JOYSTICK CONTROLLED REMOTE MATERIAL HANDLING

ROBOT WITH GRIPPERS

ABSTRACT

This project application makes use of the robot's capability to handle and transport
objects. By fitting the robot with an appropriate end-effector (e.g., gripper), the robot
can grasp the object that needs to be moved. The robot is to be mounted on a
traversing unit, enabling it to move from one workstation to another. The navigation
and object handling are controlled wirelessly from a safe, distant location using a
wireless joystick controller on the operator control unit, the robot is easy to handle
and control in the best way possible.

The mobile manipulator is basically a conventional robotic arm mounted on a moving

base. It is analogous to a human being considering the body and arm sections. He or she
must control these parts integrally when performing a dynamic task to achieve the desired
performance.

Also, the use of robots for moving fragile objects results in less damage to parts
during handling. Robots that are used for material handling can interface with other
material handling equipment such as containers, conveyors, guided vehicles,
monorails, automated storage/retrieval systems, and carousels.

It is indeed more challenging when the human operators are replaced by robots or
automated machines. It is desirable that the system is equipped with intelligence and
robust control capability so that it can perform its tasks satisfactorily and according to
specific requirements. Thus, it has to be designed and developed taking into account the
aforesaid criteria. Subsequently, comprehensive analytical studies on the kinematics,
dynamics and control aspects of the physical system should be carefully carried out in
order to come up with an alternative system that produces results comparable to those of
human operators. It is useful to note that the mobile transporter described throughout this
report shall be synonymously known as wheeled mobile robot (WMR) or mobile
manipulator.
The following are examples of material handling applications:

* Transferring parts from one conveyor to another

* Transferring parts from a processing line to a conveyor
* Loading bins and fixtures for subsequent processing
* Moving parts from a warehouse to a machine
* Transporting explosive devices
* Transfer of parts from a machine to an overhead conveyor

BLOCK DIAGRAM