Elements of Robotics – Moving a Machine Level 1

What are the basic components that make up a robot?

The core elements of a robot are quite intricate in and of themselves but can be broken down quite simply into 5 elements.

12.9.20

Moving a Robot – Actuators & Manipulators

Movement in a robot seems a no brainer. Of course, they move, going up, down, left, right, twisting, etc., just like us, right? However, one of the first, most basic aspects that is necessary for understanding robots is to examine the basics of how they accomplish these most generic of activities. In order to do this, we need to know the rudiments of two systems: actuators and manipulators.

For robots, it starts with a device known as an actuator. This is a tool that helps convert electrical energy into mechanical energy and creates linear or rotary motion.  

The second device involved is a manipulator. Manipulators are essentially created by linking together solid component parts and/or joints to allow motion between consecutive links. Manipulators are subdivided into two primary component systems: Arm/Body & Wrist.

Arm/Body assemblies include unifying joints (axes) with links (solid structures; rigid points of contact) used to move tools into a given environment.

The Wrist, on the other hand, (ha! so funny) is to orient tools once in the environment. Wrists contain multiple joints to supply a wider array of potential motion and therefore application.

The Arm/Body assembly comes in four possible combinations and the Wrist, two. That is a journey for next time though. Next week we’ll dive deeper into the Arm/Body assembly and then on December 23^rd, we’ll explore those wrist orientations! If you just can’t wait, we found a cool, mini-university to explore. Check it out here!

See you next time…