Introduction

Robotics dates back centuries, and stems from the human desire to create beings in their
own likeness that could perform heavy, tedious or dangerous tasks in their place. At a time
when the terms robotics or robot were not yet known, it was not until later that they were
adopted.
Following a more scientific definition, robotics is the branch of engineering that, combining
various disciplines such as mechanics or electronics among others, allows the design,
construction and control of robots.
The beginning of robotics as we know it today can be traced back to the 17th and 18th
centuries, starting with the invention of the French engineer Jacques de Vauncansos who
built humanoid dolls capable of playing instruments (1738), followed by Joseph Jacquard
who invented the programmable textile machine called the loom in 1801. The Industrial
Revolution boosted the development of this branch obtaining great advances.
It was not until 1920 that the term "Robot" was used in the science fiction play R.U.R.
(Rossum's Universal Robots) written by the Czech Karel Capek. The term "Robot" comes
from the Czech word "robota", meaning servitude or forced labor. Later, Isaac Asimov would
settle the term "Robotics" in his numerous novels and define the famous Three Laws of
Robotics.

Leaving science fiction aside, the world of robotics continued to evolve and gained
momentum, especially from the 1950s onwards. The great technological development and
advances in computing contributed to making automaton mechanisms more flexible so that
they could be controlled and operate autonomously within the industry.
In 1954, the first commercial programmable robot nicknamed Unimate, designed by George
Devol, appeared. Later, Joseph Engelberger and George Devol founded the company
Unimation, becoming the first robotics manufacturers in the world.
In 1962, the development of sensors and feedback devices began, providing the robot with
adaptive capabilities. The first research in artificial intelligence also began at MIT and other
institutions.
Terms such as Mechatronics appear, which includes the disciplines of mechanics and
electronics, providing the whole with automatic control thanks to software, essential for any
intelligent machine.
In 1978, the PUMA robot developed by Unimation began to be used in General Motors
factories.

Currently we have more developed robots, such as the humanoid robot Asimo of the Honda
company or the gynoid humanoid robot Shopia, the latter being what we could say the most
advanced robot in the world for its great capabilities bordering on human.

As the latest news, the famous American entrepreneur Elon Musk and his company Tesla
have just announced the manufacture of a new humanoid robot. Equipped with artificial
intelligence and an autonomous system used by the brand's cars, the Autopilot. The Tesla
Bot, so called, will be used to perform dangerous, repetitive or boring physical tasks.
Programs used.

 Fusion 360

Fusion 360 is a cloud-based 3D modeling, CAD, CAM and PCB software platform for product
design and manufacturing.
This program allows in an intuitive way to design any type of desired product to ensure its
aesthetics, shape, fit and function. On the other hand, it is also possible to perform various
types of analysis, static stress, modal frequencies or thermal analysis among others, to
evaluate the mechanical characteristics of the designed part. It has other functions
(Generative Design, Rendering and Fabrication) that have not been necessary in this
project.
Illustration 1 shows the working environment of the program. Arranged at the top, the
program provides a toolbar from where it is possible to perform all the operations that will
affect the part which appears in the middle of the screen. It has a function to rotate the view
and a timeline to undo operations and to collect them in chronological order.

Illustration 1. Fusion 360 working environment.

 RobotScene

This is a tool for the development and exploitation of robotic scenarios. It allows the user to
design his own robot in a three-dimensional space and then program it to simulate a virtual
industrial environment.
There are three modules within the program: object builder, robot builder and scenario
builder-exploiter. The first two functions have been used for the project. The object builder
to create the robot parts as simply as possible and the robot builder to join these parts and
create the robotic arm. Later, the use of this program to verify the kinematics of the robotic
arm is detailed.
It has been decided to use this program because it is a free software that allows to simulate
the behavior of the robot in a virtual way.

Illustration 2. RobotScene robot builder interface.

  TinkerCad

TinkerCad is an online 3D modeling software that includes CAD tools. It allows the creation
of 3D designs, circuits and code blocks in a simple and intuitive way.[4] The circuit creator
has been used to design the electronic circuit formed by the different components of the
robotic arm and the code block creator to simulate in first instance the created programs.
Further on, the created circuit and the code are discussed in more detail.

Since this program has been used during the course and the features it offers are sufficient,
it has been decided to design the electronic part in it.

Illustration 4. MATLAB Interface

 Arduino IDE

Arduino is a free, flexible and easy to use open source hardware and software open source
electronics creation platform.
In this project the Arduino IDE software has been used, it is a programming environment in
which the user can develop and record the necessary code to create any desired application.
The programming language of Arduino is C++. It is not pure C++, but an adaptation that
provides a high quality C library for use with GCC on Atmel AVR microcontrollers. Once the
code is written, the code itself is sent to the Arduino Uno board that acts as the controller.
More on this later.
This program has been chosen because it is a free software and with sufficient capacity to
make the control code of the robotic arm. In addition, we have worked with this tool during
the course and therefore the environment is familiar.

Illustration 5. Arduino IDE interface

Theoretical framework.

When we talk about robots, the characteristics are very broad. In the following, some
concepts and parameters to be followed in the design of the project arm are defined. A
robotic arm is a programmable mechanical arm capable of emulating tasks similar to those
of a human arm. We focus on industrial robots since they are the ones that best fit the needs
sought in the project. These are usually called manipulators and are autonomous, capable
of performing welding, painting or palletizing tasks among others.

 Mechanical structure of an industrial robotic arm.

In order to provide the robotic arm with motion it is necessary to establish a mechanical
structure. The robotic arm consists of a series of links connected by joints that provide
relative motion to the robot links.

Types of joints:

Scheme Articulation Degrees of freedom

Prismatic 1

Rotational 1

Cilíndrica 2

Planar 2
Types of configurations:

The combination of different types of joints forms different mechanical structures. They are
conditioned by the nature, arrangement and sequencing of the joints.

Scheme Structure Representation in space

Cartesiana

Cylindrical

Spherical or polar

Angular

Once the morphology of the robot has been discussed, the concept of degree of freedom
can be introduced. The term degree of freedom within a robotic arm is defined by each
independent movement that each joint is capable of performing. As can be seen, the
degrees of freedom of a robotic arm will be defined by the type of joint used to join the
existing links, as well as the number of joints and links. Within a three-dimensional space, a
maximum of 6 GDL can be achieved, three translational and three rotational. In addition, 6
GDL is the minimum necessary to reach a desired position in space with any orientation.
Terminal elements.

The terminal element is the last link within the robotic arm, it is responsible for interacting
with the elements surrounding the robot.
Just as industrial robots are designed with a great capacity for adaptation and versatility, the
terminal elements are usually designed for a specific task. In other words, a robotic arm can
perform the task of welding or palletizing, but the tool used for each case will be different.
A classification will be made according to whether it is a gripping element or an element that
performs non-gripping operations.

 Gripping elements: used to grip an object. The most typical example is the gripper,
but there are also suction cup or electromagnetic grippers. They are usually driven
electrically or pneumatically. They are usually used for palletizing tasks or for
loading and unloading parts.

 Tools: they are used to perform tasks on the object. Welding, laser cutting, painting
or milling are some of the most common examples. In many cases, to increase
productivity, robots are equipped with a tool holder device that allows them to
change tools automatically.
 Design of the robotic arm.

We will proceed to a brief theoretical introduction of the morphology of the robot in general
terms so that in a more concrete way this essay can be better expressed.

 Modeling of the parts.

Once the structure and the characteristics of the robotic arm have been defined, the parts
that will form it are designed in 3D. Each and every one of the parts described below has
been designed from scratch.

The final sketch and the manufacturing process that the parts will follow are taken into
account for their modeling. As the parts will be printed on a 3D printer, it must be taken into
account that it is not able to reproduce with total quality too small details or low metric holes
among others.

Base.

We can define this part as link 0. It is the structure that will

support the entire robotic arm, providing stability against
static torques and inertia torques that may occur in the
assembly. It has eight anchor points on the protrusions that
can be seen. Designed with a circular shape to facilitate the
rotation of the next piece, which will be the first degree of
freedom.
which will be the first degree of freedom. In addition, it has an inner cavity where the first
servomotor is housed and a small hole in the cylindrical surface for wiring.
Rotation Plate.

This is the next part (link 1). It is the part that provides the first
movement, a rotation around the z-axis. Its circular shape allows
coupling to the previous part. It is connected to the servomotor
of link 0 by means of holes in the lower part. It has four threaded
holes on the surface to anchor the supports of the next two
servomotors. The projection seen in the center will be used to
anchor the second link.
 Motor Support.

As mentioned above, this is a support for the servomotor. The part has been
designed with a hole to house the servomotor and four holes to anchor it. It
has two threaded holes at the bottom to anchor it to the Rotation Plate part.
We have two identical pieces that will serve for the servomotors that give
movement to link 2 and link 3.
Link 2 left side.

Next part that provides movement to the robotic arm. Together with the link 2 right part
they form the link 2. It has been decided to divide the piece into two almost symmetrical
parts to facilitate the assembly of the robotic arm. It has a slit in the lower part to connect
the servomotor and provide movement to the link. Therefore, it offers the second degree
of freedom. It has two holes in the middle part to connect the right part of the link. In the
upper part the link 3 will be connected.
Link 2 right hand side.

It has a small cylindrical projection in the lower part that allows coupling a piece that
will be in charge together with another one of transmitting the movement of the third
servomotor to link 3.
Link 2.

Joint between Link 2 right side and Link 2 left side. Designed to follow the cylindrical shape
of the whole robotic arm. Link 3 will be attached to the upper part.

Link.

Part that connects to link 2 by means of a cylindrical notch at the

bottom. It is also connected to servomotor number 3 by means of
the slit shown on the front side. The threaded hole at the end allows
the servomotor 3 and link 3 to be connected by means of the
transmission rod element.

Transmission rod.

Transmitter element of movement. It is connected to the part described above at one end
and to link 3 at the other end.
 Link 3.

Part that constitutes the third link. It has been designed in a cylindrical shape to reduce its
dimensions as much as possible so that it resembles a human forearm. By means of the
two protruding cylinders on the lower part, link 2 is connected. It has a space on the right
end to house the servomotor that provides the first rotation of the wrist. The movement will
be transmitted through a cylinder that will pass through the
inside of the part. In this way the servomotor is located in the
vertical formed by the link 2 and the base and the problems
caused by the moments of inertia are reduced. At the lower
right end, the transmission rod is connected to provide
movement to the link. It provides the third degree of freedom.
Interior Link 3

First part of what has been called wrist (link 4). It is a cylindrical piece that performs a
rotation. It is arranged inside the previous piece where it is connected to the servomotor 4
through the four holes on the right end. With the four holes on the left
end it is connected to the next piece of the wrist. This link corresponds
to the fourth degree of freedom.

Wrist 1.

Second piece of the whole doll element. It is designed following the

cylindrical character of the previous pieces. It is connected to the previous
piece by means of the four threaded holes shown in the picture. It has a
support to house the fifth servomotor, which transmits movement to the
next piece appearing a new degree of freedom.

Wrist 2.

Last part of the wrist element. The inner hollow of the piece allows to fit
a servomotor that transmits movement to the next joint. It is connected
to the previous piece by means of a through screw on one of its sides.
To facilitate the coupling of the servomotor, the piece has been divided
at the bottom.

Gripper Base.
Supporting element of the whole structure that makes up the gripping tool. As regards its
design, an attempt has been made to lighten the weight of the part as much as possible by
making a series of holes that do not affect the mechanical
capabilities of the part. It allows the coupling of the servomotor that
controls the opening and closing of the gripper. It is connected to
the previous part by means of the cylindrical projection on the right
end. It also has on its surface three threaded holes in which the
other elements of the gripper will be connected.

Gear 1.

This is a part with toothed wheels. It is the part that connects to the
motor that we can find in the Gripper Base, therefore, it is in charge
of transmitting all the movement to the gripper mechanism.

Gear 2.

Gear driven inside the opening and closing mechanism of the clamp. It is
designed in such a way that the gear teeth fit together and transmit the
movement correctly between the two parts (Gear 1 and Gear 2).

Connecting rod.

Another of the parts that form the mechanism of the gripper tool.

Clamp.

Element that will be in charge of picking up the relevant objects. It has

been decided that the part where contact is made with the object should
be straight and flat.
 Virtual assembly

Once the design of the parts has been completed, the robotic arm is assembled in the Fusion
360 program. This action allows to verify that the parts will be correctly coupled to the
assembly and that there will be no interference between the components. The program also
allows you to enter joints that will define the relative movement of the selected parts. It will
be checked that the desired movements between joints are correct.
In the document Specifications, a section called Execution Conditions has been written
where the instructions for the correct assembly of the robotic arm are specified. The following
section shows the joints in exploded view of the parts in order to support the section
Execution conditions. The Animation function within the program itself has been used to
create these exploded views.

 Base/Waist.

 Shoulder/Arm.
 Elbow/Antebrach.

 Doll.

 Gripper clamp.
 Robotic arm assembly.

Once the robotic arm is assembled we proceed to make the connections of the other
components needed to control it. The power supply, the 7 servomotors, the breadboard and
the Arduino board. The breadboard will serve to distribute in an orderly and clear way all the
connections.
 Conclusion.

Robotics is undoubtedly an area of interest in current research, with this research

was studied on manipulator robots where, we could see a complete development
from the identification of a need, to carry out the construction of a prototype, broadly
contemplating a solution with a mechanical structure of robotic arm of 6 degrees of
freedom, its mathematical study of direct and inverse kinematics to finally develop a
kinematic control that is responsible for the movements and trajectory control.
A robotic arm, through different types of end effectors, also makes a factory robot
capable of performing more operations. Take, for example, a robotic arm that is used
to load raw material into a processing machine. With a different end effector, the
same robot can be used to handle the finished product. This provides more value
from a robot than you would get without the arm.
In addition, high-quality robotic arms can improve the safety of industrial robot
operations. Robotic arms with ingress protection, for example, can be safely applied
in wet tasks without damaging a factory robot. A pump-proof robotic arm can also be
used in reactionary or high-heat processes without fear of damage.
The main purpose of this essay is to explain in a more summarized and concrete
way what a robotic arm is, so the information was taken from different sources.
 Bibliography.

o https://www.esneca.lat/blog/brazo-robotico-aplicaciones-funciones/
o https://www.esneca.com/blog/que-es-brazo-robot/
o https://www.universal-robots.com/es/blog/como-funciona-brazo-robotico/
o https://www.intel.la/content/www/xl/es/robotics/robotic-arm.html
o https://www.tinkercad.com/
o https://www.arduino.cc/reference/en/
o https://es.mathworks.com/products/matlab.html
o http://arduino.cc/en/Main/Software
o https://datasheetspdf.com/pdf- file/791970/TowerPro/SG90/1
o https://pdf1.alldatasheet.es/datasheet-
pdf/view/1131873/ETC2/MG996R.html
Universidad Politécnica de Tapachula
“Innovación y Tecnología al servicio de la sociedad”

Student's name - Registration

Maryury Yarumy Anzur Hidalgo- 223130

Subject
English IV

Semester / School Period

4th quarter / September- December-2023

Unit
2
Name of the practice / Project
Essay

Syllabus
Mechatronics Engineering

Professor
Gilberto González Lemus