoMeLa.
- RoMeLa & Dr. Hong
Hello! It’s been 108 days since RoMeLa's Project ARTEMIS crowdfunding campaign ended. Once again, the humans of RoMeLa can’t thank you enough for your generosity and for believing in robotics research. Thank you for joining RoMeLa's RoboCup 2020 team as we attempt to reclaim our title as champions by building one of the most advanced robotic platforms in the world.
Since our campaign ended, UCLA students have been working on bringing RoMeLa's next humanoid robot, ARTEMIS, to life. While there is still a lot of work ahead, we wanted to share some progress with you--our international community of supporters.
One of the first steps in building ARTEMIS is to build and test RoMeLa’s newest ‘Kodiak' BEAR technology. Think of the BEAR actuator as the ‘hip’ of the robot, which will be critical for ARTEMIS’ movement and soccer-playing abilities.
Check out this video to see Tym demonstrate the 'Kodiak' BEAR carrying a 15kg weight!
RoMeLa will continue to share updates with you as we make progress on ARTEMIS.
Until then, you can always follow RoMeLa on Facebook to see what we’re working on in the lab! Thanks again for supporting RoMeLa.
- RoMeLa & Dr. Hong
Photo Descriptions: Backdrivable Electromechanical Actuator for Robotics: Model 'Kodiak' (aka 'Kodiak' BEAR)
'Panda' BEAR and 'Kodiak' BEAR (with Mini-Darwin for scale!)
Josh showing where the actuator will go on the robot
We did it! We just reached our Phase III goal of $100,000. We could not have done it without each and every one of you.THANK YOU!!!
With Phase III complete, we immediately turn our attention to building the entire ARTEMIS platform. This will give us a head start on our goal of bring the RoboCup trophy back to UCLA. Your donation not only helps to fund one of the most advanced robotic platforms in the world, but it also supports our ongoing research. At RoMeLa, we are passionate about this research; so thank you for supporting our dreams.
RoboCup has never had a crowdfunded robot. We are proud to be the first! At present, we have 220 separate donors and we would love to have more support. So please keep sharing our campaign so that our team can keep growing!!!
Be on the lookout for fun robot videos :)
Dear Donors,
The final 2ish weeks of our project have arrived and we are beyond excited to have raised $61,396 from 216 people. THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of the love and support you’ve given to RoMeLa since the launch of our campaign; we can’t wait to build ARTEMIS and share updates with you along the road to RoboCup 2020.
Now that the holiday season is in full swing, the only thing left on RoMeLa’s wish list is to build ARTEMIS in full - which is why we’re challenging ourselves to get all the way to our ultimate funding goal of $100,000 by January 1st. As you know, our Phase I & II goals would’ve allowed RoMeLa to start building the lower body and electronics of ARTEMIS. But we can’t really think of a better way to start off the New Year than by beginning to plan the upper body, head, and arms too… so starting right now, we’re shooting for the entire Phase III goal by January 1st, 2019.
We are so grateful for everything you have done to help RoMeLa get to this point, and it’s because we have incredible partners like you that we’re feeling confident enough to go for our Phase III goal.
Help us bring ARTEMIS to life. Spread the news by sharing:
Our campaign link: https//spark.ucla.edu or spark.romela.org/kr
Or our newest video: https://vimeo.com/306441036
RoMeLa’s posts on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoMeLaUCLA/
Give RoMeLa the only gift we want this year by continuing to share our campaign with your friends, families, and anyone else who likes robots! With your continued support, RoMeLa will be able to kick off the New Year with the construction of ARTEMIS!
- Dennis Hong & The RoMeLa Crowdfunding Team
후원자 여러분,
저희 캠페인이 2주 정도 남은 상황에서 216 분께서 $61,396를 후원해주셔서 진심으로 감사합니다! 여러분의 많은 관심과 응원 및 지원은 저희가 아르테미스를 개발하고 RoboCup 2020을 성공적으로 준비하는 데 큰 힘이 될 겁니다. 저희도 빨리 아르테미스 개발 과정을 여러분들과 공유하고 싶습니다!
이제 연말이 다가온 상황에서 로멜라는 2018년을 더욱더 성공적으로 마무리하려 합니다! 저희는 아르테미스의 일부만이 아닌 전체를 개발하기 위해 캠페인의 목표금액을 재설정하였습니다. 아시다시피 Phase I & II는 로멜라가 아르테미스의 하체와 팔 일부를 개발하는 데 쓰일 예정입니다. 그렇지만 “남은 상체도 개발할 수 있는 상황에서 2019년을 시작하면 정말 좋겠다!”라는 생각을 가지고, Phase III 목표인 $100,000로 2019년 1월 1일까지 달려보려 합니다!
로멜라는 여기까지 올 수 있게 해주신 여러분의 응원과 지원을 대단히 감사하게 생각하고 있습니다! 여러분이 있기에 저희는 Phase III 목표도 달성할 수 있으리라 확신합니다!
아르테미스가 현실이 될 수 있도록 도와주세요!
캠페인 주소: https://spark.romela.org/kr (한글) https://spark.ucla.edu/romela (영문)
업데이트 동영상: https://vimeo.com/306441036
페이스북 업데이트: https://www.facebook.com/RoMeLaUCLA/
로멜라가 이번 크리스마스 때 원하는 선물은 단 하나입니다! ^^ 아르테미스와 저희 캠페인을 많이 공유해주시고 꾸준히 많은 사랑과 관심을 부탁드립니다! 2019년이 오면 저희는 본격적으로 아르테미스 개발 단계에 들어갈 계획인데, 이 모든 게 여러분의 도움이 있었기에 가능합니다!
- 데니스홍 및 RoMeLa 연구진
With 147 donors and 5 weeks left to go in the campaign we have already passed our phase one goal of $50K! We are thrilled to see just how many people are as excited by this project as we are, and we couldn’t be more thankful for everyone’s support. After hitting this huge milestone, we can immediately start building the lower body of ARTEMIS. So stay tuned for some awesome robot videos in the coming months!
We are excited to announce that we will immediately start our phase two goal of the campaign. If we reach our phase two goal, we will be able to start on the design of ARTEMIS’ upper body! This comes just in time for Giving Tuesday. On Giving Tuesday we will be offering a one day only perk of a limited edition RoMeLa T-Shirt with DARwIn on the back. Please check out our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/RoMeLaUCLA/) tomorrow for more details and pictures of the T-shirt. Please help us keep the momentum going by continuing to share our campaign with your friends and family. Thank you for all your support we couldn’t have come this far without you.
Now is the time of year where people say what they are thankful for. We wanted to say what we are most thankful for is you! Thank you for supporting our campaign and helping us get to 80% of our phase one goal!!! We wouldn’t have gotten this far without you and all of your gracious support.
Please help us keep the momentum going by sharing our campaign with your friends and family. And stay on the lookout for a secret perk that will be available on Giving Tuesday!
Today we hit a huge milestone! We are already 50% of the way to our phase one goal!!! Thank you to everyone who has donated or supported our campaign! Please help us keep the momentum going by continuing to share our campaign with your friends and family. Here's a quick video showing just what your donations mean to the students at RoMeLa.
Every donation matters to us! Every time the robot is turned on, your name will be shown on the robot’s screen to honor your contribution! (fully tax deductible)
In order to tell the world that you are supporting the future of robotics we will send you a high quality RoMeLa bumper sticker for your $25 donation, and include your name on the boot-up screen. (fully tax deductible)
Your $100 donation is so awesome that we will give you a personal shout-out in a video by one of the students on the RoMeLa Facebook page, and send you all previous perks. (fully tax deductible)
In celebration of Giving Tuesday, for one day only, as long as it is November 27 anywhere in the world, we will give an additional LIMITED EDITION RoMeLa t-shirt with any donation of $100 or more on top of other perks you are eligible for! This t-shirt is decorated with not only the RoMeLa logo, but also RoMeLa's most popular robot, DARwIn-OP!
Your incredible donation of $250 means so much to us that we want to give you one of our lab's awesome T-shirts, plus previous perks! (tax deductible donation of $241.66)
You got the golden ticket! A donation of $500 gets you an invitation to a demo and lab tour at RoMeLa in Los Angeles where we will be showing off all of our awesome robots, plus all of the previous perks! (fully tax deductible)
Thank you for your amazing donation of $1,000. You are now an official honorary member of RoMeLa and just to make it official we will send you an official RoMeLa membership certificate, plus all of the previous perks! (fully tax deductible)
For a generous donation of $1,500 Dr. Dennis Hong will give you a personal shout-out on his Facebook page, plus all the previous perks! (fully tax deductible)
Wow, $2,000 – you’re awesome! To show our appreciation, we’ll treat you to a nice dinner in either either Los Angeles or Seoul, South Korea where you can chat about everything robotics and more all evening with Dr. Hong. Plus, you get all of the previous perks! (a tax deductible donation of $1.930.66)
We will send you a custom miniature figurine of the robot with a personally engraved message manufactured exclusively for you by the team at RoMeLa for a donation of $2,500, plus all of the previous perks! (a tax deductible donation of $2,420.66)
With a donation of $5,000 you will be part of this robot forever! On the back of the robot we bring to RoboCup 2020 will be a plaque with all the names of anyone who donated more than $5,000, plus you’ll get all of the previous perks. (fully tax deductible)
For a donation of $7,500 or more, it is clear that you share our mission. You will officially be joining our team for RoboCup 2020, and if we win, you will also become the world champion! If you’ll cover your own airfare and lodging, RoMeLa will take care of your official RoboCup 2020 registration and include you at every stage of competition. Plus, you’ll get all of the previous perks! (tax deductible donation of $6,905.66)
A company sponsorship of >$10,000 is so big that we want to put your company logo on this new robot and our RoMeLa website! (fully tax deductible)