Various Components of Robots

The robot controller must know the location of the joints or move the actuators based on the input signal, primarily provided by sensors.

FREMONT, CA: Robots can work amid radiation, darkness, heat, cold, and ocean bottoms without life support or comfort. Robots help in improving safety, efficiency, quality, and consistency. Robots need no lights, air conditioning, ventilation, or noise protection. Robots never tire or get bored. Robots are always precise and do better than humans in all conditions. Robots can multitask, whereas humans can't. As a whole, a robot comprises the following components that integrate to make a unit.

Manipulator: The manipulator is the primary body of the robot and consists of the robot's linkages, joints, and other structural components. A manipulator is a structure in which all other significant components are fixed. The manipulator by itself is insufficient to qualify as a robot.

End effector: This component is coupled to the last joint (Hand) of a manipulator that, in general, handles items, lifts components, connects to other machines, or performs the necessary activities. A robot's hand has provisions for attaching end effectors tailored for a specific task. The design of the end effector may vary based on the application's specific requirements. Robots use a variety of end effectors, including welding torches, paint spray guns, glue-laying devices, and part handlers.

Actuators: Actuators acts as the muscles of manipulators. Actuators only move robot joints and connections in response to signals received from controllers. Robots frequently employ Servomotors, Stepper Motors, Pneumatic Actuators, and Hydraulic Actuators as Actuators. Actuators are primarily under the control of the controller.

Sensors: Sensors acquire information about the robot's internal status and communicate with the outside world. The robot controller must know the location of the joints or move the actuators based on the input signal, primarily provided by sensors. Depending on the signal, feedback, or procedure, sensors are incorporated into robots where actuation is required in each location. Every action for the exterior environment is determined only by sensor signals. It could be touch, tactile, visual, and so on.

Controller: The controller is analogous to the cerebellum in humans; it lacks brain power yet governs all motions. All of the robot's movements were processed solely by its controller. This controller receives the essential sensory inputs to govern the coordination, actuator, and joint link motions. Without a controller, precise robot activities are impossible.

Processor: The processor is considered the robot's brain. It calculates all motion, including the required speed for reaching the target, and verifies the function's coordination points. Typically, the processor is a computer designed specifically for the robots in question. An operating system, monitor, and other peripherals are required for operation control. In some systems, the controller and processor are combined; in others, they are separated. The user's needs determine the choice of processor.

Software: Robots use three software groups: operating systems, robotics, and application programs. Processors use operating systems, and automated software calculates joint motion based on the robot's inverse kinematic equations. The controller receives this. Robotic software ranges from machine language to high-tech robot language.