The document provides a history of robotics, describing how robots were first depicted in fiction in the 1920s play R.U.R. and Isaac Asimov devised robot laws of behavior in 1950. It discusses the first successful programmable robot developed by George Devol in 1954. The document also summarizes the main types of industrial robots including manipulators, loading devices, and freely programmable robots. It provides examples of early industrial robots like Unimate and describes key components and processes of industrial robot systems.
2. HISTORY OF ROBOTICS
• Like most other technological marvels, Robot is also an imaginary work
from a Czech play “R.U.R” by Karel Capek in 1921.
• The first ever description for a robot was given by Isaac Asimov in his
science fiction stories in 1950. He devised laws of a robot.
1. A robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allow a human
being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such
orders would conflict with the first law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not
conflict with the first and second laws.
• Although many attempts were made, the first
successful programmable robot was developed by
George Devol in 1954.
The depiction of the humanoid robot in the play R.U.R (Rosumovi Umeli
Roboti) by Karel Capek. The play is about a company ‘Rossum’s Universal
Robots’ which produces these machines. These machines subsequently
overthrow society and destroy humanity.
3. INDUSTRIAL ROBOT
• Robots are basically created to handle material or tool to perform various
functions / operations.
ROBOTS
Manual control
Teleoperators /
Manipulators
Program Control
Fixed programming
Loading devices
Free programming
INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS
4. INDUSTRIAL ROBOT
Manipulators / teleoperators
• These are robots that have a master-slave system.
• The slave system replicates or amplifies the motion
input given by the master system which is controlled
by the human operator.
• The manipulators are manually controlled and are
capable of working with extreme payloads and
environmental conditions which may prove harmful
to the human beings.
• These manipulators are used where the machine is
supposed to work in an environment which is not
pre-defined.
The Space Shuttle’s Remote Manipulator System—known to its builders as
Canadarm—is a 50-foot robot arm used to deploy, retrieve or repair
satellites in orbit.
ex. Aerospace applications.
DONALD F ADAMSKY and his “slave system”
5. INDUSTRIAL ROBOT
Loading devices
• They work on a fixed program (say pick and drop)
• They are actuated by limit switches
• Used majorly in packing industries, assembly lines.
• The same handling task is repeated for a long period of time, hence fixed
programming is used
6. INDUSTRIAL ROBOT
• An industrial robot is a freely programmable handling device.
• Motion sequences of the robot can be programmed.
• The robot program can be thought via the teach pendent.
• Complex spatial motions sequences are possible. (Linear3D, circular 3D,
spline motion etc.)
7. UNIMATE-THE FIRST INDUSTRIAL
ROBOT
• Developed by George Devol
• It was developed in Universal
Automation (Unimation, America.)
• Electronically controlled, Hydraulic
heavy lifting robot
• 4 degrees of freedom
• RRTR type
• The base link is capable of rotating
about the base axis and is pivoted
to the base.
• The arm is capable of translating to
and fro (hydraulic actuation)
• The wrist is capable of rotating
about the wrist axis.
• First installed in General Motors in
1962. It was used to take hot metal
pieces out of a metal press and
stacking them.
Unimate carrying a casted component
8. KUKA ROBOTS (KR16)
• KUKA Roboter GmbH is a German based robotics industry that has
been producing industrial robots since 1973.
• The KUKA engineering works founded in Augsburg by Hans Keller
and Jakob Knappich in 1898. Hence the name KUKA (Keller Und
Knappich, Augsburg)
• Its robots are named as KRxx meaning KUKA robot with xx payload
capacity.
• KR 16 is a low payload robot with 16 Kgs payload capacity.
9. MAIN COMPONENTS OF AN
INDUSTRIAL ROBOT SYSTEM
1. ROBOT CONTROLLER
• It is the brain of the robotic system.
• It contains the computer which contains control drives, safety drives, motion drives and
input/output relay interfaces.
2. ROBOT CONTROL PANNEL
• It is the communication interface between the human and the robot.
• It contains simple keys/ joy pads through which the robot can be thought , calibrated and
programmed
3. THE ROBOT
• The end mechanical linkages which move with respect to each other to produce an end
effect.
• It is generally driven by electric motors, but a few hydraulic and pneumatic actuated
robots exist.
10. ROBOT AXES
A1- Base axis
A2-Link axis
A3-arm Axis
A4-Wrist roll axis
A5-Wrist pitch axis
A6- Wrist yaw axis
How many axes /degrees of freedom must a robot
contain?
• For achieving a freely selected orientation and
position of the end effector, minimum of 6 degrees
of freedom is required.
• The robots with less than 6 degrees of freedom are
called globally degenerated system.
• The robots with more than 6 degrees of freedom/
more than 6 axes are called redundant systems.
• Redundant systems are developed just to give the
user, more flexibility in controlling a robot.
• Redundant systems consume more power, more
resources when compared to its 6 axis counterparts.
11. CO-ORDINATE SYSTEMS
1. ROB ROOT COORDINATE SYSTEM
• The Cartesian coordinate system
with the origin located at the base
center of the robot.
2. WORLD COORDINATE SYSTEM
• The Cartesian coordinate system
with any point in the world which
always remains stationary with
respect to the robot as the origin.
3. BASE COORDINATE SYSTEM
• The Cartesian coordinate system in
which any point on the work piece
is selected as the origin.
4. TOOL COORDINATE SYSTEM
• It is the Cartesian coordinate system in which the TCP (tool center point) is taken as
the origin.
• It is different from other coordinate systems as the origin is dynamic in this case.
12. PROCESS OF THE ROBOT CONTROL
ROBOT
CONTROLLER
ROBOT
CONTROL
DRIVES
SIGNALS TO
ELECTRIC
MOTORS
MOTION OF
THE ROBOT
AXES
ENCODER
FEEDBACK
13. TOOL CALIBRATION
• TOOL CALIBRATION is the process of setting
the tool center point for a particular tool.
• By default, the TCP will be located at the
flange center as shown.
• After tool calibration, the Flange center
point is translated to the TCP by an offset
“d” called the tool distance. (4 point
method)
• Orientation of the tool is then set by
moving the tool, manually along the
desired axis as shown in the figure. (ABC 5
point method)
• By the methods depicted above, the robot learns the tool origin and the co-ordinate
system. Hence, when a program is executed the TCP is approximated
along the path.
• Maximum of 16 tool data can be saved in a KR 16 system.
14. BASE CALIBRATION
• Similar to the tool calibration, the
robot system must also be aware of
the orientation of the work piece or
base.
• Moreover it is convenient to work
with Base coordinate systems as the
operations are specified with respect
to the work piece in this system .
• The robot control unit saves the
origin of the work piece and the
orientation in space with respect to
the World coordinate system.
• ABC 2 point method is used to calibrate the base. The user must specify
the location of the origin and any point on the –ve X direction, +y direction
respectively.
15. MOTION TYPES
PTP motion CIRC motion LIN motion
Point to point motion in
Circular trajectory motion in
which robot TCP follows the
which the robot TCP can
fastest possible path to
traverse along the circular
travel from one point to
path made by three user
another
defined points in 3D space
Linear trajectory motion in
which the robot TCP can
traverse the straight line
joining two user defined
points.
18. LIMITATIONS AND AREAS OF
DEVELOPMENT
LIMITATIONS
The robots do not have sense of their environment
The robots are still hazardous, hence kept in closed fences
The robots are limited to specific motion sequences
AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT
The robot systems can be developed such that they are aware of their surroundings
The robot safety protocols are still to be improvised
New motion sequences inspired by human arms must be conceptualized and
algorithms must be developed to write a robot’s own motion sequence
19. CONCLUSION
• Just like the industrial revolution, automation and robotics
are the next upgrade to the industrial revolution.
• People mistake automation for eliminating manual labor.
But automation is not something that can work on its own,
without the involvement of humans. Automation is
something that enhances humans to increase the
productivity by accomplishing routine tasks in lesser cycle
time, without the interference of human labor.
• Moreover automation is a job shifter rather than a job
killer.
• As engineers, it is mandatory for us to learn the upcoming
technology involved in automation.