Robotic Applications

Robots come in different sizes and shapes, ranging from penny size devices like RoboBee in
Figure 1 to mega size machines like K20 tele-manipulator in Figure 2. Their size and shape
are normally dictated by their operating mechanism and expected application.

Figure 1 RoboBee is half the size of a paper clip and Figure 2 K20 is a heavy-duty giant manipulator developed by
weighs less than 0.0001 kg. It was developed by the Foundry-Planet GmbH. It has a maximum handling capacity of
Wyss Institute at Harvard University. Source: 20,000 kg. Source: https://www.foundry-planet.com/d/heavy-
https://wyss.harvard.edu/technology/robobees- duty-tele-manipulator-k20
autonomous-flying-microrobots(DOI:
10.1126/scirobotics.aao5619)

Traditionally, robots have been classified into industrial manipulators and mobile robots. This
classification scheme relied on the idea that industrial manipulators were rigidly fixed on the
industrial floor rendering them immobile. Modern robotic designs have seen industrial
manipulators mounted on mobile platforms as indicated in Figure 3, creating what are now
known as mobile manipulators. This means the best classification terminology should be
fixed/immobile and mobile robots. This classification can be hierarchically extended to include
operating domains and locomotion principles as indicated in Figure 4. Figure 4 can be further
expanded to include aerial robotic aerodynamical configurations like fixed-wing, rotor-craft,
ducted fan, blimp, flapping-wing and combination thereof constructible or wheel configuration
for wheeled robots and leg configurations for legged robots. It should be noted that operating
domains or locomotion mechanisms are not mutually exclusive, i.e. a ground robot could be
designed to fly as well or swim, using different sets of locomotion mechanisms or a single
multi-purpose locomotion mechanism.

The two classes differ in reachability and structure of their operating environment size. Fixed
robots are limited to a local operating volume/workspace, while mobile robots can extend their
reach through mobility.

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Figure 3 KUKA mobile manipulator (Source: DOI:10.1115/DETC2017-68104).

Figure 4 Robot classification by mobility, domain and locomotion mechanism.

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Another common and useful way to classify robots is by expected application. Such a
classification is shown in Figure 5. Industrial robots were the first, attributed of the well-defined
environments that simplified their designs [R&TA]. With advancements in sensing, computing
and algorithms, came field and service robots that operate in a less predictable environment.

Figure 5 Robot classification base on application.

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Industrial Robots

These robots go by several names including industrial robots, manipulators and robot arms.
Industrial robots are computer controlled industrial manipulators of the type indicated in Figure
6 and Figure 7. The former is a set of serial link manipulators and the latter is an example of
a parallel link manipulator.

Figure 6 A series of industrial manipulators from KUKA. (This Photo is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND)

Figure 7 Parallel link manipulator. This type of a parallel link robot is known as a delta robot. FlexPicker by ABB.

Structurally, manipulator robots are composed of rigid links connected by joints to form
kinematic chains. The two main types of joints are revolute (R) and prismatic (P) joints allowing
for rotation and linear translation (sliding) motions respectively. These joints are symbolically
represented as in Figure 8 and Figure 9 for revolute and prismatic joints respectively. The joint
variable for a revolute is angle θ , while that for a prismatic joint is displacement d .

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 Figure 8 Revolute joint.

Figure 9 Prismatic joint.

Terminology
Here are some of the important terms that are frequently used in this field. This list is not in
any way exhaustive.

Joint variables Represent the relative displacement between adjacent links. θ for
revolute joints and d for prismatic joints.
State A set of variables that specify the energy distribution in a system.
States together with inputs and a description of the manipulator
dynamics are sufficient to determine the manipulator’s evolution.
State space A set of all possible states.
Configuration A complete definition of all joint variables of a manipulator.
Normally represented as a vector q or set q = {q1 , q2 , , qn } .

Configuration space A set of all possible configurations.

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Industrial Robotic System

The manipulator is just a part of a large complex system consisting of an external power
source, control computer, control software, sensors, computer interfaces (including HMI) and
end-of-arm tooling as illustrated in Figure 10 and Figure 11.

Figure 10 Components of an industrial robotic system.

Control computer +
software + power
supply

Robotic arm

HMI

Figure 11 KUKA industrial robotic system.

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Classification of Manipulators

Industrial manipulators can be classified based on geometry, power source, method of control
or intended application area as indicated in Figure 12. This classification is important for
matching the right manipulator to the right task. The following section gives more details on
geometric/kinematic configurations of industrial manipulators.

Figure 12 Manipulator classification.

Geometric/Kinematic Configurations of Manipulators

To be precise, the five geometric types in Figure 12 belong to serial link manipulators for which
the links form an open kinematic chain. Contrary to these are parallel link manipulators, whose
links form closed kinematic chains. An example of a parallel link manipulator is the delta robot
showed in Figure 7. In this course, the focus is on serial link manipulators.

Kinematically, these manipulators consist of an arm for positioning the end-effector in the
workspace and a wrist for orienting the end-effector as indicated in Figure 13 for a three-joint
arm with a spherical wrist. The kinematic description/naming convention of these manipulators
is normally based on the first three joints with respect to the robot base that make up the arm.
This is represented as a tuple of R’s and/or P’s indicating the type of joints. Next, we look at
the different arm geometric configurations and their joint types.

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 Figure 13 Manipulator arm and wrist. The number of joints for both can vary.

Articulated Manipulators (RRR)

(KUKA KR 500 R2830)

Spherical Manipulators (RRP)

(The Stanford arm)

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SCARA Manipulators (RRP)

SCARA stands for Selective Compliant Articulated Robot for Assembly.

(Epson Synthis T6)

Cylindrical Manipulators (RPP)

(Seiko RT3300 Manipulator)

Cartesian Manipulators (PPP)

(Cartesian robot by Santdai)

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Applications of Industrial Manipulators

The most common industrial applications of manipulator robots are in manufacturing, where
they support material handling, process operations, and assembly and inspection.

Material handling: move material or parts from one place to another

These are categorized into:

Material transfer applications

• Pick and place

Figure 14 Pick and place robot. (Licensed under CC BY-SA-NC)

• Palletising

Figure 15 Manipulator loading boxes on a pallet.

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Machine loading applications

• Die casting
• Plastic moulding
• Press working
• Metal machining
• Forging
• Stamping

Processing operations: work on a workpiece

Figure 16 Car production manipulators performing different operations on the chassis.

These include:

• Welding

Figure 17 Welding manipulators.

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 • Spray painting

Figure 18 Spray painting manipulator. (Licensed under CC BY-SA)

• Cutting, grinding and deburring

Figure 19 Manipulator cutting through a pipe with a gas cutting torch.

Assembly and inspection: During assembly, the robot mounts parts on a base part. For
inspection, the robot uses a probe to examine the workpiece for quality assurance or just
supports the process of examining the workpieces through loading and unloading of parts into
an inspection machine. Assembly systems include a manipulator, base part transfer system
and part feeders.

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Literature:
Spong, M. W., Hutchinson, S., & Vidyasagar, M. (2020). Robot modeling and control. John
Wiley & Sons. (Location: Paul-Bonatz-Straße, Call number: 55XRW2441).
Siciliano, B., & Khatib, O. (2016). Robotics and the Handbook. In Springer Handbook of
Robotics (pp. 1-6). Springer, Cham.

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