I've used sit-stand desks for a while, and one of the big issues I have is that you have to break concentration to operate the thing. It sounds trivial, but when you're focused on something it's hard to take 15+ seconds to push a button while the desk slowly rises.

So I made this "robotic" face-tracking desk. The concept is that it moves with you in an analog way, so it's always at the optimal position without having to adjust anything.

I still had the lifting mechanism from the bicycle project. I took that apart and re-purposed the linear motion components to make a crude prototype.

The initial prototype worked alright, but it had some inherent limitations in the screw-drive linear motion. At speed it would get screw whip, and it made a hell of a racket.

Version 2 is belt-driven and completes the 17" lift in about 3 seconds. I could reduce microstepping and make it go faster, but the acceleration gets a bit scary.

The mechanical design is a bit of a hack job, just wanted to make a quick and dirty prototype that I can start using myself.

Going to put this one on hold for the kickstarter. Stay tuned!

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