Vinny the painting robot
Vinny – Experiments with a Painting Robot
Vinny is a Fairino FR5—a six-axis collaborative robot that I’ve been training, not to weld or assemble, but to paint.
This is a long-term side project, one I return to in phases, sometimes after months of rest. My goal isn’t to automate painting, but to explore what it means when a machine makes a mark. Can a robot gesture? Can it express? Or does that all depend on the person behind the code?
A big part of this project lies in the software. I’ve spent a lot of time building tools that convert SVG files into stroke paths that make sense for a brush—not just for plotting points, but for simulating the pressure, flow, and movement needed to create convincing painted lines. A brush doesn’t behave like a pen. It has drag, flex, and variable contact, so the robot’s movement needs to adapt accordingly. I’ve written algorithms to smooth paths, get correct stroke behavior, and break complex shapes into gestures that a brush can execute.
Controlling the robot itself required custom development too. I built my own communication and control toolkit to interface with the Fairino robot over Ethernet. This gives me precise control over movement speed, orientation, tool height, and timing—essential when working with wet paint or fragile brushes.
I’ve experimented with various tools: pens, markers, syringes, and traditional brushes. Each comes with its own set of challenges.
With pens and markers, the focus is on precision and flow. How much pressure? What speed? How does the angle affect the line?
With acrylic paint, I’ve used syringe systems originally designed for glue or solder resist. These are controlled with compressed air, allowing me to extrude small amounts of thick paint. The challenge here is consistency—getting a clean, reliable line without blobs, gaps, or clogging.
Brushes are a different story. They introduce all the complexity of real-world painting: texture, absorption, pressure, timing. I’m working on ways to load the brush with the right amount of paint and distribute it evenly on the canvas. Too little, and the stroke fades. Too much, and it pools or drips. Unlike a pen, a brush is not just a tool—it’s a performer.
This project is still evolving. I’m not chasing perfection—I’m chasing interesting behavior. Some of the most surprising results come from moments of failure: when the brush runs dry, or the robot hesitates.
Below are a few short videos showing various tests and outcomes. Some are messy. Some are beautiful. All are part of teaching Vinny to paint.