Robot arms are a broad subgroup in robotics. They differ in many parameters and applications.We do not need to introduce them to our Readers from the scratch.
But we will anyway. Ha.
Word “robot” brings loose associations. Many of us see a humanoid-shaped metallic dude. Robot arms are something else entirely, but they certainly fall into the category of those really advanced ones.
A quick review of robotic arm typologies brings us to such most common types:
- Articulated robots – robots of this type have rotary joints ranging from simple designs with two joints to arms with ten or more joints. The arm is connected to the base by a rotary joint. The links of the arm are connected by rotary joints. Each joint is called an axis and provides an additional degree of freedom, or range of motion. Robotic arms typically have four or six degrees of freedom.
- Cartesian robots – also called gantry robots. Cartesian robots have three linear joints that use the Cartesian coordinate system (X, Y, and Z). They may also have an attached “wrist” that allows rotational motion. Three prismatic joints provide linear motion along the axis. A 2D plotter or 3D printer can be used to illustrate how a Cartesian robot (though not a robotic arm) works.
- Cylindrical robots – have at least one rotary joint at the base and at least one prismatic joint connecting the links. The joint uses rotational motion along the axis, while the prismatic joint moves in a linear motion. They operate in a cylindrical workspace.
- SCARA robots – these selectively subordinated arms for component assembly are primarily of cylindrical design. They have two parallel joints that ensure compliance in one selected plane. In SCARA robots there is a linear actuator / linear drive that, among other things, enables lifting.
- Delta robots – spider-like robots built from interconnected parallelograms connected by a base. This robot configuration is often used in the food, pharmaceutical and electronics industries because of capability to perform delicate, precise movements. They are characterised by their exceptionally swift speed, too.
Increasingly common
Robot arms are becoming more affordable and are slowly extending their arms (wow, funny pun) not only to other economy sectors, but also finding a way into our homes. The times when only institutions and scientists in laboratories could count on using them are actually a thing of the past. Had your morning coffee already? Check those below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BJ3jXoEO2whttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7peziz6-sY
Their widespread use, much wider than ever before as we mentioned above, has been driven by the significant reduction in the cost of purchasing industrial models over the last decade. Arms are sometimes mounted on a desk or installed as part of a high-volume production line. So far we have found them in:
- in laboratories,
- in sample testing,
- in production and industrial automation,
- in the operation of machinery.
Parameters – which robot to buy?
At the end of the Dobot Magician V2 version with the AI Teaching Kit. It is such a two-in-one teaching: it will help understand the basics of robotics and artificial intelligence. The robot recognises letters, shapes and words with children. It’s so good at this that you could organise a competition – will it be better at this task than the kids? It is very possible.
At the end for a warm goodbye – the Dobot Magician V2 version with the AI Teaching Kit. And that’s a two-in-one teaching: Dobot not only helps to understand the basics of robotics, but the artificial intelligence, too. The robot recognises letters, shapes and words with children. It’s so good at this that you could organise a competition – will a robot be better at this task than the kids? It’s quite possible it will!
You can find more robots – and that includes robot arms, too – in the Botland store range.
