COMPUTER AIDDED DESIGN &

MANUFACTURING
ROBOTICS

INTRODUCTION
A robot is a machine especially one programmable by a computer capable of carrying out a
complex series of actions automatically. Robots can be guided by an external control device or the
control may be embedded within. Robots may be constructed on the lines of human form, but most
robots are machines designed to perform a task with no regard to their aesthetics.
The term comes from a Czech word, robota, meaning "forced labor", the word 'robot' was first
used to denote a fictional humanoid in a 1920 play. Robots have replaced humans in performing
repetitive and dangerous tasks which humans prefer not to do, or are unable to do because of size
limitations, or which take place in extreme environments such as outer space or the bottom of the
sea. There are concerns about the increasing use of robots and their role in society. Robots are
blamed for rising technological unemployment as they replace workers in increasing numbers of
functions.

DEFINITION
A robot is a re programmable multi-function manipulator designed to move material parts, tools
or specialized devices, through variable programmed motions for the performance of a variety of
tasks. (Robotic Institute of America, 1979)
OR
An industrial robot is a re-programmable device designed to both manipulate and transport parts,
tools or specialized manufacturing implements through variable programmed motions for the
performance of specific manufacturing tasks.
(British Robots Association)
LAWS OF ROBOT
Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics"
 A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come
to harm.
 A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would
conflict with the First Law.
 A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the
First or Second Law.
In 1942 Isaac Asimov wrote a short science fiction story in which the word 'robotics' was first used
and presented 3 laws of robotics.
PARTS OF ROBOT
It has some basic systems as mentioned below.
Locomotion System – This system defines how the robot moves. Whether it’s translatory motion,
rotatory motion, etc. Using this system, you can make your robot move forward, backward, right,
left, climb up/down, etc. To accomplish this, we need devices which convert electrical energy into
mechanical energy. Such devices are called actuators and the most popular actuator is the DC
Motor.
Power Supply System – For a robot to work, we need a power supply. It acts as food to the robot.
Unless you feed your robot, it cannot work! Thus, we need to provide a power supply for that. For
robotic applications (in fact most major applications), we need DC supply (usually 5V, 9V, 12V
DC, sometimes goes as high as 18V, 24V, 36V, etc. as per your requirement). The best way for
this is to use a battery (as it provides DC supply directly) or use an SMPS/Eliminator to convert
AC to DC and then use it. But voltage is not the only thing that matters while choosing a proper
supply. Your power source should also be able to supply sufficient current to drive all the loads
connected to it, directly or indirectly.
Actuator System – As described above, actuators are devices which bring about the locomotion
of the robot. There are many actuators used like DC Motors, Stepper Motors, Servo Motors, etc.
The way they are connected together, their circuit diagram, their location, orientation, position,
etc. everything comes under Actuator System.
Sensor System – In order for the robot to interact with the physical world, we need to introduce
sensors (which can measure physical parameters like temperature, pressure, heat, radio waves, IR
waves, etc). These sensor systems provide a feedback from the real world to the digital world
(embedded electronics), which are processed and the robot takes the decision accordingly.
Signal Processing System – The data from the sensors and other electrical and digital signals need
to be processed, so that the robot analyzes the situation and makes its moves. For this, we introduce
electronic components to process the signals. The components can be any analog/digital device,
or even a microcontroller.
Control System – This is the major governing system of the robot. Every system that is present
inside the robot and functioning can be represented in form of a control system (open-loop and
closed-loop).
TYPES OF ROBOT
Nowadays, robots do a lot of different tasks in many fields and the number of jobs entrusted to
robots is growing steadily. That's why in my opinion one of the best ways how to divide robots
into types is a division by their application.

There are:

Industrial robots - Industrial robots are robots used in an industrial manufacturing environment.
Usually these are articulated arms specifically developed for such applications as welding,
material handling, painting and others. If we judge purely by application this type could also
include some automated guided vehicles and other robots.

Domestic or household robots - Robots used at home. This type of robots includes many quite
different devices such as robotic vacuum cleaners, robotic pool cleaners, sweepers, gutter
cleaners and other robots that can do different chores. Also, some surveillance and telepresence
robots could be regarded as household robots if used in that environment.

Medical robots - Robots used in medicine and medical institutions. First and foremost - surgery
robots. Also, some automated guided vehicles and maybe lifting aides.

Service robots - Robots that don’ t fall into other types by usage. These could be different data
gathering robots, robots made to show off technologies, robots used for research, etc.

Military robots - Robots used in military. This type of robots includes bomb disposal robots,
different transportation robots, reconnaissance drones. Often robots initially created for military
purposes can be used in law enforcement, search and rescue and other related fields.

Entertainment robots - These are robots used for entertainment. This is a very broad category.
It starts with toy robots such as Robosapiens or the running alarm clock and ends with real
heavyweights such as articulated robot arms used as motion simulators.

WORK VOLUME

Configuration\Structure of Robot
Over the years’ robot manufacturers have developed many types of robots of differing
configurations and mechanical design, to give a variety of spatial arrangements and working
volumes. The majority of these manipulators fall into one of these six configurations: Cartesian
(PPP), Cylindrical (RPP), Spherical (RRP), SCARA (RRP), Articulate/Revolute (RRR) and
robot. The work envelope or work volume is defined as the space within which the robot cans
manipulator the end of its wrist. The shape of work volume is determined by the type of robot
configuration.
[1] ARM CONFIGURATION


[2] CYLINDRICA CONFIGURATION
[3] POLAR CONFIGURATION
[4] SCARA ROBOT
Programming Languages for Robotics:
we have a few programming languages which we always prefer to use in designing. Actually the
programming languages which we use mainly depend on the hardware one is using in building
robots. Some of them are- URBI, C and BASIC. URBI is an open source language. In this article
we will try to know more about these languages. Let's start with URBI.
URBI: URBI stands for Universal Real-time Behavior Interface. It is a client/server based
interpreted language in which Robot works as a client and controller as a server. It makes us to
learn about the commands which we give to Robots and receive messages from them. The
interpreter and wrapped server are called as "URBI Engine". The URBI Engine uses commands
from Client and receives messages to it. This language allows user to work on basic Perception
action principle. The users just have to write some simple loops on the basis of this principle
directly in URBI.
PYTHON: There is another language which is used in designing Robots. Python is an object-
oriented language which is used to access and control Robots. Python is an interpreted language;
this language has an application in working with mobile robots, particularly those manufactured
by different companies. With python it is possible to use a single program for controlling many
different robots. However, Python is slower than C++ but it has some good sides as well as it
proved very easy to interact with robots using this language, it is highly portable and can be run in
windows and MAC OSX plus it can easily be extendable using C and C++ language. Python is a
very reliable language for string manipulation and text processing.
ROBOTICS.NXT: ROBOTICS.NXT has a support for a simple message-based control. It direct
commands, NXT upload is one of its programs which is used to upload any file. It works on Linux.
After getting introduction on programming languages, it becomes necessary to know something
about MRDS as well, MRDS is an environment which is designed especially for controlling robots.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Robotic Automation

ADVANTAGES

 Cost Effectiveness
There will be no lunchbreaks, holidays, sick leave or shift time allocated for robotic automation.
It can be set to work on a repetitive cycle, and as long as it is maintained correctly, it will continue
to do so until programmed otherwise. This eliminates the risk of RSI occurring.
The increase in production at a lower cost produces obvious benefits for any manufacturer. The
cost of investment can be recovered in a relatively short space of time and the gains from that point
onwards are exponential to say the least.

 Improved Quality Assurance

Few workers enjoy doing repetitive tasks and after a certain period of time concentration levels
will naturally decline. This lapse in concentration is known as vigilance decrement and can often
lead to costly errors for the business and sometimes serious injury to the member of staff. Robotic
automation eliminates these risks by accurately producing and checking items meet the required
standard without fail. With more product going out the door manufactured to a higher standard,
this creates a number of new business possibilities for companies to expand upon.

 Increased Productivity
Using robotic automation to tackle repetitive tasks makes complete sense. Robots are designed to
make repetitive movements. Humans, also by design, are not. The introduction of automation into
your manufacturing process has many different productivity benefits.

 Work in Hazardous Environments

Aside from potential injuries in the workplace, staff members in particular industries can be asked
to work in unstable or dangerous environments. For example, if a high level of chemicals is
present, robotic automation offers the ideal solution, as it will continue to work without harm.

Production areas that require extremely high or low temperatures typically have a high turnover of
staff due to the nature of the work. Automated robots can minimize material waste and remove the
need for humans to put themselves at unnecessary risk.

DISADVANTAGES

 Potential Job Losses

One of the biggest concerns surrounding the introduction of robotic automation is the impact of
jobs for workers. If a robot can perform at a faster, more consistent rate, then the fear is that humans
may not be needed at all. While these worries are understandable, they are not really accurate. The
same was said during the early years of the industrial revolution, and as history has showed us,
humans continued to play an essential role. Amazon are a great example of this. The employment
rate has grown rapidly during a period where they have gone from using around 1,000 robots to
over 45,000.

 Initial Investment Costs

This is typically the biggest obstacle that will decide whether or not a company will invest in
robotic automation, or wait until a later stage. A comprehensive business case must be built when
considering the implementation of this technology. The returns can be substantial and quite often
occur within a short space of time. However, the cash flow must be sustainable in the meantime
and the stability of the company is by no means worth the risk if the returns are only marginal.
Yet, in most instances there will be a repayment schedule available, which makes it a lot easier to
afford and control finances. Our downloadable automation payback calculator also has a finance
scheme option so you can see how this would work for you.
Increased throughput and reduction in defects both need to be considered along with the capital
expenditure when deciding whether or not there is a business case for investment. Intangible
benefits also need to be considered, and we have created an intangible benefits downloadable
calculator to help you with this.

 Hiring Skilled Staff

Over the past decade manufacturers have found it harder to source skilled staff members to fill the
specialized roles in their factories. The introduction of automation adds another layer to that
conundrum as the robots require programming and a knowledge of how to operate them. In reality,
this opens up further opportunities for existing employees to be trained and expand their own skill
set. An automation company can assist with the initial installation and set-up process, and with the
right expertise, staff can learn and adapt to manage the robots in the long-term.