Fundamentals of Robotics

Introduction

• An industrial robot is a general-purpose, programmable

machine.
• It possesses some anthropomorphic characteristics,
• It has human-like physical structure.
• Mechanical Arm
• Sensory perceptive devices
 Definition of Robot

• The Robotic Industries Association (RIA) defines robot

as follows:
“A robot is a reprogrammable, multifunctional
manipulator designed to move material, parts, tools or
specialized devices through variable programmed
motions for the performance of a variety of tasks.”
 Definition of Robotics
• Robotics is a branch of engineering that involves the
conception, design, manufacture, and operation of robots.
• This field overlaps with electronics, computer science,
artificial intelligence, mechatronics, nanotechnology and
bioengineering.
• Joseph Frederick Engelberger (July 26, 1925 –
December 1, 2015), an American scientist and
entrepreneur, developed the first industrial robot, The
Unimate, in 1956.
• He has been called “the father of robotics” for his
contributions to the field.
 Advantages of Robots

• Robots are good substitutes to the human beings in

hazardous or uncomfortable work environments.
• A robot performs its work cycle with a consistency and
repeatability.
• Robots can be reprogrammed.
• Robots can be connected to the computer systems and
other robotics systems.
 Basic Components of Robot

• Manipulator
• End Effector
• Power Supply
• Controller
 Basic Components of Robot

• Manipulator
• It is the mechanical unit that provides physical
motions.
• It consists of body and arm assembly and wrist
 Basic Components of Robot

• End Effector
• It is an End-of-arm tooling attached to robot wrist.
• It enabled the robots to accomplish a specific task
• TYPES: Grippers and Tools
 Basic Components of Robot

• Power Supply
• Each motion of the manipulator is controlled and
regulated by independent actuators that use an
electrical, a pneumatic or hydraulic power supply
 Basic Components of Robot
• Controller (or control system)
• It is the communication and information processing
system that gives commands for the movements of
the robot.
• It is the brain and nerve system of robot
• It also consists of feed back devices such as
transducers
 Robot Anatomy
• Robot anatomy is concerned with the physical
construction of the body, arm and wrist.

• The body is attached to the base and the arm

assembly is attached to the body. At the end of
the arm is the wrist. The wrist consists of a
number of components that allows it to be
oriented in a variety of positions.

• The manipulator of an industrial robot consists

of a series of joints and links.
 Joints and Links
• A robotic joint provides relative motion
between two links of the robot.
• Each joint, or axis, provides a certain degree-
of-freedom (DOF) of motion.
• Therefore the robot’s complexity can be
classified according to the total number of
degrees-of-freedom they possess.
 Joints and Links

• Each joint is used to connect two

links, an input link and an output link.
• Joint-link numbering scheme is
illustrated in figure.
Types of Joints
 Types of Joints
a) Linear joint (type L joint): The relative
movement between the input link and
the output link is a translational sliding
motion, with the axes of the two links
being parallel.
 Types of Joints
b) Orthogonal Joint (type O joint): This
is also a translational sliding motion, but
the input and output links are
perpendicular to each other during the
move.
 Types of Joints
c) Rotational Joint (type R joint): This
type provides rotational relative motion,
with the axis of rotation perpendicular to
the axes of the input and output links.
 Types of Joints
d) Twisting joint (type T joint): This joint
also involves rotary motion but the axis
of rotation is parallel to the axes of the
two links.
 Types of Joints
e) Revolving joint (type V joint): In this
type, the axis of the input link is parallel
to the axis of rotation of the joint, and
the axis of the output link is
perpendicular to the axis of rotation.
 Robot configurations
• The robot manipulator has two parts
• a body-and-arm assembly

• a wrist assembly.

• Industrial Robots comes in different body-and-arm

configurations.
 Robot configurations
• Five common body-and-arm configurations are
a) Polar configuration

b) Cylindrical configuration

c) Cartesian coordinate configuration

d) Jointed-arm configuration

e) Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm (SCARA)

configuration
 Polar configuration

• This configuration consists of a sliding

arm (L joint) actuated relative to the
body, that can rotate about both a
vertical axis (T joint) and a horizontal
axis (R joint).
• It is also known as the spherical co-
ordinate robot.
• This design is employed where a small
number of vertical actions are adequate.
Polar configuration
 Cylindrical configuration
• It consists of a vertical column mounted
on a rotating base, a slide mounted on
the column that can move up and down
along the column, and a horizontal arm
attached to the slide that moves in and
out.

• This configuration uses a T-joint to

rotate the column about its axis. An O-
joint is used to move the arm assembly
vertically along the column, while an L-
joint is used to achieve radial movement
of the arm.

• The rigid structure offers the capability

to lift heavy loads
Cylindrical configuration
 Cartesian coordinate configuration
• It consists of a base, a column mounted on the base, and an arm mounted on
the column. All the three structures are perpendicular to each other and they
construct x, y and z axes.
• It consists of three sliding joints, two orthogonal O-joints and one linear L- joint .
• These robots can be used for tasks involving pick and place operations like
material handling and loading and unloading of work pieces in machines.
• It is also known as xyz robot or rectilinear robots or gantry robot.

Z - axis

Y - axis

X - axis
Cartesian Coordinate Configuration
 Jointed-arm configuration

• This configuration is similar to

human arm. This type of robots
have three rotary motion
• It consists of a vertical column
that swivels about the base
using a T-joint. Shoulder joint
(R-joint) is located at the top of
the column. The output link is
an elbow joint (another R
joint).
• This configuration is also
known as anthropomorphic
(i.e. like a human arm) or
articulated arm.
Jointed-arm configuration
 SCARA configuration
• SCARA is an acronym for
Selective Compliance Assembly
Robot Arm

• It is similar in construction to the

jointer-arm robot, except the
shoulder and elbow rotational
axes are vertical.

• This configuration minimizes the

robot's deflection when it takes an
object while running at a
programmed speed.

• It is widely employed in
electronic assembly.
SCARA configuration
 Work volume
• The work volume (the term work space is also used) of the
manipulator is defined as the envelope or space within
which the robot can manipulate the end.
• The shape of the work volume depends largely on the
robot's configuration.
 Types of Robot’s work volume
• On the basis of robot’s physical configuration, the work volume for
various robot’s configurations can categorized as follows :
1. Polar robot – Spherical work volume
2. Cylindrical robot – Cylindrical work volume
3. Cartesian coordinate robot – Rectangular work volume
4. Jointed-arm robot – Spherical work volume
5. SCARA robot – Cylindrical work volume
 Types of Robot’s work volume
• On the basis of robot’s physical configuration, the work volume for
various robot’s configurations can categorized as follows:
1. Polar robot – Spherical work volume

2. Cylindrical robot – Cylindrical work volume

3. Cartesian coordinate robot – Rectangular work volume
4. Jointed-arm robot – Spherical work volume
5. SCARA robot – Cylindrical work volume
 Types of Robot’s work volume
• On the basis of robot’s physical configuration, the work volume for
various robot’s configurations can categorized as follows:
1. Polar robot – Spherical work volume
2. Cylindrical robot – Cylindrical work volume

3. Cartesian coordinate robot – Rectangular work volume

4. Jointed-arm robot – Spherical work volume
5. SCARA robot – Cylindrical work volume
 Types of Robot’s work volume
• On the basis of robot’s physical configuration, the work volume for
various robot’s configurations can categorized as follows:
1. Polar robot – Spherical work volume
2. Cylindrical robot – Cylindrical work volume
3. Cartesian coordinate robot – Rectangular work volume

4. Jointed-arm robot – Spherical work volume

5. SCARA robot – Cylindrical work volume
 Types of Robot’s work volume
• On the basis of robot’s physical configuration, the work volume for
various robot’s configurations can categorized as follows:
1. Polar robot – Spherical work volume
2. Cylindrical robot – Cylindrical work volume
3. Cartesian coordinate robot – Rectangular work volume
4. Jointed-arm robot – Spherical work volume

5. SCARA robot – Cylindrical work volume

 Wrist Configurations
• The robot's wrist is used to establish the orientation of the end
effector.
• Robot wrists usually consist of two or three degrees-of-freedom.
• The roll is accomplished by use of a T-joint.
• The pitch is achieved by an R-joint.
• The yaw is gained by a second R-joint.
Attached
to Robot
arm

Pitch
Roll

Yaw
 End Effectors

• End effector is a device which is usually

attached to the robot's wrist.
• The end effector enables the robot to
accomplish a specific task.
• Types of end effectors
• Grippers
• Tools
 End Effectors- Grippers

• Grippers are end effectors used to grasp and

manipulate objects during the work cycle.
• The objects are usually workparts that are moved from
one location to another in the cell.
End Effectors- Types of Grippers
 End Effectors-Tools
• Tools are used in applications where the robot must perform
some processing operation on the workpart.
• Robot uses the tool relative to a stationary or slowly-
moving object
• Various tool used in robots
• spot welding gun
• arc welding tool
• spray painting gun
• rotating spindle for drilling, routing. grinding
• assembly tool (e.g., automatic screwdriver)
• heating torch
• water jet cutting tool.
 Drive systems

• Three types of drive systems are commonly

used to actuate robotic joints.
• Electric drive system
• Hydraulic drive system
• Pneumatic drive system
 Drive systems

• Electric motors are the prime movers in robots.

• Servo-motors or steper motors are widely used in
robotics.
• Hydraulic and pneumatic systems uses
• Piston-cylinder systems – for linear motions
• Rotary vane actuators – for rotary motions
 Drive systems
• Pneumatic drive system is used for smaller, simpler robotic
applications
• Electric drives system
• Found applications on more sophisticated industrial robots.
• Preferred drive system in commercially available industrial robots.
• They are readily adaptable to computer control.
• More accurate
• Hydraulic system
• Not as flexible as electrical drives
• Generally used when
• larger speeds are required.
• to carry out heavy duty operations.
 Robot Control Systems

• To perform as per the program instructions, the joint

movements in an industrial robot must accurately be
controlled.
• Micro-processor-based controllers are used to control
the robots.
• Robot controllers can be classified into four categories:
(1) limited sequence control
(2) playback with point-to-point control
(3) playback with continuous path control
(4) intelligent control.
 Robot Control Systems

1. Limited sequence control

• It is used for simple motion cycles, such as pick-
and-place operations.
• It is implemented by fixing limits or mechanical
stops for each joint and sequencing the movement
of joints to accomplish operation.
• Precision of such control system is less.
• It is generally used in pneumatically driven robots.
 Robot Control Systems

2. Playback with Point-to-Point Control

• Point-to-point control means individual robot positions are
recorded in the memory and then plays back the work cycle
during program execution.

• Feedback control is used to confirm that the individual joints

achieve the specified locations in the program.
 Robot Control Systems

3. Playback with Continuous Path Control

• Continuous path control refers to a control system capable of
continuous simultaneous control of two or more axes.
• Advantages
• It greater storage capacity—the number of locations that can
be stored is greater than in point-to-point;
• Interpolation calculations may be used, especially linear and
circular interpolations.
 Robot Control Systems

4. Intelligent Control
• An intelligent robot exhibits behavior that makes it
seems to be intelligent.
• Capacity to interact with its ambient surroundings
• Ability to make decision
• Ability to communicate with humans
• Ability to carry out computational analysis during the work cycle
• Responsiveness to advanced sensor inputs such as machine
vision.
• They may also possess the playback facilities.
 Sensors in Robotics

• Two categories of sensors used in robotics.

• Internal Sensors
• External Sensors
 Sensors in Robotics

• Internal Sensors
• Internal sensors are used to monitor and control the
various joints of the robot.
• Examples;
• Potentiometers, optical encoders, tachometers
 Sensors in Robotics

• External Sensors
• External sensors are used to coordinate the
operation of the robot with other equipment in the
cell.
• Ex: limit switches
 Sensors in Robotics

• Various types of sensors used in robotics are:

 Dynamic response characteristics

• The combination of drive system, sensors, and

feedback control system determines the following
dynamic response characteristics of the manipulator.
• Speed
• Stability
• Load carrying capacity
 Dynamic response characteristics

• Speed refers to the absolute velocity of the manipulator

at its end-of-arm.
• Factors that influence speed of motion are
• Acceleration and deceleration
• the weight (mass) of the object that is being manipulated
• the precision with which the object must be located at the end
of a given move
 Dynamic response characteristics

• Stability refers to the amount of overshoot and

oscillation that occurs in the robot motion at the end-or-
arm as it attempts to move to the next programmed
location.
• More oscillation in the motion is an indication of less
stability.
 Load carrying capacity

• Load carrying capacity depends on the robot's physical

size and construction as well as the force and power that
can be transmitted to the end of the wrist.
• It is determined by weight of the gripper used to grasp
the objects.
• A heavy gripper puts a higher load upon the robotic
manipulator in addition to the object mass.
• Commercial robots can carry loads of up to 900 kg, while
medium-sized industrial robots may have capacities of
up to 45kg.
 Robot programming

• The principal task of the robot program is to control the

motions and actions of the manipulator.
• A robot is programmed by entering the programming
commands into its controller memory.
• Methods of robot programming
• Manual method
• Walk through method
• Lead-through method
• Off-line programming
 Manual Method

• It is more like setting up robot than programming

• It involves setting mechanical stops, cams, switches in
the robots control
• This method is adequate for simple robots used for
short work cycles such as pick and place operations
 Walk through method

• In this method, the programmer manually move the

robot’s arm and hand through the motion sequence of
the work cycle
• Each movement is recorded in to the memory for
subsequent playback during operation
• This method is appropriate for spray painting and arc
welding robots
 Lead-through method

• This method makes use of a teach pendant to power

drive the robot through its motion sequence.
• Each movement is recorded in to the memory for
subsequent playback during operation
• This is an easy and convenient method of
programming
 Off-line Programming
• Off-line programming permits the robot program to be prepared at a
remote computer terminal and downloaded to the robot controller for
execution.
• Production time of the robot is not lost due to the delay in teaching the
robot new task
• Examples of programming languages are
• VAL (Vector’s Assembly Language), developed for the Unimation PUMA robot
• MCL, developed by McDonnell Douglas Coroporation
• AML (IBM)
• HELP (General Electric)
• RAIL (Automatrix)
• AL (Stanford University)
• RPS (SRI)
• JARS (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
• AS (Kawasaki)
 Industrial Robot Applications
• Work environment is one of several characteristics that should be
considered when selecting a robot application.
• The general characteristics of industrial work situations that tend
to promote the substitution of robots for human labor are the
following:
• Hazardous work environment for humans
• Repetitive work cycle
• Difficult handling for humans
• Multi-shift operation
• Infrequent changeovers
 Industrial Robot Applications

• Robots are mainly used in three types of

applications:
• Material handling
• Processing operations
• Assembly and inspection.
 Industrial Robot Applications
• Material handling:
• In material handling, robots move parts between
various locations by means of a gripper type end
effector.
• Material handling activity can be sub divided into
• Material transfer
• Machine loading and unloading.
Material Handling Applications
Industrial Robot Applications
 Industrial Robot Applications

• Processing Operations
• In processing operations, the robot performs some
processing activities such as grinding, milling, etc.
on the workpart.
• The end effector is equipped with the specialized
tool required for the respective process.
• The tool is moved relative to the surface of the
workpart.
 Industrial Robot Applications

• Processing Operations
• In processing operations, the robot performs some
processing activities such as grinding, milling, etc.
on the workpart.
• The end effector is equipped with the specialized
tool required for the respective process.
• The tool is moved relative to the surface of the
workpart.
Processing Operations Applications
 Industrial Robot Applications

• Assembly and Inspection

• Assembly and inspection are traditionally labor-
intensive activities.
• They are also highly repetitive and usually boring.
 Industrial Robot Applications

• Assembly and Inspection

• Assembly applications often involve the stacking of
one part onto another part—basically a part handling
task.
• In other assembly operations a tool is manipulated,
such as an automatic screwdriver.
• Inspection operations sometimes require the robot to
position a workpart relative to an inspection device, or
to load a part into an inspection machine;
• other applications involve the manipulation of a
sensor to perform an inspection.