What is a Robot ?

 Random House Dictionary A machine that resembles a

human being and does mechanical routine tasks on
command.

 Robotics Association of America An industrial robot is

a re-programmable and multifunctional manipulator
designed to move materials, parts, tools, or specialized
devices through variable programmed motions for the
performance of a variety of tasks.
 What is a Robot ?

 British Robot Association: A reprogrammable device with

minimum of four degrees of freedom designed to both
manipulate (handle or control in a skilful manner) and
transport parts, tools, or specialized manufacturing
implements through variable programmed motions for
performance of specific manufacturing task.

 International Standards Organization (ISO): An industrial

robot is an automatic, servo-controlled, freely
programmable, multipurpose manipulator, with several
areas, for the handling of work pieces, tools, or special
devices. Variably programmed operations make the
execution of a multiplicity of tasks possible.
 What is a Robot ?

 A manipulator (or an industrial robot)

is composed of a series of links
connected to each other via joints.
Each joint usually has an actuator (a
motor for eg.) connected to it.

 These actuators are used to cause

relative motion between successive
links. One end of the manipulator is
usually connected to a stable base
and the other end is used to deploy
a tool.
An industrial robot least looks like
a human
 Laws of robotics

 Issac Asimov conceived the robots as humanoids,

devoid of feelings and used them in a number of stories.
 Asimov’s three laws:
1. A robot should not injure a human being or through
action allowed the humans to be harmed.
2. A robot must obey orders given by humans except
when that conflicts with the first law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence unless that
conflicts with the first or second law.
 Robot Anatomy

 Manipulator consists of joints and links

 Joints provide relative motion
 Links are rigid members between joints
 Various joint types: linear and rotary
 Each joint provides a “degree-of-freedom”
 Most robots possess five or six degrees-of-freedom
 Robot Anatomy

Robot manipulator - a series of joint-link combinations

 Types of Manipulator Joints

 Translational motion
 Linear joint (type L)
 Orthogonal joint (type O)
 Rotary motion
 Rotational joint (type R)
 Twisting joint (type T)
 Revolving joint (type V)
 Translational Motion Joints

Linear joint
(type L)

Orthogonal joint
(type O)
 Rotary Motion Joints

Rotational joint
(type R)

Twisting joint
(type T)

Revolving joint
(type V)
 Joint Notation Scheme

 Uses the joint symbols (L, O, R, T, V) to designate joint

types used to construct robot manipulator
 Separates body-and-arm assembly from wrist assembly
using a colon (:)
 Example: TLR : TR
 Robot Configurations

 Robot manipulator consists of two sections:

 Body-and-arm – for positioning of end effectors
(e.g., gripper, tool) in the robot's work volume
 Wrist assembly – for orientation of objects
 Robot Body-and-Arm Configurations

 Five common body-and-arm configurations for

industrial robots:
1. Polar coordinate body-and-arm assembly
2. Cylindrical body-and-arm assembly
3. Cartesian coordinate body-and-arm assembly
4. Jointed-arm body-and-arm assembly
5. Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm (SCARA)
 Polar Coordinate
Body-and-Arm Assembly

 Notation TRL:

 Consists of a sliding arm (L joint) actuated relative to the

body, which can rotate about both a vertical axis (T joint)
and horizontal axis (R joint)
 Cylindrical Body-and-Arm Assembly

 Notation TLO:

 Consists of a vertical column,

relative to which an arm assembly
is moved up or down
 The arm can be moved in or out
relative to the column
 Cartesian Coordinate
Body-and-Arm Assembly

 Notation LOO:
 Consists of three sliding joints,
two of which are orthogonal
 Other names include rectilinear
robot and x-y-z robot
 Jointed-Arm Robot

 Notation TRR:

 General configuration
of a human arm
 SCARA Robot

 Notation VRO
 SCARA stands for Selectively
Compliant Assembly Robot
Arm
 Similar to jointed-arm robot
except that vertical axes are
used for shoulder and elbow
joints to be compliant in
horizontal direction for vertical
insertion tasks
 Wrist Configurations

 Wrist assembly is attached to end-of-arm

 End effector is attached to wrist assembly
 Function of wrist assembly is to orient the end effector
 Body-and-arm determines global position of end
effector
 Two or three degrees of freedom:
 Roll
 Pitch
 Yaw
 Wrist Configuration

 Typical wrist assembly has two or three degrees-of-

freedom (shown is a three degree-of freedom wrist)
 Notation :RRT
 Example
 Sketch following manipulator configurations
 (a) TRT:R, (b) TVR:TR, (c) RR:T.

Solution: R
R
T T R
R T
R
R V

T T

(a) TRT:R (b) TVR:TR (c) RR:T

 Joint Drive Systems

 Electric
 Uses electric motors to actuate individual joints
 Preferred drive system in today's robots
 Hydraulic
 Uses hydraulic pistons and rotary vane actuators
 Noted for their high power and lift capacity
 Pneumatic
 Typically limited to smaller robots and simple material
transfer applications
 Robot Control Systems

 Limited sequence control – pick-and-place operations using

mechanical stops to set positions
 Playback with point-to-point control – records work cycle as a
sequence of points, then plays back the sequence during
program execution
 Playback with continuous path control – greater memory
capacity and/or interpolation capability to execute paths (in
addition to points)
 Intelligent control – exhibits behavior that makes it seem
intelligent, e.g., responds to sensor inputs, makes decisions,
communicates with humans
 Robot Control System

 Hierarchical control structure of a robot microcomputer

controller
 End Effectors
 The special tooling for a robot that enables it to
perform a specific task

 Two types:

 Grippers – to grasp and manipulate objects (e.g.,

parts) during work cycle.

 Tools – to perform a process, e.g., spot welding,

spray painting.
 Robot Mechanical Gripper

 A two-finger mechanical gripper for grasping rotational

parts
Adhesive Gripper
 Advances in Mechanical Grippers

 Dual grippers
 Interchangeable fingers
 Sensory feedback
 To sense presence of object
 To apply a specified force on the object
 Multiple fingered gripper (similar to human hand)
 Standard gripper products to reduce the amount of
custom design required
 Tools

 Tools are used in application where the robot must

perform some processing operation on the work part.
 Spot welding gun
 Arc welding tool
 Spray Painting gun
 Rotating spindle for drilling, routing, grinding and so
forth
 Assembly tool (e.g. Automatic Screw Driver)
 Heating torch
 Water Jet cutting tool
 Robots in the world

A Kuhnezug truck-mounted crane Fanuc S-500 robots performing seam-

sealing on a truck.
 Robots in the world

Painting Robot in Motor Company

Assembly Robot in Electronic Company
 Robots in the world

Wearable Robotic Arm and Tele-Operated Robot (KIST)

 Robots in the world

HONDA (ASIMO) – Biped Robot Fujitsu – Biped Robot (Laptop Size)

Robots in the world

Sony (AIBO) – Toy robot

 Robots in the world

• Stationary Manipulators

• Mobile Manipulators
 Robots in the world
• Locomotion

Wheeled mobile robots

Humanoid Underwater robots

Robots in the world
Sojourner Rover

NASA and JPL, Mars

exploration
Robots in the world

Autonomous robots
Robots in the world

Field robotics
Robots in the world
Service robots
Robots in the world

Entertainment robots
 Sensors in Robotics

Two basic categories of sensors used in industrial robots:

1. Internal - used to control position and velocity of the
manipulator joints
2. External - used to coordinate the operation of the robot with
other equipment in the work cell
 Tactile - touch sensors and force sensors
 Proximity - when an object is close to the sensor
 Optical sensor-detect the presence or absence of object
 Machine vision-used for inspection, parts identification,
guidance.
 Other sensors - temperature, voltage, fluid pressure etc.
 Robot Applications

 Need to replace human labor by robots:

 Work environment hazardous for human beings
 Repetitive tasks
 Boring and unpleasant tasks
 Multishift operations
 Performing at a steady pace
 Operating for long hours without rest
 Responding in automated operations
 Minimizing variation
 Part position and orientation are established in the work cell
 Difficult handling for Human
 Industrial Applications(contd.)
 Industrial Robot Applications can be divided into:
 Material-handling applications:
 Involve the movement of material or parts from one location to another.
 It include part placement, palletizing and/or depalletizing, machine loading
and unloading.
 Processing Operations:
 Requires the robot to manipulate a special process tool as the end effector.
 The application include spot welding, arc welding, riveting, spray painting,
machining, metal cutting, deburring, polishing.
 Assembly Applications:
 Involve part-handling manipulations of a special tools and other automatic
tasks and operations.
 Inspection Operations:
 Require the robot to position a workpart to an inspection device.
 Involve the robot to manipulate a device or sensor to perform the
inspection.
 Material Handling Applications

 This category includes the following:

 Part Placement
 Palletizing and/or depalletizing
 Machine loading and/or unloading
 Stacking and insertion operations
 The robot must have following features to facilitate material handling:
 The manipulator must be able to lift the parts safely.
 The robot must have the reach needed.
 The robot must have cylindrical coordinate type.
 The robot’s controller must have a large enough memory to store all
the programmed points so that the robot can move from one location
to another.
 The robot must have the speed necessary for meeting the transfer cycle
of the operation.
 Material Handling Applications (contd.)

 Part Placement:
 The basic operation in this category is the relatively simple pick-and-
place operation.
 This application needs a low-technology robot of the cylindrical
coordinate type.
 Only two, three, or four joints are required for most of the applications.
 Pneumatically powered robots are often utilized.

 Palletizing and/or Depalletizing

 The applications require robot to stack parts one on top of the other,
that is to palletize them, or to unstack parts by removing from the top
one by one, that is depalletize them.
 Example: process of taking parts from the assembly line and stacking
them on a pallet or vice versa.
Arrangement of Cartons on Pallet
 Material Handling Applications (contd.)

 Machine loading and/or unloading:

 Robot transfers parts into and/or from a production machine.
 There are three possible cases:
 Machine loading in which the robot loads parts into a production machine, but the parts
are unloaded by some other means.
 Example: a press working operation, where the robot feeds sheet blanks into the
press, but the finished parts drop out of the press by gravity.
 Machine loading in which the raw materials are fed into the machine without robot
assistance. The robot unloads the part from the machine assisted by vision or no vision.
 Example: bin picking, die casting, and plastic moulding.
 Machine loading and unloading that involves both loading and unloading of the
workparts by the robot. The robot loads a raw work part into the process ad unloads a
finished part.
 Example: Machine operation, Forging, Heat Treatment
 Difficulties
 Difference in cycle time between the robot and the production machine. The cycle time
of the machine may be relatively long compared to the robot’s cycle time.
 Material Handling Applications (contd.)

 Stacking and insertion operation:

 In the stacking process the robot places flat parts on top of each
other, where the vertical location of the drop-off position is
continuously changing with cycle time.

 In the insertion process robot inserts parts into the compartments of a

divided carton.
 Processing Operations

 Processing Operations:
 Robot performs a processing procedure on the part.
 The robot is equipped with some type of process tooling as its end
effector.
 Manipulates the tooling relative to the working part during the cycle.
 Industrial robot applications in the processing operations include:
 Spot welding
 Continuous arc welding
 Spray painting
 Metal cutting and deburring operations
 Various machining operations like drilling, grinding, laser and
waterjet cutting, and riveting.
 Rotating and spindle operations
 Adhesives and sealant dispensing
 Robotic Arc-Welding Cell

 Robot performs
flux-cored arc
welding (FCAW)
operation at one
workstation while
fitter changes
parts at the other
workstation
 Assembly Operations

 Assembly Operations:
 The applications involve both material-handling and the manipulation of a tool.
 They typically include components to build the product and to perform material
handling operations.
 Are traditionally labor-intensive activities in industry and are highly repetitive
and boring. Hence are logical candidates for robotic applications.
 These are classified as:
 Batch assembly: As many as one million products might be assembled. The
assembly operation has long production runs.
 Low-volume: In this a sample run of ten thousand or less products might be
made.
 One of the well suited area for robotics assembly is the insertion of odd
electronic components.
 Inspection Operations
 Inspection Operation:
 Some inspection operation require parts to be manipulated, and other applications
require that an inspection tool be manipulated.
 Inspection work requires high precision and patience, and human judgment is often
needed to determine whether a product is within quality specifications or not.
 Inspection tasks that are performed by industrial robots can usually be divided into
the following three techniques:
 By using a feeler gauge or a linear displacement transducer known as a linear
variable differential transformer(LVDT), the part being measured will come in
physical contact with the instrument or by means of air pressure, which will
cause it to ride above the surface being measured.
 By utilizing robotic vision, matrix video cameras are used to obtain an image of
the area of interest, which is digitized and compared to a similar image with
specified tolerance.
 By involving the use of optics and light, usually a laser or infrared source is used
to illustrate the area of interest.
 Inspection Operations(contd.)

 The robot may be in active or passive role.

 In active role robot is responsible for determining whether the part
is good or bad.
 In the passive role the robot feeds a gauging station with the part.
While the gauging station is determining whether the part meets the
specification, the robot waits for the process to finish.
 Evaluating the potential of a Robot
Applications

 Evaluation of the potential of the robot depends on:

 Analysis of the application
 Long- and short-term objectives
 Manufacturing and processes involved
 Space availability
 Budget
 System objectives
 Feasibility Study
 How a more automated system will affect related operations in the plant
 Material-handling methods
 Commercial equipment available
 CAD cell simulation
 Evaluating the potential of a Robot
Applications (cont.)

 System Proposal
 Functional specifications
 System operation
 Robot type
 Tooling
 Peripheral equipment

 System Design
 Microprocessor control
 Software
 Multiple levels of control

 Construction Phase
 It is a good procedure for the system to be set up and thoroughly tested at
the supplier’s facility.
 This will minimize the interruption of current production procedures.
 Evaluating the potential of a Robot
Applications (cont.)

 Installation Phase
 It is a good practice for the supplier to supervise the step-by-step
installation of the system.

 Training and Documentation

 Hands on robot training should be provided by the supplier for all
the persons who will interface with the new automated system.
 The supplier should provide the design drawings and documentation
for system control, operation, and maintenance.
 Future Applications

 The keys areas to be explored for robot applications in future are:

 The medical applications of the robot:
 Routine examinations
 Surgical procedures
 Underwater applications
 Involve prospecting for minerals on the floor of the ocean.
 Repair the ship either at sea or in dry dock.
 Mobile firefighters to be used by Air force and Navy.
 Surveillance and Guard duty
 In military
 Power generating plants, oil refineries and other civilian facilities that
are potential targets of terrorist groups.
 In summary, some future foreseen applications are listed as follows:
 Aerospace
 Agriculture
 Construction
 Health
 Nuclear
 Textile
 Lab automation
 Underwater surveying
 Surveillance and guard duty
 Navigation systems
 Firefighting
 Household robot
 Note: All these applications will need to be more intelligent in order to
make rapid decisions based on current sensory information.