Year 10 Robotics

a) Write down the 5 main parts of robot and give an explanation on each, including what specific function does the part perform, what does this allow the robot to do?

Brain/Controller

The brain is the central computer which controls the robots movements and processing. It sends the electrical signals that initiates the movement of the arm, legs or end effector by processing information from the sensors and deciding when to get out of the way of an object or to deciding when to move a drill onto a screw.

Drive
The drive is the motor which moves the arms and the end effector. Without the drive, the brain would not function and the arms and end effector would not be able to move. There will usually be much more than one drive in larger robots, as they need a greater force to move or to lift heavier objects.

Arm
The arm is the part of the robot that protrudes from the robot which has the end effector attached to the end of it. The arm is almost always articulated, meaning that, at certain point, the arm as joints in it so that it can turn and twist to reach an object. The arm also has pressure sensors and optical sensors on it to tell the brain when the end effector has touched the object.

The End Effector
This part of a robot is the claw, clamp or fingers on the end of an arm of a robot. It enables the robot to grasp and pick up things. It can usually manipulate its shape in various areas just like the joints on a human hand and it will usually have pressure sensors on it to tell the brain when it has touched an object.

Sensor/s
The sensor, or sensors, are optical or pressure sensors which tell the contoller where the arm is, where objects are and if the robot is touching something. The sensors are usually located at the end of the arm of a mechainical robot, and if on a robot that moves its location, such as a humaniod robot, the sensors are on the arms, legs(also called arms), and usually on the torso or head.

b) Write down the 6 degrees of freedom.

The six degrees of freedom are:

Refrences:

Six degrees of freedom [internet] Answers.com, USA. Available From: http://www.answers.com/topic/six-degrees-of-freedom?cat=technology

Robot Arm: [Internet], “Robot Arm“ http://www.geekalerts.com/robot-arm/

Robot Brain: [Internet], “Exhibit Research”  www.exhibitresearch.com/tilden/

Robot Drive: [Internet], “Robot Parts”  http://www.robotshop.ca/robot-parts.html

Robot Sensors: [Internet], ” Sensors” http://www.robotshop.ca/sensors.html

Robot End Effector: [Internet], “Rational Gripper”  http://www.dimec.unige.it/PMAR/pages/research/robot/grippers/rotational%20gripper.htm