Manipulators, robotic

Vukobratovic, N., Stokic, D., Scient ic Fundamentals of Bobotics 2, Control of Manipulation Robots, Springer-Verlag, Berlin/New York, 1982. 

Potkonjak, V, Jaksic, N. Contribution to a computer-aided choice of d.c. motors for manipulation robots. Robotica, 4 37-41, 1986. 

Vukobratovic, M., Katie, D., Potkonjak, V. Computer-assisted choice of electrohydraulic servosystem for manipulation robots using complete mathematical models. Mechanism and Machine Theory, 22(5) 431 39, 1987. 

Examples of manipulation robots that support daily life activities (a) iARM (picture Exact Dynamics) and (b) the passive exoskeleton developed in the Multimodal Neuroprosthesis for Daily Upper Limb Support (MUNDUS) project. Surface electrodes for stimulation of the biceps and shoulder muscles are also shown. 

J. Lenarcic, U. Stanic, and P. Oblak (1989). "Some Kinematic Considerations for the Design of Robot Manipulators", Robotics Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, 5, 235-241. 

The Advanced Inspection Robot - AIR-1 is a portable (weight approx. 25 kg.) 6-axis articulated elbow type robot manipulator with 6 degrees of freedom. It is build from standard motor and control module components from FORCE Institutes Modular Scanner System and is controlled from within the UltraSlM/UlScan graphical generic robot control application. 

Online control of the AlR-1 robot is done from within the UltraSIM/UlScan generic scanner control module. With a scanning program as input, the control application is able to calculate and perform cartesian motion for any usual robot manipulator having an inverse solution. The planned robot motion can be simulated off-line before online execution regarding joint and robot position, speed and acceleration. During robot inspection the 3D virtual inspection environment is updated real-time according to the actual robot motion. 

BE.3038 Compact wall and ceiling climbing robotic vehicle with dexterous manipulator arm for low cost remote nondestructive insoection In hazardous environments Mr Bryan Bridge Univ. South Bank London... 

The labor-intensive nature of polymer tensile and flexure tests makes them logical candidates for automation. We have developed a fully automated instrument for performing these tests on rigid materials. The instrument is comprised of an Instron universal tester, a Zymark laboratory robot, a Digital Equipment Corporation minicomputer, and custom-made accessories to manipulate the specimens and measure their dimensions automatically. Our system allows us to determine the tensile or flexural properties of over one hundred specimens without human intervention, and it has significantly improved the productivity of our laboratory. This paper describes the structure and performance of our system, and it compares the relative costs of manual versus automated testing. 

In the last several years, on-line extraction systems have become a popular way to deal with the analysis of large numbers of water samples. Vacuum manifolds and computerized SPE stations were all considered to be off-line systems, i.e., the tubes had to be placed in the system rack and the sample eluate collected in a test-tube or other appropriate vessel. Then, the eluted sample had to be collected and the extract concentrated and eventually transferred to an autosampler vial for instrumental analyses. Robotics systems were designed to aid in these steps of sample preparation, but some manual sample manipulation was still required. Operation and programming of the robotic system could be cumbersome and time consuming when changing methods. 

D Immobilized substrate where mineral to be removed is bound to a large substrate permitting simple mechanical separation Robotic manipulation... 

Robotic systems in a small analytical laboratory have the greatest application in the intermediate sample manipulation steps. The removal of excess solvent with the Zymark evaporator [492], for example, can be closely controlled, fully automated, and operate in parallel (up to six samples per instrument). This technique has considerable advantages over rotary evaporation, which is prone to loose volatile organic compounds (e.g., chlorobenzenes) under vacuum and rapid vaporization. Automated repetitive manipulations are well served by a robotic system [492]. 

In principle any pre-functionalized resin can be formed into a plug and the monoliths show good solvent resistance except to e.g. hot toluene or xylene. The size of each plug makes them easily manipulated by a robot and use in scavenging situations seems very attractive. Some applicahons have already been reported [56] and the monoliths will be made available as StratoSphere Plugs via Polymer Laboratories (Church Stretton, UK). 

Robotics has been defined by Zenie [S] as an extension of programmable computers to do physical work, as well as processing data. Instrument systems using robotization and programmable computers are currently being used to improve productivity in scientific laboratories. Analysts need to identify samples, weigh, dilute, concentrate, extract, filter, evaporate, manipulate and analyse them. 

Many of the robotic manipulations used in this system (designed primarily for non-viscous samples) were adapted, in part, from those developed for a viscous Hquids KF system introduced by Zymark. 

RedZone Robotics, Inc., has developed Houdini, a compact, tethered, track-driven work platform for radioactive waste retrieval operations. The vehicle is designed with a folding frame chassis that can fit through an opening as small as 22.5 inches in diameter. The unit comes with a retractable plow blade and onboard manipulator other specialized tools can be added for specific applications. 

It must be noted that the real-time aspect is important because tools are changed in the magazines of machines (or cells), not only because they wear, but also because different part programs may need different sets of tools. (The actual tool-changing operation is done in most cases by manipulators or by robots. The tool magazine loading/unloading procedure is performed mostly by human operators, sometimes by robots or special-purpose mechanisms, such as a tool shuttle.)... 

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