The following physical components are used to assemble the play area and enable consistent chesspiece detection and movement:

• 4x 3D printed chessboard quadrants (total area: 30 cm × 30 cm)
• 1x alignment board (frame for quadrant placement)
• 16x custom white chess pieces
• 16x custom black chess pieces
• 1x tripod-mounted RGBD camera (Intel RealSense)
• 1x UR3e robot arm with RG2 gripper
• 1x Linux Computer

Follow these steps to assemble the board in a consistent and accurate layout:

1. Place the alignment board on the UR3e bench surface.
   Corners must align with the bench edges to maintain coordinate origin consistency.

2. Ensure all quadrant locating holes are cleared of any objects.

3. Insert all 4 quadrants into the alignment board.
   Use the markings on the back to ensure correct quadrant order and orientation.

4. Place white pieces on their starting squares.
   Ensure the white queen is placed on a white square.

5. Place black pieces on the opposing side.
   Ensure the black queen is placed on a black square.

6. Confirm that each piece sits fully inside the printed indents.
   This ensures consistent vision detection and reliable gripping.

1. Mount the RealSense camera on a tripod.
2. Position the camera to face from behind the white player’s side, slightly off-centre to align with the lens placement.
3. Ensure it is:
   • Centered over the full 30 cm × 30 cm chessboard
   • At a height of 40–50 cm
   • As perpendicular as possible for minimal distortion
     

1. Power on the UR3e at the power point and plug in the ethernet cable to the host computer.

2. Press the power button on the teach pendant and wait for the initialisation screen to appear (press the red button in the left corner if it doesn't). Then press the green 'ON' button.

3. Wait for the 'Robot Active' step to become yellow. Then press the green 'START' button.

4. Wait for the robot to start itself. Ensure that the 'Gripper' payload is selected. When all steps are green as in the image, press 'Exit' in the bottom left.

5. Click 'Run' in the top left, then the blue 'Load Program' button.

6. Click the 'ur_ros_driver.urp' file, and press 'Open' in the bottom right. Then press exit (if it doesn't automatically close).

7. Back on the home screen, press 'Local' in the top right, then from the drop-down list press 'Settings'.

8. Record the IP address to use as the robot IP when connecting.

9. Press 'Installation' in the top left. Press 'General', then press 'Tool I/O'. Match the settings to the screenshot:

10. Press 'URCaps', then press 'OnRobot Setup'. Make sure 'No connection' is selected.

11. If the robot is not homed, press 'Move' in the top left, then press 'Home' below the UR3e graphic.

12. Press and hold 'Move robot to: New position' until the robot has completed its movement. Then press 'Continue'.

Use this list to verify correct setup before each run:

• Alignment board placed and quadrants locked in correct order
• Chess pieces arranged correctly (queens on correct colour)
• Camera mounted, centered, and level
• Entire board visible in camera feed with minimal perspective distortion
• UR3e can reach all squares with clearance