WO2025165710A1

WO2025165710A1 - Apparatus of robotic dac operation and method for continuous dac operation

Info

Publication number: WO2025165710A1
Application number: PCT/US2025/013289
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jan H. Marsh; David J. Meek; Dominick Calabria
Original assignee: Siemens Energy Global GmbH and Co KG; Siemens Energy Inc
Current assignee: Siemens Energy Global GmbH and Co KG; Siemens Energy Inc
Priority date: 2024-01-29
Filing date: 2025-01-28
Publication date: 2025-08-07
Anticipated expiration: 2026-07-29
Also published as: WO2025165709A1

Abstract

A carbon capture module for direct air carbon capture includes, an array configured to include a plurality of mounting locations, a plurality of contactors configured to be installed at any one of the plurality of mounting locations, a sorbent filter within each of the plurality of contactors configured to capture carbon dioxide during an adsorption cycle, a central point within the array, an articulating robotic apparatus configured to selectively install and uninstall any one of the plurality of contactors in any one of the plurality of mounting locations within the array from the central point, at least one desorption unit configured to receive any one of the plurality of contactors to remove captured carbon dioxide from the sorbent filter during a desorption cycle, where the articulating robotic apparatus transfers any one of the contactors from any one of the plurality of mounting locations to the desorption unit.

Description

APPARATUS OF ROBOTIC DAC OPERATION AND METHOD FOR CONTINUOUS

DAC OPERATION

BACKGROUND

[0001] Removing CO2 from the atmosphere, commonly referred to as carbon capture or direct air carbon capture (DAC) has been implemented on small and industrial scales. The economics of carbon capture are driven by the energy costs of the processes used and the filter or sorbent material used in the carbon capture process. Two of the main methods of DAC are liquid and solid sorbent DAC. Solid sorbents, such as a solid base material coated with a type of amine. The base material and amine coating can optionally be bonded together. Amine formulations can be produced to coat beads or spheres of plastic, polymer, or other suitable material. Some of the issues involved in the use of amine coated or impregnated sorbent material is the service life of the filter material or sorbent due to degradation of the amine material. The present invention provides a cost-effective and energy-effective way of continuously operating a direct air capture (DAC) apparatus using a solid sorbent.

[0002] Different methods of capturing CO2 from the atmosphere or air streams are available, but the method of direct air capture by use of a solid sorbent in a direct air capture unit or other suitable sorbent configuration is discussed in detail below.

[0003] Typical DAC methods involve flowing atmosphere across a sorbent filter media typically referred to simply as a "filter" in an absorption cycle. The filter is contained within a sealable container typically referred to as an air contactor or simply a contactor, as the filter contacts the air flow of atmosphere within the “contactor.” Once sorbent filter media has reached a designated level of absorption, typically between 50 and maximum absorption for the sorbent media, a desorption cycle is initiated. The desorption of a solid sorbent currently requires a temperature swing or pressure swing to release the captured CO2 from the sorbent media, but other methods of desorption are known in the art. Temperature swing desorption uses a heat source and a heated working fluid. Any number of known industrial methods of heating can be used, including but not limited to resistive heating of the working fluid. Heating of the working fluid generally represents the majority of the energy required by the desorption cycle. Prior to introducing the heated working fluid within the contactor during the desorption cycle, a vacuum is applied within the contactor to remove the atmosphere or air within the contactor to lower the level of Oxygen. Current amine and other solid sorbent materials deteriorate when exposed to Oxygen and the rate of degradation is increased with the temperature of the sorbent. Typically, sorbent medias designed for DAC units utilizing atmospheric air flows, -21% Ch at ambient temperature ranges, and are designed to last a service interval that is based on atmospheric/ambient conditions. The service life of the sorbent filter is determined by the amount of degradation that occurs in every absorption and desorption cycle. Service life can be increased by limiting the temperature and the amount of O2 that the sorbent media is exposed to during each absorption and desorption cycles. Current methods of desorption can use steam as the working fluid, but other methods of desorption and or working fluids are known in the art. When steam is used as the working fluid, the contactor is a sealable pressure vessel that needs to resist collapsing under a vacuum and the pressures generated by the steam, which may be superheated. The structural requirements of a contactor used with steam as the working fluid are significant and generally required the use of corrosion resistant materials with sufficient material properties for the particular application, such as stainless steel. Even with the use of metals such as stainless steel or similar metals contactors have significant structural requirements that translates into a significant volume/mass of material which needs to be heated up with the filters to bring the filters to the desired desorption temperature, the inverse is also true, the contactor will need to be cooled back to the desired absorption temperature for a particular application. The thermal mass of the contactor and sorbent media is directly related to the amount of energy required for the desorption cycle of a DAC-unit.

[0004] The CO2 produced by DAC can be stored for later use in other industrial applications or diverted to a secondary process that seeks to convert the CO2 into a form that can be permanently stored without the potential of releasing the CCh back into the atmosphere or environment, i.e. producing solid compositions. One secondary use for the captured CO2 is industrial use, such as E-fuel generation and CO2 injection based Enhanced Oil Recovery.

[0005] The present state of the art in DAC units and facilities require a large footprint for several reasons, primarily the relatively low amount of CO2 in the atmosphere requires a large amount of surface area to facilitate absorption by the sorbent in the filter housings or contactors depending on the configuration of the DAC unit. This results in a large number of filter housings or contactors and the carbon capture modules or DAC units that contain the filter housings or contactors. The amount of surface are required by an industrial application that extract several tons of Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere per year requires a considerable amount of land to accommodate the number of sorbent filter housing or contactors required by the industrial scale DAC unit. The auxiliary systems required for desorption of the sorbent can include, heat sources, steam generators, lifting equipment, cooling equipment, piping and anything else required by the method of desorption used by a particular DAC unit.

TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

[0006] Unless specified, the terms absorption and adsorption can be used to mean any sorption process. Both can be used to describe DAC processes. In DAC applications, absorption is used to refer to the process by which carbon dioxide is attracted to the sorbent and becomes evenly distributed throughout the whole body of the absorbate material. This is most commonly understood to occur when the sorbent is in the liquid or aqueous state. The term adsorption is used to refer to the process when carbon dioxide is attracted to the sorbent and becomes distributed on the surface of the sorbent. For the purpose of this document the term adsorption has been used. However, this does not imply that absorption cannot also occur.

BRIEF SUMMARY

[0007] It is therefore a goal of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for direct air carbon capture using a carbon capture module configured to utilize an articulating robotic apparatus. The present invention overcomes the disadvantages created by the large area required by sorbent media configured for direct air carbon capture by utilizing all or most of the space available in the three-dimensional array that can be serviced by an articulating robotic apparatus to hold contactors and necessary auxiliaries, such as desorption units. The use of an articulating robotic apparatus, such as a robotic arm, maximizes the space used by the carbon capture module and maximizes the use of the necessary auxiliaries.

[0008] An objective of the invention is achieved by a carbon capture module for direct air carbon capture includes, a three-dimensional array configured to include a plurality of mounting locations, a plurality of contactors configured to be installed at any one of the plurality of mounting locations, a sorbent filter within each of the plurality of contactors configured to capture carbon dioxide during an adsorption cycle, a central point within the three-dimensional array, an articulating robotic apparatus configured to selectively install and uninstall any one of the plurality of contactors in any one of the plurality of mounting locations within the three-dimensional array from the central point, at least one desorption unit configured to receive any one of the plurality of contactors to remove captured carbon dioxide from the sorbent filter within any one of the plurality of contactors during a desorption cycle, where the articulating robotic apparatus transfers any one of the contactors from any one of the plurality of mounting locations within the three-dimensional array to the desorption unit and transfers the same or another one of the plurality of contactors to the same or another one of the plurality of mounting locations within the three-dimensional array.

[0009] The carbon capture module may also include where the desorption unit is located at one or more of the plurality of mounting locations of the three-dimensional array. In one embodiment the desorption unit is advantageously located within the three-dimensional array, this allows for the carbon capture module to operate independently in embodiments where the carbon capture module is a package unit or skid.

[0010] The carbon capture module may also include where the desorption unit is located outside of the three-dimensional array. In one embodiment a single desorption unit can be configured to service several carbon capture modules. In another embodiment the desorption unit advantageously is sized desorb more than one contactor at a time by being located outside of the three-dimensional array.

[0011] In one embodiment the carbon capture module may also include where the three- dimensional array further includes a plurality of nested three-dimensional arrays configured to include a plurality of mounting locations on each of the plurality of nested three- dimensional arrays for installation of the plurality of contactors. Nesting of multiple three- dimensional arrays advantageously increases the number of contactors that can be installed in the mounting locations, maximizing the utilization of the three-dimensional space utilized by the carbon capture module.

[0012] The carbon capture module may also include where the carbon capture module is located adjacent to an external desorption unit. In one embodiment the external desorption unit can service a plurality of carbon capture modules configured to use the same external desorption unit.

[0013] The carbon capture module may also include wherein the desorption unit is adjacent to the central location within the carbon capture module. In one embodiment, the desorption unit is advantageously located near the central location to centralize the desorption location in each carbon capture module.

[0014] In one aspect, the carbon capture module may also include where the articulating robotic apparatus is a robotic arm. In one embodiment a robotic arm is used move the contactors within the carbon capture module.

[0015] In one embodiment the carbon capture module may also include where the three- dimensional array is spherical in shape. In one embodiment the three-dimensional array is spherical in shape to maximize the utilization of the three-dimensional space occupied by the carbon capture module. In other embodiments the three-dimensional array is polygon in shape with a mounting location at each of the nodes of the polygon.

[0016] In one aspect, the carbon capture module may also include where the articulating robotic apparatus or robotic arm is located above ground level on a vertical axis. In one embodiment the articulating robotic apparatus is advantageously located above ground level to allow for the robotic arm to extend below the central location to maximize the utilization of the three-dimensional space utilized by the carbon capture module and the potential movement of the robotic arm.

[0017] The carbon capture module may also include where at least one of the plurality of mounting locations is located below the articulating robotic apparatus on the vertical axis.

[0018] In one aspect, a method of continuous operation of a carbon capture module for direct air carbon capture includes the steps of configuring a three-dimensional array with a plurality of mounting locations around a central location, configuring an articulating robotic apparatus to install at least one contactor into any one of the mounting locations during or prior to an adsorption cycle, configuring the articulating robotic apparatus to move any one of the plurality of contactors to a desorption unit to undergo a desorption cycle, capturing an amount of carbon dioxide during the desorption cycle, re-installing any one of the plurality of contactors to any one of the plurality of mounting locations after the desorption cycle to restart the adsorption cycle in the any one of the plurality of contactors. The method advantageously allows for the continuous operation of the carbon capture module, maximizing space and reducing operating costs.

[0019] The method may also include where the articulating robotic apparatus can extend beyond the three-dimensional array.

[0020] The method may also include where the articulating robotic apparatus is located above the ground level to allow for any one of the plurality of mounting locations to be located below the central location.

[0021] The method may also include where the articulating robotic apparatus is a robotic arm. Other technical features may be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, descriptions, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the figure number in which that element is first introduced.

[0023] FIG. 1A is a prior art DAC unit in a linear configuration.

[0024] FIG. IB is a prior art DAC unit in a rotary configuration.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a view in cross section of a carbon capture module in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] FIG. 3 illustrates an overhead view of a DAC configuration in accordance with one embodiment.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a view in cross section of a carbon capture module in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 5 illustrates a cross section of a carbon capture module with nested three- dimensional arrays in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in this description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

[0030] Various technologies that pertain to apparatus and methods will now be described with reference to the drawings, where like reference numerals represent like elements throughout. The drawings discussed below, and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present disclosure in this patent document are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably arranged apparatus.

[0031] It is to be understood that functionality that is described as being carried out by certain system elements may be performed by multiple elements. Similarly, for instance, an element may be configured to perform functionality that is described as being carried out by multiple elements. The numerous innovative teachings of the present application will be described with reference to exemplary non-limiting embodiments.

[0032] Also, it should be understood that the words or phrases used herein should be construed broadly, unless expressly limited in some examples. For example, the terms “including,” “having,” and “comprising,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation. The singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Further, the term “and/or” as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and/or, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like. Furthermore, while multiple embodiments or constructions may be described herein, any features, methods, steps, components, etc. described with regard to one embodiment are equally applicable to other embodiments absent a specific statement to the contrary.

[0033] Also, although the terms "first", "second", "third" and so forth may be used herein to refer to various elements, information, functions, or acts, these elements, information, functions, or acts should not be limited by these terms. Rather these numeral adjectives are used to distinguish different elements, information, functions or acts from each other. For example, a first element, information, function, or act could be termed a second element, information, function, or act, and, similarly, a second element, information, function, or act could be termed a first element, information, function, or act, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0034] Also, unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted”, “connected”, “supported”, and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings.

[0035] In addition, the term "adjacent to" may mean: that an element is relatively near to but not in contact with a further element; or that the element is in contact with the further portion, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise. Terms “about” or “substantially” or like terms are intended to cover variations in a value that are within normal industry manufacturing tolerances for that dimension. If no industry standard as available a variation of 20 percent would fall within the meaning of these terms unless otherwise stated.

[0036] FIG. 1 A is a prior art DAC unit or carbon capture module 200 that has a series of contactors 202 arranged in a linear configuration in one layer or dimension. The contactors 202 include a sorbent filter 208 that contains the sorbent media used by the DAC unit. The piping 102 is moved to the location of each contactor 202 during the desorption cycle, in this example a steam flow is used for desorption. The sorbent filter 208 may be removable from the contactor 202 or the contactor 202 and sorbent filter 208 can be one assembly, depending on the configuration of the DAC unit or the method of desorption utilized by the DAC unit.

[0037] FIG. IB is a prior art DAC unit or carbon capture module 200 that has a series of contactors 202 arranged in a circular or rotary configuration in one layer or dimension. The contactors 202 include a sorbent filter 208 that contains the sorbent media used by the DAC unit. The piping 102 is moved to the location of each contactor 202 during the desorption cycle, in this example a steam flow is used for desorption.

[0038] Each carbon capture module 200 includes an array of contactors 202 that each hold a sorbent filter 208. The contactors 202 have an inlet and an outlet. In one embodiment the contactor 202 is cylindrical with an inlet at one end and an outlet at the opposite end. A person skilled in the art would recognize that any geometry or configuration of contactor 202 can be used that allows for the absorption of CO2 by the sorbent media utilized in that particular configuration. Air flows from the inlet to the outlet in an absorption cycle. The cylindrical contactor 202 is configured to act as a pressure vessel during a desorption phase. Depending on the configuration of the carbon capture module 200 the contactor 202 can be stationary with the desorption equipment moving from one contactor 202 to another. Alternatively, the contactors 202 can be moved to the desorption equipment. In the embodiment seen in FIG. 2, a robotic arm 204 is positioned in a central location 212 within the carbon capture module 200. In the simplified carbon capture module 200 of FIG. 2, the robotic arm 204 is capable of extending to and removing and reinstalling the contactors 202 within the substantially spherical or three-dimensional locations within the carbon capture module 200. The three-dimensional array 214 can be shaped like any suitable polygon with a mounting location 408 at each node of the polygon. The positioning of the contactors 202 is limited by the size of the contactors 202 and the reach and or articulation of the robotic arm 204. Present carbon capture module 200 designs arrange the contactors 202 or sorbent filters in a planar fashion that follows a linear or rotating arrangement that are limited to one layer due to the use of tracks or swing arms that move the contactors 202 or the desorption equipment or piping 102 back and forth on a single level, see FIG. 1A and FIG. IB. By utilizing a robotic arm 204 or other articulating lifting device, the volumetric space of the carbon capture module 200 can be maximized on a three-dimensional scale. The desorption unit 206 can be outside of the spherical area or array 214 of contactors 202 shown in cross section in FIG. 2, as the robotic arm 204 can extend beyond the array 214 of contactors 202, see FIG. 3. In other embodiments, there can be several layers of contactors 202 creating a nesting of concentric three-dimensional arrays 214 of contactor 202 that follow the substantially spherical shape defined by the articulation of the robotic arm 204 in three- dimensional space. Alternatively, the desorption equipment can be substituted for any one of or multiples of the contactors 202 shown in FIG. 2, as required by the particular configuration or requirements of a carbon capture module 200. Additionally, there can be desorption equipment at either side or any radial increment of the spherical array 214 of contactors 202. In one embodiment the desorption unit 206 includes piping 102 or other auxiliaries that are move to the contactors 202 at their positions in the three-dimensional array 214.

[0039] An embodiment of a configuration of carbon capture modules 200 that utilize at least one spherical or three-dimensional array 214 of contactors 202 and are positioned around a centralized desorption unit 206 can be seen in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the robotic arm 204 of each carbon capture module 200 would remove a contactor 202 and extend beyond the spherical array and deposit the contactor 202 in the desorption unit 206. This can be accomplished in a tandem operation where a contactor 202 that has completed the desorption cycle can be returned to its original location or the location of the contactor 202 that was just placed in the desorption unit 206 to undergo the desorption cycle. In other embodiments, the robotic arm 204 can be an articulating robotic apparatus that can include multiple appendages or arms that allow for multiple contactors 202 to be move at the same time from a central location within the three-dimensional or spherical array 214. Alternatively, the articulating robotic apparatus or robotic arm 204 can have a hand or clamp that allows for multiple contactors 202 to be held at the same time. Any embodiment that can move multiple contactors 202 at the same time or a single contactor 202 can do so via predefined path, or on a demand basis determined by the time necessary to complete adsorption and or the desorption cycle.

[0040] Each carbon capture module 200 includes a three-dimensional array 214 of mounting location 408. See FIG. 4. The three-dimensional array 214 can be shaped to match any suitable configuration with a mounting location 408 at each vertices or node of a polygon or polyhedron. In one embodiment the three-dimensional array 214 is shaped like a dodecahedron with a mounting location 408 at each of the twenty vertices or nodes. In FIG. 4 the articulating robotic arm or robotic arm 204 is shown in the central location 212, which is above ground level 410 on the vertical axis 420, of the three-dimensional array 214 with the mounting locations 408 occupying the area below the robotic arm 204 to maximize the utilization of the robotic arm's 204 range of motion to maximize the utilization of the space utilized by the carbon capture module 200.

[0041] FIG. 5 is a simplified cross section of a carbon capture module 200 that includes a set of three-dimensional arrays 214 that are nested within each other. Each three- dimensional array 214 includes mounting locations 408. While only a few mounting locations 408 are shown for clarity, each of the nested three-dimensional arrays 214 can include as many mounting locations 408 as possible by the shape of the three-dimensional array 214 and the configuration of the carbon capture module 200. The number of nested array’s 214 can be increased in embodiments where the robotic arm 204 has sufficient range of motion or the density of mounting locations 408 has been reduced.

[0042] Although various embodiments that incorporate disclosed concepts have been shown and described in detail herein, those skilled in the art can readily devise many other varied embodiments that still incorporate these disclosed concepts. Disclosed embodiments are not limited to the specific details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the description or illustrated in the drawings. Disclosed concepts may be implemented by other implementations, and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways, which now would become apparent to one skilled in the art.

[0043] None of the description in the present application should be read as implying that any particular element, step, act, or function is an essential element, which must be included in the claim scope: the scope of patented subject matter is defined only by the allowed claims. Moreover, none of these claims are intended to invoke a means plus function claim construction unless the exact words "means for" are followed by a participle

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A carbon capture module (200) for direct air carbon capture comprising, a three-dimensional array (214) configured to include a plurality of mounting locations (408), a plurality of contactors (202) configured to be installed at any one of the plurality of mounting locations (408), a sorbent filter (208) within each of the plurality of contactors (202) configured to capture carbon dioxide during an adsorption cycle, a central point (212) within the three-dimensional array (214), an articulating robotic apparatus (204) configured to selectively install and uninstall any one of the plurality of contactors (202) in any one of the plurality of mounting locations (408) within the three-dimensional array (214) from the central point (212), at least one desorption unit (206) configured to receive any one of the plurality of contactors (202) to remove captured carbon dioxide from the sorbent filter (208) within any one of the plurality of contactors (202) during a desorption cycle, wherein the articulating robotic apparatus (204) transfers any one of the contactors (202) from any one of the plurality of mounting locations (408) within the three- dimensional array (214) to the desorption unit (206) and transfers the same or another one of the plurality of contactors (202) to the same or another one of the plurality of mounting locations (408) within the three-dimensional array (214).

2. The carbon capture module (200) of claim 1, wherein the desorption unit (206) is located at one or more of the plurality of mounting locations (408) of the three-dimensional array (214).

3. The carbon capture module (200) of claim 1, wherein the articulating robotic apparatus (204) can extend beyond the three-dimensional array (214).

4. The carbon capture module (200) of claim 3, wherein the desorption unit (206) is located outside of the three-dimensional array (214).

5. The carbon capture module (200) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the three- dimensional array (214) further comprising a plurality of nested three-dimensional arrays (214) configured to include a plurality of mounting locations (408) on each of the plurality of nested three-dimensional arrays (214) for installation of the plurality of contactors (202).

6. The carbon capture module (200) of claim 1, wherein the carbon capture module (200) is located adjacent to an external desorption unit (206).

7. The carbon capture module (200) of claim 3, wherein the desorption unit (206) is adjacent to the central location (212) within the carbon capture module (200).

8. The carbon capture module (200) of any of the preceding claims wherein the articulating robotic apparatus (204) is a robotic arm.

9. The carbon capture module (200) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the three- dimensional array (214) is spherical in shape.

10. The carbon capture module (200) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the articulating robotic apparatus (204) is located above ground level (410) on a vertical axis (420).

11. The carbon capture module (200) of claim 10, wherein at least one of the plurality of mounting locations (408) is located below the articulating robotic apparatus (204) on the vertical axis (420).

12. A method of continuous operation of a carbon capture module (200) for direct air carbon capture comprising the steps of: configuring a three-dimensional array (214) with a plurality of mounting locations (408) around a central location (212), configuring an articulating robotic apparatus (204) to install at least one contactor (202) into any one of the mounting locations (408) during or prior to an adsorption cycle, configuring the articulating robotic apparatus (204) to move any one of the plurality of contactors (202) to a desorption unit (206) to undergo a desorption cycle, capturing an amount of carbon dioxide during the desorption cycle, re-installing any one of the plurality of contactors (202) to any one of the plurality of mounting locations (408) after the desorption cycle to restart the adsorption cycle in the any one of the plurality of contactors (202).

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the articulating robotic apparatus (204) can extend beyond the three-dimensional array (214).

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the articulating robotic apparatus (204) is located above the ground level (410) to allow for any one of the plurality of mounting locations (408) to be located below the central location (212) on a vertical axis (420).

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the articulating robotic apparatus (204) is a robotic arm.