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A 39.25 mm Robotic Arm Earns a 17-Year-Old Indian Student a Second Guinness Record After a Home-Crafted Project.
A robotic arm measuring just 39.25 millimeters in length, capable of moving in three axes and manipulating small objects, has given Indian student Hiten Dharpure his second title in the Guinness World Records. At 17 years old, the student from Nagpur, Maharashtra, developed the machine in his own home, utilizing 3D printing, Arduino microcontrollers, and components sourced for accessibility. The record was established on January 17.
This achievement represents a reduction of 5.24 millimeters compared to the previous record. American Kelton Serra had recorded a device measuring 44.49 mm in May 2024. Hiten aimed to demonstrate that microengineering projects don’t necessarily need to be conceived in sophisticated facilities or large laboratories.
Space Constraints Became the Student’s Biggest Challenge
Reducing each millimeter meant facing a problem that virtually doesn’t exist to the same extent in larger robots: where to place motors, wires, and electronics without compromising the structural integrity.
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Hiten produced several versions before arriving at the model recognized by Guinness. When he refined the 3D printed parts too much to free up internal space, some broke under the force exerted by the small motors.
In other attempts, issues arose with the synchronization of the micro-servos. The available space was so limited that minor physical alterations interfered with the coordinated operation of the components.
Each failure ultimately served as a reference for the next design. Fractional millimeter differences were corrected before another casing was printed.
Robotic Arm Began on a Computer Before Becoming a Physical Object
The construction didn’t go straight to 3D printing. The student first digitally designed the mechanical structure using CAD software and fine-tuned the project until achieving a viable geometry.
Next came the casing and base plates produced through 3D printing. The electronics required another type of work: controlling the movements depended on programming.
Hiten wrote code in C/C++ for Arduino microcontrollers and utilized pulse-width modulation to coordinate the actuators.
The goal was not merely to build a decorative miniature. To fulfill its function, the robotic arm needed to effectively move, reach small objects, hold them, and transport them without dropping them.
Functional project emerged about two months after the initial designs
From the initial conception phase to a fully operational prototype, the work took approximately two months.
The project was developed in the home office where Hiten lives with his parents. The young man jokingly remarked that his curiosity transformed his room into a chaotic micro-engineering laboratory.
Family support, he said, was crucial in continuing tests despite the numerous failed versions.
Choosing to work from home was also part of a larger idea: Hiten wanted to demonstrate that high-level innovation can emerge with technology available outside major research centers.
Among the main resources used were:
- 3D printing for producing structural elements;
- CAD software for developing and correcting geometry;
- Arduino for electronic control;
- programming in C/C++;
- small servomotors responsible for movements.
Previous record was 44.49 millimeters
Hiten found the record he aimed to surpass during research on miniaturization.
Until then, the record belonged to Kelton Serra from the United States, whose robotic arm measuring 44.49 mm earned the title on May 16, 2024.
The difference achieved by the Indian might seem small in centimeters, but it represents a significant change in micro-engineering. Removing just over five millimeters necessitates reorganizing an entire structure where motors, wires, and electronic controls competed for an extremely limited space.
It was this quest for reduction without loss of functionality that led the student to the 39.25 mm recognized by the Guinness.
Medicine and microchip manufacturing emerge among possible applications
For Hiten, reducing the size of robots is not just a competition for records.
The young man highlights microrobotics as a technology with potential utility in areas where precision and compact size are crucial. One such area is medicine, especially in surgical procedures.
Another field mentioned is the electronics industry. Extremely small and precise systems could assist in processes related to microchip manufacturing.
The robotic arm developed for the record does not imply that these applications are ready for commercial use. However, the project represents for the student a demonstration of what miniaturized mechanisms can achieve.
Guinness had already recognized another invention by Hiten
Hiten’s achievement in January was not his first experience with world records.
On April 22, 2025, he secured another title with a miniature weather station. The device measures 74 mm in length, 44 mm in width, and 60 mm in height.
Despite its small dimensions, it can track three environmental parameters: atmospheric pressure, humidity, and temperature.
The technical challenge of that project was different. The station remained static and focused primarily on sensors, data processing, and compact circuitry.
In contrast, the new robotic arm added mechanical obstacles. In addition to processing commands, it needed to perform physical movements on three axes and work against the forces generated by the actuators themselves.
Sign language app shows interest beyond robotics
Hiten also directed his skills toward a communication problem.
Among his projects is HastaVaani, a mobile app developed to translate Indian Sign Language (ISL) offline.
This creation expands the student’s profile beyond mechanical miniaturization. Artificial intelligence, electronics, and robotics are among the fields in which he demonstrates interest.
Both record certificates were also handed to an Indian official. Hiten met Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, in Nagpur, presenting him with the recognitions he received.
Student aims to pursue a new innovation record every year
After achieving two records, Hiten set an ambitious personal goal: to secure a new innovation among the world records every year.
This goal is also related to his intention to increase India’s presence in titles related to micro-engineering.
For the young student, the experience with Guinness has an added dimension of encouraging other students. He advocates that young people interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics do not need to wait for the infrastructure of a large laboratory to begin experimenting.
His own journey serves as a point of reference: a compact weather station followed by an even more challenging machine, both built in the same home environment.
At just 17, the student now holds two titles and already has his sights set on his next attempt. The robotic arm measuring 39.25 mm placed Hiten back in the Guinness, but his declared goal transforms the current record into less of a destination and more of another stage in a series of projects he intends to continue creating year after year.
