Chapter 15 - Robotic systems

Abstract

Robots are machines that perform tasks similar to the human form. There are basically two types of robots: mobile and stationary. Mobile robots are free to move within a workspace. Stationary robots are fixed in one place. Typical applications of mobile robots are nuclear accident cleanup, planetary exploration, automated guided vehicles in manufacturing factories, and mail delivery. Mobile robots are either guided or free roving. This chapter discusses the basic definitions, configurations, and components of robotic arms. Basic robotic arm configurations include the Cartesian/rectilinear/gantry; the cylindrical, which has a revolute motion about a base, a prismatic joint for height, and a prismatic joint for radius; the spherical, which has two revolute joints and one prismatic joint that allows the robot to point in many directions, and to reach out some radial distance. The basic components of a robotic arm are structure, actuators, control computer, sensors, and end-of-arm tooling (EOAT). The design of the robotic mechanical arm requires a consideration of the linkages, as well as the static and dynamic considerations of the payload. The best industrial robot is only as good as its EOAT, which is typically purchased separately, or custom built, and is very expensive. Additionally, in robotic arm kinematics, the chapter is interested in the forward transformation as well as inverse (backward) transformation. It concentrates on the 3R articulated robot, although the basics apply to other robot classifications.