COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Department of Industrial Engineering and Technology

ELEX 105 – Industrial Robotics

First Semester, A.Y. 2020-2021

MODULE 1 – FUNDAMENTALS OF ROBOTICS

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this module, you should be able to:

1. determine the fundamentals of robotics;

2. define the industrial robots;
3. and understand the process and functions of industrial robotics;

INSTRUCTIONS TO THE LEARNER:

1. This module contains pre-test to be answered first which aims to help the reader
have an idea for the topics to be explained.
2. After answering the pre-test, wait for the feedback or the score before proceeding
to the learning activities.
3. In the learning activities, read and analyze carefully the topics and its content. The
instructor may set a meeting for a discussion of the topics.
4. Answer the post-test and wait for the feedback after answering the mentioned
post-test.

1
PRE-TEST: Encircle the letter of the correct answer. (2pts each).

1. Presence of _______ totally revolutionized the industrial environment in

just a few decades.

a. Robot
b. Sensor
c. Switches
d. End effector

2. Connects to the robot's arm and functions as a hand.

a. End effector
b. Robotic Arm
c. CPU
d. Sensor

3. Allow the industrial robotic arm to receive feedback about its

environment.

a. Sensor
b. CPU
[Link] Arm
d. Pneumatics

PRE-TEST FEEDBACK:
____________________________________________________________

2
 Learning Activities

CONTENT OF THE MODULE

Industrial Robots
Industrial robotics is a branch of robotics that gained paramount importance in
the last century. The presence of robots totally revolutionized the industrial
environment in just a few decades. In this paper, a brief history of industrial robotics
in the 20th century will be presented, and a proposal for classifying the evolution of
industrial robots into four generations is set forward.
The characteristics of the robots belonging to each generation are mentioned,
and the evolution of their features is described. The most significant milestones of the
history of industrial robots, from the 1950’s to the end of the century, are mentioned,
together with a description of the most representative industrial robots that were
designed and manufactured in those decades.

Brief History of Robotics

The origin of the term “robot” is placed in more recent times: namely, it comes
from the Czech word “robota”, meaning “heavy work” or “forced labour”. The
introduction of this term is due to the Czech writer Karel Čapek (1890-1938), who
used it for the first time in 1920 in his novel “R.U.R.: Rossum’s Universal Robots”

The First Generation of Industrial Robots (1950 - 1967)

The first generation of industrial robot spans from 1950 to 1967. The robots of
this generation were basically programmable machines that did not have the ability to
really control the modality of task execution; moreover, they had no communication
with the external environment. With respect to the hardware, the first generation
robots were provided with low-tech equipment, and servo-controllers were not
present (Wallen, 2008)
A peculiar feature of these robots is the strong noise they produced, when their
arms collided with the mechanical stops built to limit the movement of the axes. With
respect to the actuators, almost all the first generation robots employed pneumatic
actuators and were controlled by a sort of “logic gates” acting as automatic

3
regulators. Such “logic gates” were basically cams which activated pneumatic valves,
or relays which controlled solenoid valves. Finally, the tasks that the first generation
robots were capable to perform were necessarily quite trivial, such as loading-
unloading or simple material handling operations.
A peculiar feature of these robots is the strong noise they produced, when their
arms collided with the mechanical stops built to limit the movement of the axes. With
respect to the actuators, almost all the first generation robots employed pneumatic
actuators and were controlled by a sort of “logic gates” acting as automatic
regulators. Such “logic gates” were basically cams which activated pneumatic valves,
or relays which controlled solenoid valves. Finally, the tasks that the first generation
robots were capable to perform were necessarily quite trivial, such as loading-
unloading or simple material handling operations

Picture of a First Generation Robotic Arm.

Timeline of Robot Generations

• Versatran, designed by Harry Johnson and Veljko Milenkovic, and manufactured

and marketed by AMF Corporation in 1960.
• UNIMATE, manufactured by Unimation, was the first industrial robot to be used
by a major manufacturer. It was installed by General Motors in its New Jersey
plant in 1962.

4
 • Famulus, developed by German robotics company KUKA in 1973, had six
electromechanically-driven axes.
• The Silver Arm, developed by Prof. Victor Scheinman in 1974, was capable of
performing small-parts assembly jobs using feedback from touch and pressure
sensors. Its industrial version, manufactured by Vicarm Inc, founded by
Scheinman, was controlled by a minicomputer.
• ASEA IRB, built by a European company called ASEA in 1975, was the world’s
first fully electrically driven robot. It was also the first microprocessor-controlled
robot and used Intel’s first chipset.
• Motoman L10, the first robot developed by Yaskawa America Inc. in 1977, had
five axes and was able to move 10kg of weight with its gripper.
• PUMA, a robot arm designed by Prof. Victor Scheinman and developed by
Vicarm, Unimation with support from General Motors in 1978, was used in
assembly lines and is still used by researchers today.
• Nachi Robotics of Japan developed the first servo gun technology robot for spot
welding in 1979.
• OTC Japan introduced the first generation of dedicated arc welding robots in
1979

Modern Industrial Robots (1980 – Present Day)

From 1980, industrial robots began to be made in large numbers, with a new
robot being introduced in the market at the rate of one a month. These robots are
microprocessor-controlled and are smarter and have a higher degree of operational
freedom.

Some notable developments in this stage are:

 The first robotic arm with motors installed directly into the joints of its arm. It
was built by Takeo Kanade in 1981. This design made it faster and more
accurate than previous robotic arms.
 Yaskawa America Inc. introduced the Motoman ERC control system in 1988. It
had the ability to control up to 12 axes, the highest number of axes at the time.

5
  FANUC Robotics Corporation built a prototype of the first intelligent robot in
1992.
 Motoman ERC control system was upgraded in 1994 to give the ability to
control up to 21 axes. It could synchronize the motions of two robots.
 The Motoman XRC controller introduced in 1998 had the ability to control up to
27 axes. This gave it the ability to synchronize the motions of three to four
robots.
 In 1998, the Motoman UP series introduced a simpler robot arm that was more
easily accessible for repair and maintenance.
 The Almega AX series, introduced by OTC DAIHEN in 2003, is a line of arc
welding and handling robots

Components of an Industrial Robot

An industrial robot arm includes these main parts:
 Controller
 Arm
 End Effector
 Drive
 Sensor

Controller

The controller is the "brain" of the industrial robotic arm and allows the parts of
the robot to operate together. It works as a computer and allows the robot to also be
connected to other systems. The robotic arm controller runs a set of instructions
written in code called a program. The program is inputted with a teach pendant. Many
of today's industrial robot arms use an interface that resembles or is built on the
Windows operating system.

Industrial Robotic Arm

Industrial robot arms can vary in size and shape. The industrial robot arm is the
part that positions the end effector. With the robot arm, the shoulder, elbow, and wrist

6
move and twist to position the end effector in the exact right spot. Each of these joints
gives the robot another degree of freedom. A simple robot with three degrees of
freedom can move in three ways: up & down, left & right, and forward & backward.
Many industrial robots in factories today are six axis robots.

End Effector

The end effector connects to the robot's arm and functions as a hand. This part
comes in direct contact with the material the robot is manipulating. Some variations of
an effector are a gripper, a vacuum pump, magnets, and welding torches. Some
robots are capable of changing end effectors and can be programmed for different
sets of tasks.

Drive

The drive is the engine or motor that moves the links into their designated
positions. The links are the sections between the joints. Industrial robot arms
generally use one of the following types of drives: hydraulic, electric, or pneumatic.
Hydraulic drive systems give a robot great speed and strength. An electric
system provides a robot with less speed and strength. Pneumatic drive systems are
used for smaller robots that have fewer axes of movement. Drives should be
periodically inspected for wear and replaced if necessary.

Sensors

Sensors allow the industrial robotic arm to receive feedback about its
environment. They can give the robot a limited sense of sight and sound. The sensor
collects information and sends it electronically to the robot controlled.

One use of these sensors is to keep two robots that work closely together from
bumping into each other. Sensors can also assist end effectors by adjusting for part
variances. Vision sensors allow a pick and place robot to differentiate between items
to choose and items to ignore.

7
8
POST-TEST: (1 point each)

1. It connects to the robot's arm and functions as a hand.

a. Controller
b. End Effector
c. Drive
d. Sensors

2. The "brain" of the industrial robotic arm and allows the parts of the
robot to operate together.

a. Controller
b. End Effector
c. Drive
d. Sensors

3. Allow the industrial robotic arm to receive feedback about its

environment. They can give the robot a limited sense of sight and
sound.

a. Robotic Arm
b. End effector
c. Drive
d. Sensor

4. The engine or motor that moves the links into their designated
positions.

a. Robotic Arm
b. End effector
c. Drive
d. Sensor

5. The part that positions the end effector.

a. Robotic Arm
b. End Effector
c. Drive
d. Sensor

POST-TEST FFEDBACK:
____________________________________________________

9
 REFERENCES

Groover, M. (1986). Industrial Robotics: Technology, Programming and Applications.

Hegde, G. (2007). A textbook of Industrial Robotics

Ross, L. Walach, M. Fardo, S. (2017) Industrial Robotics Fundamentals: Theory and

Application

Park, F. Lynch, K. (2017) Modern Robotics: Mechanics, Planning, and Control.

10