UNIT I

FUNDAMENTALS OF ROBOT
Prepared by
B.Balasubramanian
AP/MECH
CCET
 Syllabus
Robot – Definition – Robot Anatomy – Co-
ordinate Systems, Work Envelope, types and
classification – Specifications – Pitch, Yaw, Roll,
Joint Notations, Speed of Motion, Pay
Load – Robot Parts and Functions – Need for
Robots – Different Applications
 History
• The name Robot came from the Czechoslovakian
word Robota which means a worker or a slave doing
heavy work
• The concept of robotics - a term introduced and
popularized by Isaac Asimov, the great science
fiction writer
• Development of industrial robots by a successful
team led by joseph Engelberger and George Devol in
1960 was the turning point in the history of robots.
 Robot Definition
Robotics Industries Association (RIA) formerly
the Robotics Institute of America in November
1979
“An industrial robot has been defined as a
reprogrammable multifunctional manipulator
designed to move material, parts, tools or
specialized devices through various programmed
motions for the performance of a variety of tasks”
 Laws of Robotics
Sir Isaac Asimov framed three basic laws. They are
as follows:
• First Law: A robot must not harm a human being
or through inaction, allow one to come to harm
• Second law: A robot must always obey human
beings unless it is in conflict with the first law
• Third Law: A robot must protect itself from harm
unless that is in conflict with the first and/or the
second laws
 Robot Anatomy
A robot has many components which include:
• A base – fixed or mobile
• A manipulator arm with several degrees of freedom (DOF)
• An end-effector or gripper holding a part or a tool
• Drives or actuators causing the manipulator arm or end-effector to
move in a space
• Controller with hardware and software support for giving commands
to the drives
• Sensors to feed back the information for subsequent actions of the
arm or gripper as well as to interact with the environment in which the
robot is working
• Interfaces connecting the robotic subsystems to the external world
Robot Anatomy
 Types of Lower Pairs
(Surface or Area Contact)
A robot is essentially a movable open chain of successively
coupled bodies with one end fixed to the ground and the free end
containing an end effector.
The bodies of the open chain are usually links which are joined
together by some lower pair connectors.
The most common types of lower pair connectors are
• Revolute pair (1 DOF)
• Prismatic pair (1 DOF)
• Cylindrical pair (2 DOF)
• Spherical pair (3 DOF)
• Hooke joint (2 DOF)
 Robot Coordinate Systems
There are some major coordinate systems based
on which robots are generally specified. The
common designs of robot coordinates are
• Cartesian coordinate system
• Cylindrical coordinate system
• Polar or spherical coordinate system
• Revolute coordinate system
 Work Envelope
• The volume of the space surrounding the robot
manipulator is called work envelope
• The work envelope for different Robot
coordinate system are different due to the
different movement of the arm
 Robot Wrists
• Pitch is defined as rotation about a horizontal
axis
• Yaw is a rotation movement about the vertical
axis
• Roll is movement about its own axis
 Joint Notation
A simple way to define the manipulator body or
arm in terms of lower pair connectors is to
represent the robots
• Rectangular coordinate system P-P-P Robot
• Cylindrical coordinate system P-R -P Robot
• Spherical coordinate system R- R- P Robot
• Revolute coordinate system R-R-R Robot
 Speed of Motion
A robot is specified by its speed or maximum
velocity at the end-effector

Velocity, V, mm/s or rad/s

Pay load W, Kg or N
 Need for Robots
• In initial stages, major applications of robots have
been in unpleasant and hazardous tasks
• Robots have found wide applications in doing
repetitive and monotonous jobs (where consistency
and product quality are of primary importance)
• Usually robots are most suitable for automated tasks
which require little sensing capability
• Intelligent robots are now in demand for running
automated unmanned systems or factories
 Applications – Manufacturing
Material handling:
• Depalletizing/palletizing
• Transporting components
• Transfer of components/tools
• Bottle loading
• Parts handling
 Cont…
Machine loading/unloading components:
• Loading parts to CNC machine tool
• Loading a punch press
• Loading a die casting machine
• Loading electron beam welding and laser
beam welding machines
• Loading/orientating parts to transfer machines
• Loading parts on the test machines
 Cont…
Spray painting:
• painting of trucks/automobiles
• painting of agricultural equipment
• Painting of appliances components
Welding:
• Spot welding
• Arc welding
• Seam welding of variable width
 Cont…
Machining:
• Drilling
• Deburring
• Sanding
• Grinding
• Cutting
• Forming
 Cont…
Assembly:
• Mating components
• Riveting small assemblies
Inspection:
• In process measuring and quality control
• Searching the missing parts
Others:
• Heat treatment
• Applications of adhesives, etc
 Applications Non-Manufacturing
1. Hazardous environments:
(i)Mining:
• Exploration
• Search and rescue
• Tunnelling for main roadways
• Operations in short passages
 Cont…
(ii) Municipal services:
• Fire fighting
• Underground (dangerous gas- filled) sewer clearing
(iii) Nuclear: Maintenance of atomic reactors
(iv) Space: Space vehicles
(v) Undersea:
• oil/mineral exploration
• Salvage operations
 Cont…
2.Medical:
• Rehabilitation engineering for handicapped
• Non-invasive/invasive diagnostics
• Surgery
3.Distribution:
• Warehousing
• Retailing (for food industry or for retail industry)
4.Agriculture
5.Hobby/household purposes
6.Military
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