Anatomy of a Robotic Arm

Collaborative robotic arms (cobots) are engineered to perform specific tasks swiftly, accurately, and efficiently. These motor-driven devices comprise a series of joints, links, and manipulators, allowing them to execute repetitive processes with speed and precision.

Robotic arms have been inspired by anthropomorphic design, which refers to creating machines and devices that mimic the form and functionality of the human body. In the context of robotic arms, this means designing arms that resemble human arms in appearance and freedom of movement. The advantage of this design approach lies in several key factors. First it can foster more intuitive interactions, Humans are naturally adept at understanding and interacting with objects that resemble themselves. By designing robotic arms to look and move like human arms, engineers ensure that these machines are more intuitive to operate and collaborate with. Secondly it can bring ergonomic efficiency, the human arm has evolved to perform a wide range of tasks with efficiency and precision. Mimicking this design allows robotic arms to inherit these capabilities, enabling them to perform complex and delicate operations. And finally it offers versatility, a human-like design allows robotic arms to utilize tools and interfaces designed for human use. This compatibility expands the range of tasks a robotic arm can perform without the need for extensive modifications to existing tools or environments.

A typical collaborative robotic arm system consists of four main components: the robotic arm itself, an end effector that is fixed at the end of the arm and acts as a hand, a controller that manages inputs/outputs and drives the motors, and finally a teach pendant serving as the user interface.

The Robotic arm is basically composed of joints and links. Joints are motor activated parts that rotate, they typically have one degree of freedom. The links are the physical element between joints, their length defines the reach of the robot.