AFE BABALOLA UNIVERSITY, ADO-EKITI

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL AND MECHATRONICS ENGINEERING
2024/2025 ACADEMIC SESSION TUTORIAL QUESTIONS FOR
MCT 413: INTRODUCTION TO ROBOTICS
Q1.
What is a robot?
State the 4 laws of robots.
List and briefly describe 6 essential characteristics of robots.
List and briefly describe the 6 classes of robots according to the Japanese Industrial Robot Association.

Q2.
Out of the about 72 possible manipulators, the following five have been shown to be the important ones
based on their geometry:
(i) Selective compliant articulated robot for assembly (SCARA)
(ii) Anthropomorphic robot
(iii) Spherical manipulator
(iv) Cylindrical manipulator
(v) Cartesian manipulator
Using suitable diagrams or sketches, briefly describe the above five manipulators.

Q3.
Briefly describe the following terms in the context of the components and mechanisms of robotic
systems:
(i) Link (ii) Joint (iii) Manipulator (iv) Wrist
(v) End-effector (vi) Actuators (vii) Sensors (viii) Controller
(ix) Workspace (x) Frame (xi) Position (xii) Orientation

Q4.
The block diagram of a typical negative feedback nonlinear adaptive model-based predictive control
(NAMPC) strategy for robot design and control is shown in Figure 1.
(i) Define the term “block diagram” such as that shown in Figure 1?
(ii) State the function of each blocks in the diagram of Figure 1.

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 Digital Processing Unit (Digital World) Physical Environment (Analog World)

Constraints Disturbance ( d
( k ) )
First-Order
Digital Filter DAC GA(k) GS(k)
Adaptive U (k ) Q(k) True System S(k) Y (k )
+ Controller • • •
R (k ) – (GP(k))
(GC(k))
Y (k ) ADC
Actuator Sensor
e(k ) = R (k ) − β (k )
R '( k )
ε ( k ) = Y ( k ) − Yˆ ( k )
• + •
–

Yˆ ( k )
θˆ ( k ) Training
• (Learning) •
ϕ n (k ) Algorithm
b

TDL System
Model TDL
TDL (NNARMAX) ϕ n (k )
a

ϕ n (k )
c

ADC

β(k)
Transmitter Interface and Communication Protocols
(with Networking and Signal Conditioning Circuits)
(GT(k))

Physical Environment (Analog World)

Figure 1: The block diagram for a typical negative feedback nonlinear adaptive model-based predictive control (NAMPC)
strategy for robot design and control.

(iii) Describe the operation of the model-based control system shown in Figure 1.
(iv) Obtain the closed-loop transfer function for the block diagram of the model-based control system
shown in Figure 1.
(v) What is the main objective of the feedback control system shown in Figure 1.
(vi) Explain the statement “The sampling time of the feedback control system of Figure 1 is 2 minutes”.

Q5.
(a) Using a suitable block diagram, briefly describe how would build an intelligent robot with its associated
embedded system.
(b) Briefly distinguish between the pitch, roll and yaw angles of a robot manipulator.

Q6.
(a) Briefly discuss actuations in electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic robots with emphasis on their merits
and demerits where necessary.
(b) Distinguish between servo and non-servo robots.
(c) Distinguish between forward and inverse robot kinematics problems

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Q7. (Example 2.1 on page 29)
Determine the final position of the corner P(5, 30,
10) of the slab shown in Figure 2.4 after 30 degrees
rotation about the Z-axis, followed by 30 degrees
about the X-axis, and then 90 degrees about the Y-
axis.

Q8. (Example 2.5 on page 33)

The local rotation matrix after rotating 30 degrees
Figure 2.4: Corner P of the slab at first position.
about the z -axis, then rotates 30 degrees about the
x -axis, and then 30 degrees about the y-axis is
B
AG = Ay ,30 Ax ,30 Az ,30
 0.63 0.65 −0.43
=  −0.43 0.75 0.50 
 0.65 −0.125 0.75 

and therefore, the local coordinates of a sample point at X = 5, Y = 30, Z = 10.

Determine the Euler angles (φ, θ and ψ) of the corresponding precession-nutation- spin rotation matrix.

Q9. (Example 4.3 on page 44)

Position vector of point P1 at the tip of an robot arm shown in Figure 4.3(a) is at
G
rP1 = B rP1 = [1350 0 900]T mm. The robot arm rotates 60 degrees about the global Z-axis, and elongates

by d = 720.2iˆ mm . The final configuration of the robot arm is shown in Figure 4.3(b). Determine the
final global position of the tip of the robot arm.

Figure 4.3: A polar RP arm.

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Q10. (Example 5.3 on page 50)
(a) List and briefly define the four parameters upon which the Denavit-Hartenberg coordinate frame can
be identified.
(b) A PUMA manipulator shown in Figure 5.5 has R├R||R main revolute joints, ignoring the structure of
the end-effector of the robot. Coordinate frames attached to the links of the robot are indicated in the
Figure 5.5.

Figure 5.5: 3R PUMA manipulator and links coordinate frame.

(i) Construct the D-H table for this PUMA manipulator.

(ii) What are the physical meaning of zo, z1, and z2?

Q11. (Example 5.5 on page 52)

Briefly discuss the following robotic manipulator frames:
(i) Base frame (ii) Station frame (iii) Wrist frame (iv) Tool frame (v) Goal frame

Q12. (Example 5.6 on page 52)

(a) Two neighbouring robot coordinate frames can be brought into coincidence by several sequences of
translations and rotations. Briefly state four of these sequences of two rotations and two translations.
(b) State the four sequences of motions that could be employed to construct a transformation matrix
from coincident coordinate frames Bi and Bi-I at the current configuration of Bi-1, then move Bi to its
desired present position.

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Q13.
(a) State the two shortcomings of the Denavit-Hartenberg method. (Example 5.7 on page 53)
(b) The Sheth method can overcome the limitation of the D-H method for higher order links, by
introducing a number of frames equal to the number of joints on the link. It also provides more
flexibility to specify the link geometry compared to the D-H method. Based on the Sheth method,
list the 6 design Sheth parameters and state how these parameters can be determined. (Page 65)