UNIT-I

ROBOTICS
Introduction to ROBOTICS
A Robot is:
An electromechanical device that is:

• Reprogrammable
• Multifunctional
• Sensible for environment
Legged Robot Wheeled Robot
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
 What Can Robots Do: I

Jobs that are dangerous

for humans

Decontaminating Robot
Cleaning the main circulating pump housing in the nuclear power plant
 What Can Robots Do: II

Repetitive jobs that are

boring, stressful, or labor-
intensive for humans

Welding Robot
 History of Robotics

Actroid Mars Exploration Rover Robonaut-2

Ameca
 History of Robotics
Robots need not look like humanoids, but they make use of:

Strong & precise articulated arms to accomplish tasks that were

performed by humans – “articulated robots”, or “manipulators”.
Fear that they will replace human laborers.

Use of mobility to reposition the robot from one location to

another, “mobile robots”. This can be done by locomotion like
humans do (“legged robots”), but most likely it will use other
means such as wheels (“wheeled robots”).
 History of Robotics
• Robotics is a multi-disciplinary field. Best robotics researchers
and engineers will touch upon all disciplines:
• Mechanical Engineering – concerned primarily with
manipulator/mobile robot design, kinematics, dynamics,
compliance and actuation.
• Electrical Engineering – concerned primarily with robot
actuation, electronic interfacing to computers and sensors, and
control algorithms.
• Computer Science – concerned primarily with robot
programming, planning, and intelligent behavior.
So What is a Robot?
Overview of Robotics
"Robotics" is defined as the science of designing and building which are
suitable for real life application in automated manufacturing and other non-
manufacturing environments.
The following objectives:
1. To increase productivity
2. Reduce production life
3. Minimize labour requirement
4. Enhanced quality of the products
5. Minimize loss of man hours, on account of accidents.
6. Make reliable and high speed production.
Specifications of robotics
1. Axil of motion
2. Work stations
3. Speed
4. Acceleration
5. Pay load capacity
6. Accuracy
7. Repeatability etc…
Three laws of robotics:
Asimov also proposed his three “Laws of robotics”, and he later added a
“zeroth law”.
Zeroth Law: A robot may not injure humanity or through inaction, allow
humanity to come to harm.
First Law: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow
a human being to come to harm.
Second Law: A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except
where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
Third law: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection
does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
Definition of Robotics
Robotics is an applied engineering science that has been referred to as a combination of
machine tool technology and computer science. It includes machine design, production
theory, micro electronics, computer programming & artificial intelligence

Industrial robot
The official definition of an industrial robot is provided by the robotics industries
association (RIA). Industrial robot is defined as an automatic, freely programmed,
servo- controlled, multi-purpose manipulator to handle various operations of an
industry with variable programmed motions.
Automation and robotics
Automation and robotics are two closely related technologies.
Automation as a technology that is concerned with the use of mechanical,
electronic, and computer-based systems in the operation and control of
production.
✓ Mechanized assembly machines
✓ Feedback control systems (applied to industrial processes)
✓ Numerically controlled machine tools, and robots.
Accordingly, robotics is a form of industrial automation.
Ex:- CAD/CAM, FMS, CIMS
Reasons for implementation of automated systems
✓ Increase the Productivity Rate of Labour
✓ Decrease the Cost of Labour
✓ Minimize the Effect of Shortage of Labour
✓ Obtain High Quality of Products
✓ A Non-automation nigh Cost is Avoided
✓ Decrease the Manufacturing Lead Time
✓ To upgrade the Safety of Workers
Types of Automation
• Automation can be classified into three basic types:
Fixed Automation
• A system which the sequence of processing (or assembly)
operations is fixed by the equipment configurations.
• Each operations in the sequence is usually simple.
The features of fixed automation:
•High initial investment for custom-engineered equipment
•High production rates
•Relatively inflexible in accommodating product variety.
•Examples, machining transfer lines and automated
assembly machines.
Programmable Automation
• The production equipment is designed with the capability to change the
sequence of operations to accommodate different product
configurations.
• The operation sequence is controlled by a program, which is a set of
instruction coded so that they can be read and interpreted by the system.
• New programs can be prepared and entered into the equipment to
produce new products.
• The physical setup of the machine must be changed for each new
products.
• This changeover procedures takes time.
• Eg: Numerical Control (NC) machine tools, industrial robots and
PLC.
Programmable Automation Features
• The features of programmable automation;
• High investment in general purpose equipment.
• Lower production rates than fixed automation.
• Flexibility to deal with variations and changes in
product configuration.
• Most suitable for batch production.
Flexible Automation
• An extension of programmable automation.
• Capable of producing a variety of parts/products with virtually
no time lost for changeovers from one part style to the next.

Flexible Automation Features

• High investment for custom-engineered system.
• Continuous production of variable mixtures of products.
• Medium production rates.
• Flexibility to deal with product design variations.
The relative positions of the three types of automation for different production
volume and product varieties are shown below.

Product Variety Relationship between

LOW product variety & quantity

MEDIUM

HIGH

100 10000 1,000,000

Production Quantity
Relationship of fixed, programmable and flexible
automation
Need for using robotics in industries
Industrial robot plays a significant role in automated manufacturing to perform
different kinds of applications.
1. Robots can be built a performance capability superior to those of human
beings. In terms of strength, size, speed, accuracy…etc.
2. Robots are better than humans to perform simple and repetitive tasks with
better quality and consistence’s.
3. Robots do not have the limitations and negative attributes of human works
.such as fatigue, need for rest, and diversion of attention…..etc.
4. Robots are used in industries to save the time compared to human beings.
5. Robots are in value poor working conditions
6. Improved working conditions and reduced risks.
CAD/CAM & Robotics
• CAD/CAM is a term which means computer aided design and computer
aided manufacturing.
• It is the technology concerned with the use of digital computers to perform
certain functions in design & production.
CAD: CAD can be defined as the use of computer systems to assist in the
creation modification, analysis or optimization of design.
CAM: CAM can be defined as the use of computer system to plan, manage
& control the operation of a manufacturing plant, through either direct or in
direct computer interface with the plant’s production resources.
Robot work cell layout
✓ Robot centered work cell
✓ In-line robot work cell
✓ Mobile work cell
Robot centered work cell
✓ Robot is fixed at centre of work cell
✓ High utilization of robot
✓ Method of work part delivery
E.g.: conveyor, part feeders, pallets
✓ In stall for single robot servicing one or more production machines
In-line robot work cell
✓ One or more robots located along in-line conveyor
✓ Work is organized so each robot performs assembly operation on each
part
E.g.: welding line
Mobile work cell
✓ In this arrangement, the robot is provided with a means of transport,
such as a mobile base, within the work cell to perform various tasks at
different locations.
✓ The transport mechanism can be floor mounted tracks or overhead
railing system that allows the robot to be moved along lines paths.
✓ Transport mechanism
floor mounted @ over
head railing system.
✓ Service for more than one
station
✓ Problem: to find
optimum number of
station to service
Applications Future Applications of Robots
• Mobility and • Intelligence
Present Applications of Robots navigation (walking • Sensor capabilities
➢ Material transfer applications machines) • Telepresence
➢ Machine loading and unloading • Systems and • Mechanical design
➢ Processing operations like, integration and • Household robots
✓ Spot welding networking • Underground coal
✓ Continuous arc welding • FMS (Flexible mining
✓ Spray coating Manufacturing • Fire fighting
✓ Drilling, routing, machining Systems) operations
operations • Hazardous and • Robots in space
✓ Grinding, polishing debarring wire inaccessible non- • Security guards
brushing manufacturing • Universal gripper
✓ Laser drilling and cutting etc. environments • Medical care and
➢ Assembly tasks, assembly cell designs, • Garbage collection hospital duties etc.
parts mating. and waste disposal
➢ Inspection, automation. operations
Classification of robots
Robots are classified mainly two categories
➢ According to co-ordinate system: Industrial robots are available in a wide variety of
sizes, shapes, and physical configurations. The vast majority of today’s commercially
available robots possess one of the basic configurations are as follows:
✓ Polar configuration
✓ Cylindrical configuration
✓ Cartesian coordinate configuration
✓ Jointed-arm configuration
✓ SCARA robots
➢ Control systems: With respect to robotics, the motion control system used to control
the movement of the end-effector or tool.
✓ Limited sequence robots (Non-servo)
✓ Playback robots with point to point (servo)
✓ Play back robots with continuous path control
✓ Intelligent robots
Common robot configuration
According to co-ordinate system
Polar configuration
• It consists of a sliding arm L-joint, actuated relative to the body, which rotates
around both a vertical axis (T-joint) and horizontal axis (R-joint).
• It uses a arm that can be raised or lowered about a horizontal point.
• The pivot is mounted on a rotating base.
• The various joints provide the robot with capability to move its arm within a
spherical space and hence it is also called as “spherical coordinate robot”.
• It has one linear and two rotary motions.
• The UNIMATE 2000 series is an example of
spherical robot.
Work volume of a polar configuration
• The work volume of a polar configuration robot is in the form of a
sphere.
• It consists of one linear and two angular motions.
• The linear motion, r corresponds to a radial in or out translation.
• The angular motion corresponds to a base rotation θ about a vertical
axis.
• Another angular motion β about
an axis which perpendicular to
the vertical through the base and
sometimes is termed as elbow
rotation.
Advantages
o Larger work envelope than the rectilinear or cylindrical configuration.
o Vertical structure conserves less space.
Disadvantages
o Repeatability and accuracy are also lower in the direction of rotary
motion.
o Requires more sophisticated control system.
Applications
o Die casting
o Forging
o Glass handling
o Injection molding
o Stacking and unstacking.
Cylindrical configuration
• It consists of a vertical column. An arm assembly is moved up or down
relative to the vertical column.
• Arm can be moved in and out relative to the axis of the column. Common
configuration is to use a T-joint to rotate the column about its axis.
• An L-joint is used to move the arm assembly
vertically along the column, while an O joint is
used to achieve radial movement of the arm.
• It contains two linear and one rotational
motion.
• Angular motion θ along vertical axis,
translation along z direction that corresponds
to up and downward motion, radial r in or
out translation
Work envelope of cylindrical configuration robot
•The work envelope of this configuration is as its name suggests.
Advantages
o Results in larger work volume than a rectangular manipulator.
o Vertical structure conserves floor space.
o Capable of carrying payloads.
Disadvantages
o Repeatability and accuracy are lower in the direction of rotary motion.
o Requires more sophisticated control system.
Applications
o Assembly
o Coating application
o Die casting
o Foundry and forging application
o Machine loading and unloading.
Cartesian coordinate configuration
• It is also known as rectilinear robot and x-y-z robot. It consists of three
sliding joints, two of which are orthogonal O-joints.
• X-coordinate axis may represent left and right motion.
• Y-coordinate axis may represent forward and backward motion.
• Z-coordinate axis may represent up and down motions.
• Ex: Overhead crane moment.
Work envelope of cartesian configuration robot
•The work envelope of this configuration is a rectangular prism.
• The robot can manipulate its maximum payload through out the
working volume.
Advantages
o Work envelope can be increased by travelling along the X-axis.
o Linear moment and simple control.
o High degree of accuracy and repeatability due to their structure.
o Can carry heavier loads since load carrying capacity does not differ at different
position of the work envelope.
Disadvantages
o Movement is limited to only one direction at a time.

Applications
o Pick and place operation
o Adhesive applications
o Assembly and sub assembly
o Nuclear material handling
o Welding.
Joint arm configuration
• It is similar to the configuration of a human arm.
• 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.
• A wrist is attached to the end of forearm, thus providing several additional
joints.
• The output link is an elbow joint (another R joint).
SCARA robot
• Its full form is ‘Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm'.
• It is similar in construction to the jointer-arm robot, except the shoulder and
elbow rotational axes are vertical.
• The arm is very rigid in the vertical direction, but compliant in the horizontal
direction. Robot wrist assemblies consist of either two or three degrees-of
freedom.
A typical three-degree-of-freedom wrist joint is depicted in Figure.
• Roll joint is accomplished by use of a T-joint.
• Pitch joint is achieved by recourse to an R-joint. Yaw joint, a right-and-left
motion, is gained by deploying a second R-joint.
• SCARA body and arm configuration does not use a separate wrist assembly.
• Its usual operative environment is for insertion-type assembly operations
where wrist joints are unnecessary.
• The other four body and arm configurations more or less follow the wrist-
joint configuration by deploying various combinations of rotary joints.
According to control system
Limited sequence robots (Non-servo)
• Elementary control type, 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.
• Feedback loops may be used to inform the controller that the action has been
performed, so that the programme can move to the next step.
• No servo-control exists for precise positioning of joint. Many pneumatically
driven robots are this type.
Ex: pick and place operations
Playback robots with point to point (servo)
• Playback control uses a controller with memory to record motion sequences
in a work cycle, as well as associated locations and other parameters and
then plays back the work cycle during programme execution.
• Point to point control means individual robot positions are recorded in the
memory.
• These positions include both mechanical stops for each joint and the set of
values that represent locations in the range of each joint.
• Feedback control is used to confirm that the individual joints achieve the
specified locations in the programme.
Ex: spot welding, drilling etc
 Play back robots with continuous path control system
• Continuous path control refers to a control system capable of continuous
simultaneous control of two or more axes.
• Greater storage capacity—the number of locations that can be stored is
greater than in point to point and interpolation calculations may be used,
especially linear and circular interpolations.
Ex: Spray painting, arc welding etc
 Intelligent robots
• An intelligent robot is one that exhibits behaviour that makes it seem
intelligent.
• For example, capacities to interact with its ambient surroundings, decision-
making capabilities, communication with humans; computational analysis
during the work cycle and responsiveness to advanced sensor inputs.
• They may also possess the playback facilities of the above two instances.
• Requires a high level of computer control and an advanced programming
language to input the decision-making logic and other ‘intelligence’ into the
memory.
1. Base: It may be fixed or mobile.
2. Manipulator Arm: It is a number of degrees of freedom of movement.
3. Gripper or End Effector: For holding a work piece or a tool, depending
upon the application of the robot.
4. Drives: Also known as actuators they move the manipulator arm and end
effector to the required position in space.
5. Controller: It delivers commands to the actuators with the help of
hardware and software support
6. Sensors: They perform dual functions:
i) To act as feedback devices to direct further actions of the
manipulator arm and the end effector (gripper)
ii) To interact with the robot’s working environment.
8. Processor: It is the brain of the robot it calculates the motions of robot
joints which determines how much and how fast each joint must move to
achieve the desired location and speeds and overseas the coordinates
actions of the controller and the sensors.
Number Of Degree of Freedom
6 Degrees Of Freedom In Robots
1. Vertical Traverse/ Vertical motion: the entire manipulator arm can be
moved up and down vertically either by means of the shoulder swivel.
2. Rotational Traverse/ Rotational motion: clockwise or anticlockwise
rotation about the vertical axis to the manipulator arm is provided
through Arm sweep.
3. Radial Traverse/ Radial motion : Radial movement i.e in and out
movement to the manipulator arm is provided by Elbow extension by
extending it and drawing back.
4. Pitching/ Pitch motion: It enables up and down movement of the wrist
and involves rotational movement as well. It is also known as wrist bend.
5. Yawing/ Yaw: Also known as wrist swivel, it enables rotation of wrist.
6. Rolling/ Roll motion: Also known as wrist swivel, it enables rortion of
End Effectors
In robotics, an end effector is a device or tool that's connected to the end of a
robot arm where the hand would be. The end effector is the part of the robot that
interacts with the environment.
Requirements and challenges of End Effectors

End effectors require either electrical or electrical and fluid

power to operate.
Challenges with end effectors since they are such a critical
component of the design process. Understanding these challenges
can help you avoid potential headaches in the future.
Some common challenges include:
•Selecting the right end effector
•End effector control
•Maintenance
Types of drive systems
1. Hydraulic drive
2. Electric drive
3. Pneumatic drive
1. Hydraulic drive
• It gives a robot great speed and strength. They provide high speed and
strength, hence they are adopted for large industrial robots.
• This type of drives are preferred in environments in which the use of
electric drive robots may cause fire hazards
• Example: In spray painting, spot welding,
Disadvantages of a hydraulic robot:
• Occupy more floor space for ancillary equipment in addition to that
required by the robot.
• There are housekeeping problems such as leaks.
Electric drive
• This provides a robot with less speed and strength. Electric drive systems are
adopted for smaller robots.
Electrically driven robots are the most commonly available. It can be
classified into two broad categories.
(i) Stepper motor driven.
(ii) Direct Current (DC) servo-motor driven.
• Robots supported by electric drive systems are more accurate, exhibit
better repeatability and are cleaner to use.
• Most stepper motor-driven robots are of the open loop type.
• Feedback loops can be incorporated in stepper-driven robots.
• Servo-driven robots have feedback loops from the driven components
back to the driver.
Pneumatic drive
• Generally used for smaller robots.
• Have fewer axes of movement.
• Carry out simple pick-and-place material-handling operations, such as
picking up an object at one location and placing it at another location.
• These operations are generally simple and have short cycle times.
• Here pneumatic power can be used for sliding or rotational joints.
• Pneumatic robots are less expensive than electric or hydraulic robots.
Precision of movement (or) parameters of robot
There are several terms that must defined in the context of this
discussion:
• Control resolution
• Accuracy
• Repeatability
Resolution
• Resolution is based on a limited number of points that the robot can be
commanded to reach for, these are shown here as black dots.
• These points are typically separated by a millimetre or less, depending on
the type of robot.
• This is further complicated by the fact that the user might ask for a position
such as 456.4mm, and the system can only move to the nearest millimetre,
456mm, this is the accuracy error of 0.4mm.
Accuracy
• “How close does the robot get to the desired point”.
• This measures the distance between the specified position, and the actual position
of the robot end effector.
• Accuracy is more important when performing off-line programming, because
absolute coordinates are used.
The no. of increments is 2n, where n = no. of bites in control memory
Total motion range
Control resolution =
No. of increments
Repeatability
• How close will the robot be to the same position as the same move made
before”.
• A measure of the error or variability when repeatedly reaching for a single
position.
• This is the result of random errors only.
• Repeatability is often smaller than accuracy.
Types of Grippers:
1. Mechanical Grippers: two or more fingers actuated by the robot controller
2. Vacuum Gripper: suction cups used to hold flat objects
3. Magnetized Grippers: A type of end effector that uses electromagnets or
permeant magnets to pick up metallic objects.
4. Adhesive Devices: Adhesive substances used to hold flexible materials
5. Single Mechanical Devices: hook’s and scoops
 2. Vacuum Grippers
• A suitable cup is available for virtually any situation with few
exceptions. Suction cups are very well suited for a wide variety of
needs and circumstances.
• They can handle plate eggs, paper, wood-practically any material.
• Be it smooth, irregular, bent, porus, air-tight, light weight, heavy,
angled, hot or cold the material can be handled by gently and
quickly
 3. Magnetized Grippers
• These grippers obviously only work on magnetic objects and
therefore are limited in working with certain metals
• For maximum effect the magnet needs to have complete contact
with the surface of the metal to be gripped.
• Any air gaps will reduce the strength of the magnetic force therefore
flat sheets of metal are best suited to magnetic grippers
 4. Adhesive Devices
• Repeatability and accuracy are two things which don’t come easy
when working with liquids such as adhesives.
• The introduction of robots and automated equipment has provided
answers to issues of repeatability and accuracy within dispensing
and a range of other tasks, offering fast, repeatable and precise
operation, with offerings such as an adhesive dispensing robot.
`
• A stepper motor is just another digital device, more precisely a digital
DC motor. Stepper or Stepper Motor allows you to select a certain
degree of movement.
• Rather than making a whole spin it can divide the spin into smaller
parts.
• Solenoids are used in many mechanisms such as car door locks.
• In robots, they can be used instead of a motor to push or pull an
effector in a straight line.
• They can also be used to hit objects, like the keys in a robotic
xylophone. This model shows how a solenoid uses electricity to move
a plunger back and forth.
• A relay is an electrically operated switch. It consists of a set of input
terminals for a single or multiple control signals, and a set of operating
contact terminals.
• The switch may have any number of contacts in multiple contact
forms, such as make contacts, break contacts or combinations.