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i + PARTS OF ROBOTS
As you all know, a robot is a programmable machine capable of performing tasks and interacting
with its surroundings. Robotics is the science and technology behind designing, manufacturing,
and applying robots. Robots cannot do anything by themselves. Different parts of Robots are
meant to perform different tasks.
First, let us understand the difference between humans and robots.
Essential Parts of Robots
Humans have set body parts, whereas robots have body parts according to their needs. This is
the reason robots come in different sizes and shapes. Industrial robots look very different from
Astronaut robots.
Let us study about some of the essential parts of Robots.
Manipulator
The robot’s Manipulator is just like a
Wrist
Hand
human arm and has several joints and
links. They are electronically controlled End Effector
Elbow Wrist
devices consisting of multiple sections. Shoulder
A manipulator uses strong links
connected by joints with one fixed end
and one free end to perform a given
Shoulder Elbow
job, such as moving a box from one
Robotic Arm Human Arm
location to another.
End Effector
End effector is fixed at the end of the
manipulator. Manipulators are usually set and
End effectors are free to end. They are expected
to perform the tasks traditionally performed
by human fingers and palm of a human hand.
The end effectors usually do the work. They are
attached to the robot’s wrist and controlled
through a computer.
Different types of End Effectors
There are mainly two categories of end effectors which are grippers and tools. Gripper, at the
end of a robotic arm, is the most commonly used end effector in various robots like Mars rovers
in the form of hammers and shovels. On the other hand, Medical robots have specialised end
effectors such as tools for cutting in surgery and suturing incisions.
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