Unit-I: Introduction to Robotics 1

UNIT – I
INTRODUCTION

1.0 AUTOMATION: Automation is a technology concerned with the application

of Mechanical, Electronic and Computer based systems to operate and control
production.

This technology includes:

 Automatic machine tools to process parts
 Automatic assembly machines
 Industrial Robots
 Automatic material handling and storage systems
 Feedback control and computer process control
 Computer systems for planning, data collection and decision making to
support manufacturing activities.

They are all called automated because they perform their operations with a
reduced level of human participation compared with the corresponding manual
process. In some highly automated systems, there is virtually no human
participation.

Automated manufacturing systems can be classified into three basic types:

1. Fixed Automation
2. Programmable Automation
3. Flexible Automation

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1.1 FIXED AUTOMATION: It is used when the volume of production is very

high and it is therefore appropriate to design specialized equipment to process
the product, very efficiently and at high production rates. In this system, the
sequence of operations is fixed.

The typical features of Fixed Automation include:

 High initial investment for custom engineered equipment
 High production rates
 Relatively inflexible in accommodating product variety

The economic justification of the Fixed Automation is such that, the cost of
special equipment can be divided over a large number of units and the
resulting unit costs are low relative to the alternative methods of production.

The risk encountered with Fixed Automation is that, since the initial
investment cost is high, if the volume of the production turns out to be lower
than anticipated, then the unit costs increases.

Another problem with the Fixed Automation is that the equipment is specially
designed to produce a part and after that products lifecycle is finished, the
equipment is likely to become obsolete.

1.2 PROGRAMMABLE AUTOMATION: In this system, 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

instructions 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.

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Some of the features of Programmable Automation include:

 High investment in general purpose equipment
 Lower production rates than Fixed Automation
 Flexibility to deal with variations and changes in product configurations
 Most suitable for batch production

These systems are used in low and medium volume production. The parts or
products are typically made in batches. To produce each new batch of a
different product, the system must be reprogrammed with the set of machine
instructions that correspond to the new product. The physical setup of the
machine must also be changed. Tools must be loaded, fixtures must be
attached to machine table and the required machine settings must be entered.
This changeover procedure takes time.
Example: Numerically Controlled Machines and Industrial Robots.

1.3 FLEXIBLE AUTOMATION: it is an extension of Programmable Automation.

A Flexible Automated system is capable of producing a variety of parts (or
products) with virtually no time lost for changeovers from one part style to the
other.

One of the features that distinguish Programmable Automation from Flexible

Automation is that, with programmable automation, the products are made in
batches. When one batch is completed, the equipment is reprogrammed to
process the next batch. With flexible automation, different products can be
manufactured at the same time on the same manufacturing system.

The typical features of Flexible Automation include:

 High investment for a flexible system.
 Continuous production of variable mixture of products
 Medium Production rates
 Flexibility to deal with product design variation.

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Changing the part programs is generally accomplished by preparing the

programs offline on a computer system and electronically transmitting the
programs to the automated production system. Therefore, the time required to
do the programming for the next job does not interrupt production on the
current job.

Changing the physical setup between the parts is accomplished by making the
changeover offline and then moving it into place simultaneously as the next
part comes into position for processing. The use of pallet features that holds
the parts and transfer into position at the workplace is one way of
implementing this approach.

The relative positions of the three types of automation for different production
volumes and product varieties are depicted from the Figure below.

High Programmable
Automation
Product variety

Flexible
Medium
Automation

Low Fixed
Automation

Low Medium High

Production Quantity

Figure 1.1: Relative positions of three types of Automation

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1.4 HARD AUTOMATION AND SOFT AUTOMATION

In hard automation, specialized machines have been designed and developed

for high volume production. However, when each production cycle ends and
new models of the parts are to be introduced, the specialized machines have to
be shutdown and the hardware is changed (retooled) for the next generation of
models.

Since periodic modification of the production hardware is required, this type of

automation is referred to as hard automation. Here the machines and
processes are often very efficient, but they have limited flexibility.

In soft automation (flexible or programmable) greater flexibility is achieved

through the use of computer control of machine.

Soft automation is an important development, because the machine can be

easily and readily reprogrammed to produce a part having a shape or
dimensions different from the one produced just before it. Because of this
characteristic, soft automation can produce parts having complex shapes.
Since the computer controlled mechanical manipulators can be easily
converted through software to do a variety of tasks, they are referred to as
examples of soft automation.

A qualitative comparison of the cost effectiveness of manual labor, hard

automation and soft automation as a function of the production volume, is
shown in Figure below.

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Unit-I: Introduction to Robotics 6

Hard Automation
Unit Cost

Manual labor

Soft Automation

Cost effective
Robots

O V1 V2

Figure 1.2: A qualitative comparison of cost effectiveness of manual labor, hard

automation and soft automation

It is evident that for very low production volumes, manual labor is the most
cost effective. As the production volume increases, say at point V1, the robots
become more cost effective than the manual labor. As the production volume
still increases further, it eventually reaches a point V2, where hard automation
surpasses both manual and robots in cost effectiveness.

2.0 ROBOTICS

Definition: The official definition of Industrial Robot is provided by Robotics

Industries Association (RIA), formerly the Robotics Institute of America (RIA).

“An industrial robot is a reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed

to move materials, parts, tools or special devices through variable
programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks”.

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An industrial robot is a general purpose, programmable machine possessing

certain anthropomorphic (humanlike) characteristics. The most obvious
characteristic of an industrial robot is its mechanical arm that is used to
perform various industrial tasks. Other human like characteristics are the
robots capability to respond to sensory inputs, communicate with other
machines and make decisions.

2.1 LAWS OF ROBOTICS (ASIMOV’s LAWS)

Following are the laws of robotics proposed by Issac Asimov.

First Law: A robot must not injure humanity or through inaction, allow a
human to be harmed.

Second Law: A robot must obey orders given by humans except when that
conflicts the first law.

Third Law: A robot must protect its own existence unless that conflicts with
first or second laws.

The development of robotic technology followed the development of numerical

control and the two technologies are quite similar.

2.2 ROBOTISATION: HISTORY OF INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS

The word „Robot‟ entered the English language through Czechoslovakian play
titled Rossum‟s Universal Robots, written by Karel Capek in early 1920‟s. the
Czech word „robota‟ means forced worker. Rossum‟s invention was pure science
fiction.

There are two real inventors who made original contributions to the technology
of industrial robots. The first was Cyril W. Kenward, a British inventor who
devised a manipulator that moved on an X-Y-Z axis system. In 1954, Kenward
applied for British patent for his robotic device and the patent was issued in
1957.

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The second inventor was the American named George C Devol. He credited with
two inventions related to robotics. The first was a device for magnetically
recording electrical signals so that the signals could be played back to control
the operation of machinery. This device was invented around 1946 and a US
patent was issued in 1952. The second invention was a robotic device
developed in the 1950‟s, called “Programmable Article Transfer”. This device
was intended for parts handling. The US patent was finally issued in 1961.

Although Kenward‟s robot was chronologically the first (in terms of patent
date), Devol‟s proved ultimately to be far more important in the development
and commercialization of robotics technology.

In 1962, the first industrial robot was developed by Unimation Incorporation.

The first application of Unimate robot was for unloading a die casting machine
at a Ford motor company plant.

In 1967, Ralph Moser from General Electric developed a four-legged vehicle

with funding from the Department of defense. The vehicle was operated much
like a electric teleoperaters of the late 1940‟s. A human operator would control
handles (at master end) to coordinate the multiple joints at the legs (the slave
end).

In 1983, Odetics, Inc., a US company, developed a six legged device that could
walk over obstacles while lifting loads up to 2 – 3 times its weight.

In 1985, the first autonomous walking machine was developed at Ohio state
university. The adaptive suspension vehicle (ASV) was prototype of a legged
vehicle designed to operate in rough terrain that is not navigable by
conventional vehicles. It was 3.3 meters high and weighed about 3200 kg. it
possessed over 80 sensors and a 900 c.c motorcycle engine rated 50 kw ( 70
HP). It had three actuators on each of the six legs thus providing a total of 18
degrees of freedom (dof).

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In 1996, Honda demonstrated the Honda Humanoid robot, which had two legs
and two arms that is designed for use in a domestic environment. The 210 kg
prototype has 30 dof. It is equipped with cameras, gyroscopes, accelerometers
and force sensors at the wrists and feet. It is able to walk around, climb stairs,
sit down on a chair etc.

Today, nearly all robots introduced into the market use computer control.
Indeed, the field of robotics is often considered to be a combination of machine
tool technology and computer science.

2.3 AUTOMATION Vs ROBOTICS

In automation (hard), the machine produces a job following a set of operational

sequence, while a robot can be made to do different jobs at different times and
in different sequences. This can be achieved by programming.

Automation –Machinery designed to carry out a specific task

– Bottling machine

– Dishwasher

– Paint sprayer

Robots – machinery designed to carry out a variety of tasks

– Pick and place arms

– Mobile robots

– CNC machines

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 A robot can be programmed to change the sequence of tasks while a fixed

machine set to perform certain tasks in sequence cannot be
programmed. An automated machine does not have sensory feedback to
reprogram the predetermined path.

 An automated machine has neither a “knowledge-base” nor “intelligence”.

At best it can be made to adopt slight changes in a known environment,
as in case of a few numerically controlled (NC) machines.

Thus a robot is more than an automated machine/equipment.

A machine can qualify as a robot subject to the following conditions:

I. Reprogrammable

II. Sensing and perception

III. Function automatically and / or interact with human beings

IV. Carryout different tasks

2.4 CAD/CAM AND ROBOTICS

Computer aided design (CAD) means the use of a computer to assist in the
design of an individual part or system. The CAD process involves two basic
steps: the design of a model with computer graphics and computer analysis of
the model. Many CAD systems also include kinematics programs for animating
motion of robot manipulators and other mechanisms.

Computer aided manufacturing (CAM) means the use of computer to assist in

the manufacture of a part. CAM can be divided into two main classes: (1) On-
line applications, namely the use of computer to control robots and
manufacturing systems in real time, such as CNC machine tools; (2) Off-line
applications, namely the use of the computer in process planning and non real
time assistance to the manufacturing of parts. Example of off-line application
is the preparation of part programs in CNC or task programs in robotics.

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In future robotic languages, the geometric data required for the program will be
received from the CAD/CAM common database. For example, the designer of
an automobile will specify spot welded points on the car body during the CAD
process. These points can be stored in the CAD/CAM geometric database. The
programmer of the welding robot will later use the CAD/CAM database as a
source of obtaining the weld points for the task program. This program when
completed will be transferred from the CAD/CAM computer through fiber optic
cables into the robot computer for execution.

2.5 ROBOT Vs NC TECHNOLOGY

The similarities and dissimilarities between Robots and NC machines are as

follows.

Similarities:

I. Power drive technologies

II. Feedback systems

III. Trend of increased computer control

IV. Actuating mechanisms

V. Several industrial applications

Dissimilarities:

I. A robot is lighter and more portable equipment comparatively

II. A robot programming is different from the part programming used in NC

machine tools

III. The technology of robots differs from NC technology in that robots effect
higher velocity and movements in more axes of motions.

IV. The applications of robots are more general in nature as compared to a

NC machine tool.

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2.6 GENERATIONS OF ROBOT

The growth of robots can be grouped into robot generations based on their
characteristics.

First Generation: The first repeating, non-servo, pick-and-place or point-to-

point robots are classified as first generation robots. It is estimated that more
than 80% robots used in industry belong to this category. The technology is
fully developed and it is predicted that these will continue to be in use for
another twenty years.

Second Generation: The addition of sensing devices and enabling the robot to
alter its movements in response to sensory feedback marked the beginning of
second generation. These robots exhibit path control capabilities. This
technological breakthrough came around 1980‟s and is yet not mature.

Third Generation: The third generation is marked with robots with a brain
having intelligence. The growth in computers led to high speed processing of
information and thus robots also acquired artificial intelligence, self-learning
and conclusion drawing capabilities by past experiences. On-line computations
and control, artificial vision and active force/torque interaction with the
environment are the significant characteristics of these robots. The technology
is still in infancy and has to go a long way.

Fourth Generation: This is futuristic and may be a reality only in the current
millennium. Prediction about its features is difficult, if not impossible. It may
be a true android or an artificial biological robot or a super humanoid robot of
producing its own clones. This might provide for fifth and higher generation
robots.

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A pictorial representation of these overlapping generations of robots is given in

the Figure below

Fourth Generation

Third Generation

Second Generation

First Generation

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

Figure 1.3: Generation of Robots

2.7 CLASSIFICATION OF ROBOTS

Robots are classified based on the following criteria.

(1) Classification by coordinate system

(2) Classification by control method

2.7.1 Classification by coordinate system

The majority of the commercially available robots can be grouped into the
following four basic configurations.

(i) Cartesian coordinate Robot:

The Cartesian or Rectilinear robot also termed as Gantry robot, has three
mutually perpendicular axes (X, Y & Z) which define a rectangular work
volume. In this type of robot, the links of the manipulator are constrained to
move in a linear manner. Axes of a robotic device that behave in this way are
referred as “prismatic.”

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Figure 1.4: Cartesian Coordinate robots

The Cartesian robots may be of two types:

(a) Cantilever Cartesian: These devices tend to have a limited extension from
the support frame, but have a less restricted workspace than other
robots. They have good repeatability and accuracy and are easier to
program because of the “more natural” coordinate system.

(b) Gantry Style Cartesian: These robots are used when extremely heavy
loads must be precisely moved. They are often mounted on the ceiling.
They are generally more rigid but may provide less access to the
workspace.

Figure 1.5: Gantry Robot

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(ii) Cylindrical Configuration:

It uses a vertical column and a slide that can be moved up or down along the
column. The robot arm is attached to the slide so that it can be moved radially
with respect to the column. By rotating the column, the robot is capable of
achieving a work space that approximates a cylinder. Usually, a full 360°
rotation is not permitted, due to restrictions imposed by hydraulic, electrical or
pneumatic connections or lines. Such motions are found typically in drilling
machines. A similar main body is used in robots to access points in a
cylindrical volume.

Figure 1.6: Cylindrical Configuration

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(iii) Polar Coordinate Robot (Spherical Robot)

It uses a telescoping arm that can be raised or lowered about a horizontal

pivot. The pivot is mounted on a rotating base. These various joints provide the
robot with the capability to move its arm within a spherical space and hence
the name „Spherical Coordinate‟ robot is sometimes applied to this type of
configuration.

Figure 1.7: Polar Coordinate Robot

(iv) Jointed Arm Configuration

Its configuration is similar to that of the human arm. It is also called as

anthropomorphic robot or articulated robot. It consists of two straight
components, corresponding to the human forearm and upper arm, mounted on
a vertical pedestal. These components are connected by two rotary joints
corresponding to the shoulder and elbow. A wrist is attached at the end of the
forearm.

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Unit-I: Introduction to Robotics 17

Figure 1.8: Jointed Arm Configuration

(v) SCARA Robot

SCARA is an acronym for Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm. This

configuration is similar to the jointed arm robot except that the shoulder and
elbow rotational axes are vertical. The arm is very rigid in the vertical
direction, but compliant in the horizontal direction. This permits the robot to
perform insertion tasks (for assembly) in vertical direction, where some lateral
adjustments may be necessary to mate the parts properly.

Figure 1.9: SCARA Robot

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Unit-I: Introduction to Robotics 18

2.7.2 Classification by Control Method

The robot moves its arm, wrist and end effector after it receives signals from
the controller. So the controller acts as a brain of the robot.

The two major methods of robot control are Non-Servo and Servo Control.

(a) Non – Servo Controlled Robots

Non servo controlled robots are also called limited sequence robots, end-point
robots, pick and place robots. Such a robot is controlled by setting mechanical
stops or limit switches to establish end points of travel of each joint. The
mechanical setup to give the proper position and sequence of stops serves as a
basic programming approach rather than a computer intensive robot
programming language.

In a Non servo controlled robots, drive signals are sent to the actuator via the
solenoid valve, and as soon as the actuator drives the wrist or end effector to
the desired position, a signal through some limit switch is sent back indicating
that the arm has reached the position. A non-servo system is illustrated in the
Figure below.

Figure 1.10: Non servo system

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Unit-I: Introduction to Robotics 19

(b) Servo Controlled Robots:

In the servo control drive, reference signals are sent to the actuator via the
servo valve and the actuator moves its arm, wrist or finger to a current
position and continuous measurement is taken to estimate the error between
the desired position and the actual current position. This error signal is fed
back continuously to monitor the position and as soon as the error becomes
zero, the desired location is achieved and the actuator stops moving. Positional
sensors are employed at the joints, wrist or suitable locations to feed back the
positional information to the comparator. Figure below shows simple
positional servo system.

Figure 1.11: Positional Servo System

The robot controllers are further classified as (i) Limited sequence control (ii)
Playback with point-to-point control (iii) Playback with continuous path control
and (iv) Intelligent robots.

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(i) Limited Sequence Control

This is the most elementary control type. It can be utilized only for simple
motion cycles, such as pick-and-place operations. It is usually implemented by
setting limits or mechanical stops for each joint and sequencing the actuation
of the joints to accomplish the cycle. Feedback loops are sometimes used to
indicate that the particular joint actuation has been accomplished so that the
next step in the sequence can be initiated. However, there is no servo control to
accomplish precise positioning of the joint.

(ii) Playback with point-to-point control

Playback robots represent a more sophisticated form of control than limited

sequence robots. Playback control means that the controller has a memory to
record the sequence of motions in a given work cycle as well as the locations
and other parameters (such as speed) associated with each motion and then to
subsequently playback the work cycle during execution of the program.

In point-to-point (PTP) control, individual positions of the robot arm are

recorded into the memory. These positions are not limited to mechanical stops
for each joint as in limited sequence robots. Instead, each position in the robot
program consists of a set of values representing locations in the range of each
joint of the manipulator. Feedback control is used during the motion cycle to
confirm that the individual joints achieve the specified location in the program.

(iii) Playback with Continuous path control

A playback robot with continuous path control is capable of one or both of the
following.

a) Greater Storage Capacity: This controller has a far greater storage

capacity than point-to-point controller, so that the number of locations
that can be recorded into memory is far greater than for point-to-point.

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Thus the points constituting the motion cycle can be spaced very closely
together to permit the robot to accomplish a smooth continuous motion.

In PTP, only the final location of the individual motion elements are
controlled, so the path taken by the arm to reach the final location is not
controlled. In a continuous path motion, the movement of the arm and
wrist is controlled during motion.

(b) Interpolation Calculation: The controller computes the path between the
starting point and the ending point of each move using interpolation
routines similar to those used in NC machines. These routines generally
include linear and circular interpolation.

(c) Intelligent Control: Individual robots are becoming increasingly

intelligent. Some of the characteristics that make a robot intelligent
include the capacity to:

 Interact with its environment

 Make decisions when things go wrong during the work cycle.

 Communicate with humans

 Make computations during the motion cycle.

 Respond to advanced sensor inputs such as machine vision.

2.8 CURRENT AND FUTURE APPLICATIONS OF ROBOTS

2.8.1 Current Robotic Applications: Most of the current applications of

industrial robots are in manufacturing. The applications can be classified into
following categories.

1. Material handling

2. Processing operations
3. Assembly and Inspection

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Unit-I: Introduction to Robotics 22

1. Material handling applications:

Robots are used to move materials or parts from one place to another. Material
handling applications are divided into the following categories.

(a) Material transfer applications

(b) Machine loading and unloading applications.

(a) Robot applications in material transfer

The primary purpose of a robot is to pickup parts at one location and places
them at new location. The robots used for this purpose are called pick-and-
place robots. Only two, three or four joints are required for most of the
applications. In some cases, reorientation of the part must be accomplished
during the relocation.

A more complex example of material transfer is palletizing, in which the robot

must retrieve parts, cartons or other objects from one location and deposit
them onto a pallet or other container with multiple positions.

Figure 1.12: Typical part arrangement for a robot palletizing operation

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Unit-I: Introduction to Robotics 23

Although the pickup point is the same for every cycle, the deposit location on
the pallet is different for each carton. This adds to the degree of difficulty of the
task. The robot must compute the location based on the dimensions of the
pallet and the centre distances between the cartons (in both x and y
directions).

Other applications that are similar to palletizing include de-palletizing i.e.,

removing parts from an ordered arrangement in a pallet and placing them at
one location (ex: on to a moving conveyer), remove parts from a stack (flat parts
placed on top of each other) etc.

(b) Robot applications in Machine loading and unloading

Industrial robot applications of machine loading and / or unloading include the

following.

Die Casting: The robots are used to unload the parts from the die casting
machine and dipping the parts into a water bath for cooling.

Plastic Molding: Plastic molding is robot application similar to die casting. The
robot is used to unload molded parts from the injection molding machine.

Metal machining operations: The robot is used to load raw blanks into machine
tool and unload finished parts from the machine.

Forging: The robot is typically used to load the raw hot billet into the die, hold
it during forging blows and remove it from the forge hammer.

Press working: Human operators work at considerable risk in sheet metal press
working operations because of the action of the press. Robots are used as
substitutes for the human workers to reduce the danger. In these applications,
the robot loads the blank into the press and stamping operation is performed.

Heat treating: These are often relatively simple operations in which the robot
loads and/or unloads parts from a furnace.

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2. Processing operations

Processing applications are those in which the robot performs a processing

operation on a work part. Example of industrial robot applications in the
processing category include spot welding, continuous arc welding, spray
painting and other rotating spindle processes.

Spot Welding: It is a metal joining process in which two sheet metal parts are
fused together at localized point of contact. Two copper based electrodes are
used to squeeze the metal parts together and then apply a large electrical
current across the contact point to cause the fusion to occur. The electrodes
together with the mechanism that actuates them, constitute the welding gun in
spot welding. Because of its wide usage in the automobile industry for car body
fabrication, spot welding represents one of the most common applications of
industrial robot today. The end effector is the spot welding gun used to pinch
the car panels together and perform the resistance welding process. The
welding gun used for automobile spot welding is typically heavy and these
heavy welding guns were difficult for humans to manipulate accurately. As a
consequence, there were many instances of missed welds, poorly located welds
and other defects resulting in a low quality finished product.

Robots used for spot welding are usually large, with sufficient payload capacity
to hold and use the heavy welding gun. Five or six axes are generally required
to achieve the required positioning and orientation of the welding gun.
Playback robots with point-to-point are used in spot welding.

Continuous Arc Welding: It is used to provide continuous welds rather than

individual welds at specific contact points as in spot welding. The working
conditions for humans who perform arc welding are not good. The welder must
wear a face helmet for eye protection against the ultraviolet radiation emitted
by the arc welding process. The helmet window is so dark that the worker
cannot see through it unless the arc is on. A significant amount of hand-eye

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coordination is required by human worker to make sure that the arc follows
the desired path with sufficient accuracy to make good weld. This results in
high level of worker fatigue.

Industrial robots can be used to automate the continuous arc welding process.
The cell consists of the robot, the welding apparatus (power unit, controller,
welding tool and wire feeding mechanism) and a fixture that positions the
components for the robot. The fixture might be mechanized with one or two
degrees-of-freedom so that it can present different portions of the work to the
robot for welding.

Spray Coating: Spray coating makes use of a spray gun directed at the object
to be coated. Paint flows through the nozzle of the spray gun to be dispersed
and applied over the surface of the object.

The work environment for humans who perform this process is filled with
health hazards. These hazards include noxious fumes in the air, risk of flash
fires and noise from the spray gun nozzle. Robot applications include spray
coating of appliances, automobile car bodies, engines and other parts, spray
staining of wood products and spraying of porcelain coatings on bathroom
fixtures. The robots must be capable of continuous path control to accomplish
the smooth motion sequences required in spray painting.

The use of industrial robots for spray painting applications offers a number of
benefits in addition to protecting workers from a hazardous environment.
These other benefits include greater uniformity in applying the coating than
humans can accomplish, reduced use of paint (less waste), lower needs of
ventilating the work area since humans are not present during the process and
greater productivity.

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3. Assembly and Inspection

Assembly: The assembly system is a combination of a robot, a transfer device

and part feeders. One approach in designing assembly systems is that the
assembled object is moving on a straight line indexing or rotary indexing table
and in each station a robot is adding one part to the assembled object. This
configuration requires many simple robots along the assembly line, each
performing a particular operation. The advantage of this system is the small
cycle time per product. Another approach applies one sophisticated robot
surrounded by indexing magazines for the assembly parts. The object is
assembled in one location. During the assembly, parts are picked by the robot
from the magazine, moved to assembly location and assembled.

Inspection: The robots perform loading and unloading tasks to support an

inspection or testing machine. This case is really machine loading and
unloading, where the machine is an inspection machine. The robot picks parts
that enter the cell, loads and unloads them to carry out the inspection process.
In some cases, the inspection may result in parts sortation that must be
accomplished by the robot.

The robot manipulates an inspection device, such as a mechanical probe, to

test the product. This case is similar to a processing operation in which the end
effector attached to the robot wrist is the inspection probe. To perform the
process, the part must be presented at the workstation in the correct position
and orientation and the robot manipulates the inspection probe as required.

2.8.2 Robot application in future:

Generally, robots are used for performing repetitive motions in manufacturing

or assembly lines. The present robot technology can be enhanced with new and
better way of performing the complex tasks. The following are the
characteristics of future robots.

Department of ME Sree Chaitanya College of Engineering, Karimnagar

Unit-I: Introduction to Robotics 27

1. In addition to the repetitive tasks performing now, the robot can handle
semi-repetitive or non-repetitive tasks in future.

2. The future tasks may require higher level of intelligence and decision
making capabilities, for which artificial intelligence may needs to be
incorporated in design of robot controllers.

3. The future robots technology may use more advanced sensor capabilities
i.e., vision, tactile sensing and voice communication etc.

4. The future robot technology may use high level performance of end
effector.

5. The future robots will have the gripper devices with the concept of
universal hand to handle tactile sensing and hand articulation.

6. The future robots may perform inaccessible environments like

maintenance and repairs of complex machinery.

7. The robots may be used in underground coal mining, fire fighting

operations, space etc.

8. Robots can be used as security guards and may have many more
domestic applications

9. The future robotic technology may be more reliable than present

technology.

10. The future robot technology may permit teleconference capabilities, so

that humans can command the robot from remote environment.

Department of ME Sree Chaitanya College of Engineering, Karimnagar

Unit-I: Introduction to Robotics 28

ASSIGNMENT – I

Q1. Discuss the following future applications of robots in service industries

(a) Bank Tellers
(b) Garbage collection and Waste disposal
(c) Fast food restaurants.

Q2. State some applications of Robotics in various fields including agriculture,

medical and defense areas.

Department of ME Sree Chaitanya College of Engineering, Karimnagar