INTRODUCTION TO ROBOTS

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INTRODUCTION TO ROBOTS
Source http//www.fanucrobotics.co.uk/products/ro
bots/detail.asp?id89
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INTRODUCTION

• The robots of the movies, such as C-3PO and the
  Terminator are portrayed as fantastic,
  intelligent, even dangerous forms of artificial
  life.
• Today, we find most robots working for people in
  factories, warehouses, and laboratories. In the
  future, robots may show up in other places our
  schools, our homes, even our bodies.
• Robots have the potential to change our economy,
  our health, our standard of living, our knowledge
  and the world in which we live.

Source www.terminator3.com
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ROBOT BASICS

• Most robots are designed to be a helping hand.
  They help people with tasks that would be
  difficult, unsafe, or boring for a real person to
  do alone.
• At its simplest, a robot is machine that can be
  programmed to perform a variety of jobs, which
  usually involve moving or handling objects.
  Robots can range from simple machines to highly
  complex, computer-controlled devices.

Source http//www.robotics-technology.com/robots
/fanuc/index.html
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TODAYS APPLICATIONS

• 90 of all robots used today are found in
  factories. These kind of robots are referred to
  as industrial robots. Although many kinds of
  robots can be found in manufacturing today,
  jointed arm robots are particularly useful and
  common.
• Ten years ago, 9 out of 10 robots were being
  bought by auto companies - now, only 50 of
  robots made today are bought by car
  manufacturers.
• Robots are slowly finding their way into
  warehouses, laboratories, research and
  exploration sites, energy plants, hospitals, even
  outer space.

Source www.robotics-technology.com/robots/abb/ind
ex.html
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WHY ROBOTS?

• Robots are useful in industry for a variety of
  reasons. In today's economy, a business needs to
  be efficient to keep up with the competition.
  Installing robots is often a way business owners
  can be more competitive, because robots can do
  some things more efficiently than people.
• Robots never get sick or need to rest, so they
  can work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• When the task required would be dangerous for a
  person, they can be do the work instead.
• Robots don't get bored, so work that is
  repetitive and unrewarding is no problem for a
  robot.

Source http//www.robotics-technology.com/robots
/fanuc/index.html
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EVERYDAY ROBOT TASKS

• Although robots can't do every type of job, there
  are certain tasks robots do very well
• Assembling products
• Handling dangerous materials
• Spraying finishes
• Inspecting parts, produce, and livestock
• Cutting and polishing

Source http//www.robotics-technology.com/robots
/staeubli/index.html
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5 MAIN PARTS

• For a machine to qualify as a robot, it usually
  needs these 5 parts
• Controller
• Arm
• Drive
• End Effector
• Sensor

Source http//www.thetech.org/exhibits_events/on
line/robots/5main/5main.html
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CONTROLLER

• Every robot is connected to a computer, which
  keeps the pieces of the arm working together.
  This computer is known as the controller.
• The controller functions as the "brain" of the
  robot. The controller also allows the robot to be
  networked to other systems, so that it may work
  together with other machines, processes, or
  robots.

Source http//www.thetech.org/exhibits_events/on
line/robots/5main/5main.html
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ARM

• Robot arms come in all shapes and sizes. The arm
  is the part of the robot that positions the
  end-effector and sensors to do their
  pre-programmed business.
• Many (but not all) resemble human arms, and have
  shoulders, elbows, wrists, even fingers. This
  gives the robot a lot of ways to position itself
  in its environment. Each joint is said to give
  the robot 1 degree of freedom.

Source http//www.thetech.org/exhibits_events/on
line/robots/5main/5main.html
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DRIVE

• The drive is the "engine" that drives the links
  (the sections between the joints into their
  desired position. Without a drive, a robot would
  just sit there, which is not often helpful. Most
  drives are powered by air, water pressure, or
  electricity.

Source http//www.thetech.org/exhibits_events/on
line/robots/5main/5main.html
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END - EFFECTOR

• The end-effector is the "hand" connected to the
  robot's arm. It is often different from a human
  hand - it could be a tool such as a gripper, a
  vacuum pump, tweezers, scalpel, blowtorch - just
  about anything that helps it do its job. Some
  robots can change end-effectors, and be
  reprogrammed for a different set of tasks.
• If the robot has more than one arm, there can be
  more than one end-effector on the same robot,
  each suited for a specific task.

Source http//www.thetech.org/exhibits_events/on
line/robots/5main/5main.html
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SENSOR

• The sensor sends information, in the form of
  electronic signals back to the controller.
  Sensors also give the robot controller
  information about its surroundings and lets it
  know the exact position of the arm, or the state
  of the world around it.

Source http//www.thetech.org/exhibits_events/on
line/robots/5main/5main.html
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DEGREES OF FREEDOM

• In order to reach any possible point in space
  within its work envelope, a robot needs a total
  of 6 degrees of freedom. Each direction a joint
  can go gives an arm 1 degree. As a result, many
  robots of today are designed to move in at least
  6 ways.
• Some robots have 8, 12, or even 20 degrees of
  freedom, but these 6 are enough for most basic
  tasks. As a result, most jointed-arm robots in
  use today have 6 degrees of freedom.

Source http//www.thetech.org/exhibits_events/on
line/robots/5main/5main.html