Trade-3

INTRODUCTION TO ROBOTICS

Introduction to Robotics Mechanism:

A robot is a machine capable of physical motion for interacting with the environment. Physical
interactions include manipulation, locomotion, and any other tasks changing the state of the
environment or the state of the robot relative to the environment. A robot has some form of
mechanisms for performing a class of tasks. A rich variety of robot mechanisms has been
developed in the last few decades. In this chapter, we will overview various types of mechanisms
used for generating robotic motion, and introduce some taxonomy of mechanical structures.

Rigid Link and Mechanisms:

A rigid link is one which does not undergo any deformation while transmitting motion. Strictly
speaking, rigid links do not exist. However, as the deformation of a connecting rod, crank etc. of a
reciprocating steam engine is not appreciable; they can be considered as rigid links. A mechanical
linkage is an assembly of bodies connected to manage forces and movement. The movement of a
body, or link, is studied using geometry so the link is considered to be rigid. The connections
between links are modelled as providing ideal movement, pure rotation or sliding for
example, and are called joints. A linkage modelled as a network ofrigid links and ideal joints
is called a kinematic chain.

Linkages may be constructed from open chains, closed chains, or a combination of open and
closed chains. Each link in a chain is connected by a joint to one or more other links. Thus, a
kinematic chain can be modelled as a graph in which the links are paths and the joints are vertices,
which is called a linkage graph.The movement of an ideal joint is generally associated with a
subgroup of the group of Euclidean displacements. The number of parameters in the subgroup is
called the degrees of freedom (DOF) of the joint. Mechanical linkages are usually designed to
transform a given input force and movement into a desired output force and movement. The ratio
of the output force to the input force is known as the mechanical advantage of the linkage,
while the ratio of the input speed to the output speed is known as the speed ratio. The speed ratio
andmechanical advantage are defined so they yield the same number in an ideal linkage.
A kinematic chain, in which one link is fixed or stationary, is called a mechanism, and a linkage
designed to be stationary is called a structure.
 Fig- Robotic links and joints

Concepts of Degree of Freedom (DoF):

The degrees of freedom of a robot typically refer to the number of movable joints of a robot.A
robot with three movable joints will have three axis and three degrees of freedom, a four axis
robot will have four movable joints and four axis, and so on. In order to completely define an
objects location in space, at least six degrees of freedom must be defined; its Cartesian
coordinates, or x, y, z location, and its orientation, or roll, pitch and yaw.

Fig- Six degrees of freedom

While it is not absolutely the case, most pick and place devices and robots have the following
capabilities;
 One axis – can pick up an object and move it along a straight line

 Two axis – can pick up an object, lift it, move it horizontally and vertically, and set it
down or present it – on one x/y plane – without changing the object’s orientation
 Three axis – can pick up an object, lift it, move it horizontally and vertically and set it down
or present it – anywhere in x,y,z space within reach of the robot – without changingthe
object’s orientation
 Four axis – can pick up an object, lift it, move it horizontally and set it down or present it

– in x,y, z space – while changing the object’s orientation along one axis (yaw forexample)
 Five axis – can pick up an object, lift it, move it horizontally and set it down – in an x,y,z
space – while changing the object’s orientation along two axis (yaw and pitch for example)
 Six axis – can pick up an object, lift it, move it horizontally and set it down – in an x,y,z
space – while changing the object’s orientation along three axis (yaw, pitch and roll).
 Seven axis – all of the movement capability of a six axis robot, along with the ability to
physically move the robot from one place to another in a linear direction (typically
horizontal motion along a rail)

Types of Drives:
Transmission of speed and power is one of the essential requirements of robotic drives. This can
be achieved by various types of drives. Depending upon applications robotic drives can be
selected from chain drives, belt drives or gear drives.
Gear Drives:

Fig- Gears engagement

The following are the advantages and disadvantages of the gear drive as compared to belt,rope
and chain drives :
Advantages

1. It transmits exact velocity ratio.

2. It may be used to transmit large power.

3. It has high efficiency.

4. It has reliable service.

5. It has compact layout.

Disadvantages
1. The manufacture of gears requires special tools and equipment.
2. The error in cutting teeth may cause vibrations and noise during operation.
Belt Drive:

Fig- Belt Drive

ADVANTAGES OF BELT DRIVE-

1. Belt drives are simple are economical.

2. They don’t need parallel shafts.

3. Belts drives are provided with overload and jam protection.

4. Noise and vibration are damped out. Machinery life is increased because load
fluctuations are shock-absorbed.

T
DISADVANTAGES OF BELT DRIVE-
1. In Belt drives, angular velocity ratio is not necessarily constant or equal to the ratioof
pulley diameters, because of slipping and stretching.
2. Heat buildup occurs. Speed is limited to usually 35 meters per second. Power
transmission is limited to 370 kilowatts.
Types of Motors
There are many types of motors available in the industry. For robotic applications, there are
certain types of motors that are normally used. The motors normally used in robotic applications
can be classified as follow –
• AC motor

• Brushed DC motor

• Brushless DC motor

• Geared DC motor

• Servo motor

• Stepper motor

Wheel combinations for a Robotic car

According to the laws of physics, a high weight requires strong forces to accelerate. This means
that a heavier robot requires stronger motors in order to accelerate the body. To the forces acting
due to the weight of the robot are added the frictional forces of the wheels and the internal
friction inside the motor. On taking into account that a robot should climb stairs or run on
inclined surfaces, other forces should also be considered, such as the gravitational force.
A motor can maintain a constant speed only if the torque is greater than the combined forces in
opposite to the robot’s movement. In case that the motor torque is smaller than the opposition
torque, the motor will stop and may be damaged since the electrical energy cannot be converted
into torque.
For movement, the robots use differential steering that separately drive the wheels. The robot can
change the direction of rotating each wheel at different speeds, and by adding additional wheels
that are not driven by actuators, the robot can keep its balance.
Two wheels plus a caster or four wheels are the most common combinations for wheeled robots.
Both combinations of wheels can turn in place and are known as a differential drive for two
wheel version, while the four wheels have to be driven independently to turn in place.

Two Wheels Plus Caster Wheel Robot –

Four Wheel Robot –

ARDUINO UNO

Arduino is an open source computer hardware and software company, project, and user
community that designs and manufactures single-board microcontrollers and microcontroller
kits for building digital devices and interactive objects that can sense and control objects in
the physical and digital world. The project's products are distributed as open-source hardware
and software, which are licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) or
the GNU General Public License (GPL), permitting the manufacture of Arduino boards and
software distribution by anyone. Arduino boards are available commercially in preassembled
form, or as do-it-yourself (DIY) kits. Arduino board designs use a variety of microprocessors
and controllers. The boards are equipped with sets of digital and analog input/output (I/O)
pins that may be interfaced to various expansion boards or Breadboards (shields) and other
circuits. The boards feature serial communications interfaces, including Universal Serial Bus
(USB) on some models, which are also used for loading programs from personal computers.
The microcontrollers are typically programmed using a dialect of features from the
programming languages C and C++. In addition to using traditional compiler toolchains, the
Arduino project provides an integrated development environment (IDE) based on the
Processing language project. The Arduino project started in 2003 as a program for students at
the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea in Ivrea, Italy, aiming to provide a low-cost and easy
way for novices and professionals to create devices that interact with their environment using
sensors and actuators. Common examples of such devices intended for beginner hobbyists
include simple robots, thermostats, and motion detectors.

APPLICATIONS
1. Smart Home
2. Lighting Control:
3. HVAC Regulation
4. Lawn Irrigation Systems:
5. Smart Appliances: What’s for Dinner?
6. Security Systems: Knock, Knock… Who’s there?