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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
Wrist
a human arm and has several joints Hand
and links. They are electronically
End Effector
controlled devices consisting of Elbow Wrist
Shoulder
multiple sections. A manipulator
uses strong links connected by
joints with one fixed end and one
free end to perform a given job, Shoulder Elbow
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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