Basic Parts or Elements of A Robot

Basic Parts or Elements of a Robot
Getting straight to the point, for a robot to be mobile (which can move), it should have some
basic systems as mentioned below.
1. Locomotion System – This system defines how the robot moves. Whether it’s translatory
motion, rotator motion, etc. Using this system, you can make your robot move forward,
backward, right, left, climb up/down, etc. To accomplish this, we need devices which convert
electrical energy into mechanical energy. Such devices are called actuators and the most popular
actuator is the DC Motor.
2. Power Supply System – For a robot to work, we need a power supply. For robotic
applications (in fact most major applications), we need DC supply (usually 5V, 9V, 12V DC,
sometimes goes as high as 18V, 24V, 36V, etc. as per your requirement). The best way for this is
to use a battery (as it provides DC supply directly) or use an SMPS/Eliminator to convert AC to
DC and then use it. But voltage is not the only thing that matters while choosing a proper supply.
Your power source should also be able to supply sufficient current to drive all the loads
connected to it, directly or indirectly.
3. Actuator System – As described above, actuators are devices which bring about the
locomotion of the robot. There are many actuators used like DC Motors, Stepper Motors, Servo
Motors, etc. The way they are connected together, their circuit diagram, their location,
orientation, position, etc. everything comes under Actuator System.
4. Sensor System – In order for the robot to interact with the physical world, we need to
introduce sensors (which can measure physical parameters like temperature, pressure, heat, radio
waves, IR waves, etc). These sensor systems provide a feedback from the real world to the
digital world (embedded electronics), which are processed and the robot takes the decision
accordingly.
5. Signal Processing System – The data from the sensors and other electrical and digital signals
need to be processed, so that the robot analyzes the situation and makes its moves. For this, we
introduce electronic components to process the signals. The components can be any
analog/digital device, or even a microcontroller.
5. Control System – This is the major governing system of the robot. Every system that is present
inside the robot and functioning can be represented in form of a control system (open-loop and
closed-loop).
Manipulator
An industrial robot is comprised of a robot manipulator, power supply, and controllers. Robotic
manipulators can be divided into two sections, each with a different function: Robot Arm and
Body.
The arm and body of a robot are used to move and position parts or tools within a work
envelope. They are formed from three joints connected by large links.
End Effectors
An end effector is usually attached to the robot’s wrist, and it allows the robot to accomplish a
specific task. This means that end effectors are generally custom-engineered and fabricated for
each different operation. There are two general categories of end effectors viz. grippers and
tools.
Grippers grasp and manipulate the objects during the work cycle. Typically objects that grasped
are the work parts which need to be loaded or unloaded from one station to another. Grippers
may be custom-designed to suit the physical specifications of work parts. Various end-effectors,
grippers are summarized in Table.
Type Description
Mechanical gripper Two or more fingers which are actuated by
robot controller to open and close on a
workpart.
Vacuum gripper Suction cups are used to hold flat objects.
Magnetized devices Based on the principle of magnetism. These
are used for holding ferrous workparts.
Adhesive devices By deploying adhesive substances, these
are used to hold flexible materials, such as
fabric.
Simple mechanical devices Hooks and scoops.
Dual grippers It is a mechanical gripper with two gripping
devices in one end-effecter. It is used for
machine loading and unloading. It reduces
cycle time per part by gripping two
workparts at the same time.
Interchangeable fingers Mechanical gripper with an arrangement to
have modular fingers to accommodate
different sizes workpart.
Sensory feedback fingers Mechanical gripper with sensory feedback
capabilities in the fingers to aid locating the
workpart; and to determine correct grip
force to apply (for fragile workparts).
Multiple fingered grippers Mechanical gripper as per the general
anatomy of human hand.
Standard grippers Mechanical grippers that are commercially
available, thus reducing the need to custom-
design a gripper for separate robot
applications.
The robot end effecter may also use tools. Tools are used to perform processing operations on
the workpart. Typically the robot uses the tool relative to a stationary or slowly-moving object.
For example, spot welding, arc welding, and spray painting robots use a tool for processing the
respective operation. Tools also can be mounted at robotic manipulator spindle to carry out
machining work such as drilling, routing, grinding, etc.

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