What is a robot ?

• By general agreement, a robot is:

A programmable machine that imitates the actions or
appearance of an intelligent creature - usually a human
• Robotics: the science dealing with design, construction
and operation of robots
• To qualify as a robot, a machine must be able to:
1) Sensing and perception: get information from its
surroundings
2) Carry out different tasks: Locomotion or manipulation, do
something physical–such as move or manipulate objects
3) Re-programmable: can do different things
4) Function autonomously and/or interact with human
beings
 Why we use Robot
• Increase product quality
– Superior Accuracies
– Repeatable precision
– Consistency of products
• Increase efficiency
– Work continuously without fatigue
– Need no vacation
• Increase safety
– Operate in dangerous environment
– Need no environmental comfort
– air conditioning, noise protection
• Reduce Cost
– Reduce scrap rate
– Lower in-process inventory
– Lower labor cost
• Reduce manufacturing lead time
– Rapid response to changes in design
• Increase productivity
– Value of output per person per hour increases
 What Can Industrial Robots Do?
• Industrial Robots
– 70% welding and painting
– 20% pick and place
– 10% others
• Material handling
Material Handling Manipulator
• Material transfer
• Machine loading and/or unloading
• Spot welding
• Continuous arc welding
• Spray coating
• Assembly
• Inspection
Spot Welding Manipulator Assembly Manipulator
 Robot Manipulators: Assembly
• Example of Industrial Robots

Industrial robots performing spot welding in an automobile assembly line

 Robot anatomy
• The industrial robots resemble the human arm in its physical
structure. Like the hand attached to the human body the robot
manipulator or robot arm is attached to the base.
Robot analogy
Robot components
 Robot Mechanism
• Mechanical Elements
 Sensors
• Human senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell
provide us vital information to function and survive
• Robot sensors: measure robot configuration/condition
and its environment and send such information to robot
controller as electronic signals (e.g., arm position,
presence of toxic gas)
• Robots often need information that is beyond 5 human
senses (e.g., ability to: see in the dark, detect tiny
amounts of invisible radiation, measure movement that is
too small or fast for the human eye to see)
Accelerometer
Using Piezoelectric Effect
 Vision Sensors
• Vision Sensor: e.g., to pick bins, perform
inspection, etc.

• Part-Picking: Robot can handle In-Sight Vision Sensors

work pieces that are randomly piled by using 3-D
vision sensor. Since alignment operation, a special
parts feeder, and an alignment pallete are
not required, an automatic system can be constructed at
low cost.
 Actuators/Muscles: I
• Common robotic actuators utilize combinations
of different electro-mechanical devices
– Synchronous motor
– Stepper motor
– AC servo motor
– Brushless DC servo motor
– Brushed DC servo motor
Actuators/Muscles: II
 Controller

• Provide necessary intelligence to control the

manipulator/mobile robot
• Process the sensory information and compute
the control commands for the actuators to
carry out specified tasks