COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Department of Industrial Engineering and Technology

ELEX 105 – Industrial Robotics

First Semester, A.Y. 2020-2021

MODULE 5 – HARDWARE INTERFACE OF

ROBOT

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this module, you should be able to:

1. determine the different hardware interface of robot;

2. and understand the mechanism of an industrial robot;

INSTRUCTIONS TO THE LEARNER:

1. This module contains pre-test to be answered first which aims to help the reader
have an idea for the topics to be explained.
2. After answering the pre-test, wait for the feedback or the score before proceeding
to the learning activities.
3. In the learning activities, read and analyze carefully the topics and its content. The
instructor may set a meeting for a discussion of the topics.
4. Answer the post-test and wait for the feedback after answering the mentioned
post-test.

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PRE-TEST: Encircle the letter of the correct answer. (2pts each).

1. It is any way that a robot or computer takes information into its system.

a. Inputs
b. Outputs
c. Sensors

2. It is used for a whole bunch of things in robots. Often you will find them
combined with sensors or as part of a communication system.

a. Computer Chips
b. Interfaces
c. Sensors

3. It is anything you can use to change or get information from a robot.

a. Interface
b. Sensor
c.Computer Chips

4. An anything that allows a robot to change the physical world

a. Interface
b. Input
c. Output

5. Category of a robot which uses buzzers, speakers, mp3 units and sonic
sensors.

a. Movement
b. Sound
c. Light

PRE-TEST FEEDBACK:
____________________________________________________________

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 Learning Activities

CONTENT OF THE MODULE

Input and Output System

• Inputs
o An input is any way that a robot or computer takes information into its
system. (A way to put information inside, makes sense, right?) Really
there are three main types of input that people talk about:
• Sensors
• Computer chips
• Interfaces
Most inputs are a combination of a couple of these things. (And really,
interfaces are just a bunch of sensors.) Sensors are how computers and robots
get information about the world. \Each sensor is especially designed to sense a
certain type of information. The sensors convert information about their
environment into an electrical voltage and send that electrical signal to the
robot’s microcontroller (the robot’s brain).
Sensors can usually only sense one thing about the world- and
sometimes it’s a specific thing about that one thing. For example a robot might
have a light sensor which senses photons. If more specific information is
required that robot may also have a light sensor which senses the color of the
light or the frequency of the photons. Sensors can be pretty broad or they can
be extremely specific, it all depends on what you need to do with them.
Computer chips are used for a whole bunch of things in robots. Often
you will find them combined with sensors or as part of a communication system.
They are also often used to do math that might take a robot a while to do on its
own. Sparki’s magnetometer (sort of a compass) and accelerometer are great
examples of sensors that are in a chip form.
Interfaces are anything you can use to change or get information from a
robot. You’re using an interface right now to look at this information and click
around the internet. Interfaces are usually both an input and an output. The
input part of an interface is also usually made up of a bunch of input sensors
and probably a couple chips. One of the most common interfaces, your
keyboard has a ton of input sensors on it- buttons.

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 Another common interface, touch screens, have an output in the form of
the screen and an input in the form of a capacitive film on top of the screen to
sense your finger. Anything with a button, dial or other sensor is technically an
interface.
Other interfaces might not even have anything you press or touch- they
may be a communication receiver of some sort. Light switches, garage door
openers and dishwashers are all examples of systems that have interfaces.
Even when you are not pressing buttons on your television it is interfacing with
the satellites that provide the channels. Now that you know what an interface is,
when you look around you’ll see them all over the place!
You can think of a robot’s sensors kind of like its eyes, ears, nose,
mouth and skin. The robot uses its sensors the same way we use ours- to get
information about the world around us. Only once we know what is going on in
the world can we start to think about moving around, beeping (singing) and
moving things.

• Outputs
An output is anything that allows a robot to change the physical world.
This may be something pretty obvious, such as a motor that moves the robot
around in the world. Then again, it may not be so obvious to us humans, like the
infrared light that Sparki sometimes emits.
Outputs come in many different forms- it’s actually easier to list how
robots output than the actual parts that do the outputting since there are so
many different types! Here are the main categories of actions that robots do with
outputs:
Outputs come in many different forms- it’s actually easier to list how
robots output than the actual parts that do the outputting since there are so
many different types! Here are the main categories of actions that robots do with
outputs:
o Movement - with motors, servos and engines
o Sound - with buzzers, speakers, mp3 units and sonic sensors
o Light - with LEDs and infrared emitters (which are really just fancy
LEDs)
o Wireless communication- with radios

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 Without outputs robots would be pretty boring. They would have no way
to do anything to the world and we wouldn’t be able to tell if what we put into
their inputs was doing anything either! Next time you see a robot or machine,
take a moment to think about how it is interacting with the world.
A simple robotic arm probably has at least three different motors, usually
a lot more! It takes a lot of outputs working together to help a robot actually do
something.

Types of Robot
There are several types of robots according to its functions:
o Manipulator
o Legged Robot
o Wheeled Robot
o Autonomous Underwater Vehicle
o Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
The components of a robot are the:
o body/frame
o Control system
o Manipulators
o and drivetrain.

Body / Frame
The body or frame can be of any shape and size. Essentially, the body/frame
provides the structure of the robot. Most people are comfortable with human-sized
and shaped robots that they have seen in movies, but the majority of actual robots
look nothing like humans. Typically, robots are designed more for function than
appearance.

Control Systems
The control system of a robot is equivalent to the central nervous system of a
human. It coordinates and controls all aspects of the robot. Sensors provide feedback
based on the robot’s surroundings, which is then sent to the Central Processing Unit
(CPU). The CPU filters this information through the robot’s programming and makes

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decisions based on logic. The same can be done with a variety of inputs or human
commands.

Manipulators
To fulfill their purposes, many robots are required to interact with their
environment, and the world around them. Sometimes they are required to move or
reorient objects from their environments without direct contact by human operators.
Unlike the Body/frame and the Control System, manipulators are not integral to a
robot, i.e. a robot can exist without a manipulator.

Drivetrain
Although some robots are able to perform their tasks from one location, it is
often a requirement of robots that they are able to move from location to location. For
this task, they require a drivetrain. Drivetrains consist of a powered method of
mobility. Humanoid style robots use legs, while most other robots will use some sort
of wheeled solution.

Operations
Robots have a variety of modern day uses. These uses can be broken down
into three major categories:
o Industrial Robots
o Robots in Research
o Robots in Education

Industrial Robots
In industry, there are numerous jobs that require high degrees of speed and
precision. For many years humans were responsible for all these jobs. With the
advent of robotic technology, it became evident that many industrial processes could
be sped up and performed with a higher degree of precision by the use of robots.
Such jobs include packaging, assembly, painting, and palletizing. By the end of 2014,
the International Federation of Robotics predicts that there will be over 1.3 million
industrial robots in operation worldwide.

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Robots in Research
Robots come in very handy in the world of research, as they often can be used
to perform tasks or reach locations that would be impossible for humans. For
decades, NASA has utilized probes, landers, and rovers with robotic characteristics to
study outer space and planets in our solar system.
• Pathfinder and Sojourner
– The Mars Pathfinder mission developed a unique technology that allowed
the delivery of an instrumented lander and a robotic rover, Sojourner, to
the surface of Mars. It was the first robotic roving vehicle to be sent to the
planet Mars. Sojourner weighs 11.0 kg (24.3 lbs.) on Earth (about 9 lbs.
on Mars) and is about the size of a child's wagon.
– It has six wheels and could move at speeds up to 0.6 meters (1.9 feet)
per minute. The mission landed on Mars on July 4th, 1997. Pathfinder not
only accomplished this goal but also returned an unprecedented amount
of data and outlived its primary design life.
• Space Shuttle Robotic Arm
– When NASA scientists first began the design for the space shuttle, they
realized that there would have to be some way to get the enormous, but
fortunately weightless, cargo and equipment into space safely and
efficiently. The remote manipulator system (RMS), or Canadarm, made its
first flight into space on November 13, 1981.
– The arm has six joints, designed to simulate the joints of the human arm.
Two are in the shoulder, one is at the elbow, and three are in the highly
dextrous wrist. At the end of the wrist is an end effector which can grab or
grapple the desired payload. In the weightless environment of space, it
can lift more than 586,000 pounds and place it with incredible accuracy.
Its total weight on earth is 994 lbs.
– The RMS has been used to launch and rescue satellites and has proven
itself invaluable in helping astronauts repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Canadarm’s final shuttle mission took place in July of 2011, marking
the 90th time it was used on a shuttle mission
• Mobile Servicing System
– A similar device to the RMS, the Mobile Servicing System (MSS)
otherwise known as Canadarm2 was designed to provide manipulation

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 functions for the International Space Station. The MSS is responsible for
servicing payloads and instruments attached to the International Space
Station, while also assisting with the transport of supplies and equipment
around the station.

• Dextre
– Dextre is a robot with two smaller arms. It is capable of handling the
delicate assembly tasks currently performed by astronauts during
spacewalks. Dextre can transport objects, use tools, and install and
remove equipment on the space station. Dextre also is equipped with
lights, video equipment, a tool platform, and four tool holders
– Sensors enable the robot to "feel" the objects it is dealing with and
automatically react to movements or changes. Four mounted cameras
enable the crew to observe what is going on.

Robots in Education
The field of robotics has become an exciting and accessible tool for teaching
and supporting science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), design
principles, and problem solving. Robotics enables students to use their hands and
minds to create like an engineer, artist, and technician does, all at once. It allows for
instantaneous application of scientific and mathematical principals.

Capabilities of a Robot
Some of the common robot capabilities:
o Reaching
o Locomotion
o Simulation
Reaching
Many of the tasks in the DRC required accurate positioning of end effectors for
manipulation. After a series of calibrations, the robot could achieve repeatable reach
execution to single centimeter accuracy with reliable trajectory tracking.1 In March
2015, the robot’s arms were upgraded to include 7 degrees of freedom (DoF) with an
improved workspace but were limited to position tracking, as a result our manipulation

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was largely non-compliant with whole-body kinematic trajectories executed by the
robot’s controller.
After testing a variety of robotic grippers preceding the DRC Trials, the team
used the Robotiq 3 finger Adaptive Robot Gripper. Its underactuated three-finger
design meant that manipulation would have limited controllable dexterity, but the
hand was very reliable

Locomotion
For locomotion we developed a stable and reliable dynamic walking gait with
many advanced features such as toe-off (for stair climbing), and overhang of the heel
and toe over steps (to overcome limited kinematic range), in addition to our whole-
body vehicle egress strategy (described in Section 4.1).
Due to the requirement for complete reliability, we used a conservative walking
speed below our maximum of 0.45 m/s. Because of the precision of our controller and
state estimator we were confident to execute walking plans of 8–10 steps on the
uneven walking terrain.

Simulation
Development of the locomotion and planning algorithms relied heavily on
simulation, which was provided by the Drake planning, control, and analysis toolbox
(Tedrake, 2014). A full system simulator connected to our perception system and
user interface provided an alternative to operation of the physical robot.
This allowed the Director to command simulated walking and manipulation
plans in the same manner as for the real robot. We used this mode to develop and
debug task autonomy

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POST-TEST: (3 points each)

1. It can be of any shape and size and provides the structure of the robot.

a. Body/Frame
b. Control System
c. Manipulators
d. Drivetrain

2. Equivalent to the central nervous system of a human.

a. Body / Frame
b. Control System
c. Manipulators
d. Drivetrain

3. It is used if the robot is required to move but it is not integral to a robot,

i.e. a robot can exist without.

a. Body / Frame
b. Control System
c. Manipulators
d. Drivetrain

4. It consists of a powered method of mobility.

a. Body / Frame
b. Control System
c. Manipulators
d. Drivetrain

5. Robot used in research with two smaller arms

a. Dextre
b. Sputnik 1
c. Canadarm

POST-TEST FFEDBACK:
____________________________________________________

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 s

REFERENCES

Groover, M. (1986). Industrial Robotics: Technology, Programming and Applications.

Hegde, G. (2007). A textbook of Industrial Robotics

Ross, L. Walach, M. Fardo, S. (2017) Industrial Robotics Fundamentals: Theory and

Application

Park, F. Lynch, K. (2017) Modern Robotics: Mechanics, Planning, and Control.

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