Module 5: Robot Application

An industrial robot is a robot system used for manufacturing. Industrial robots are automated,
programmable and capable of movement on three or more axis. Typical applications of robots include
welding, painting, assembly, disassembly, pick and place for printed circuit boards, packaging and
labeling, palletizing , product inspection, and testing; all accomplished with high endurance, speed, and
precision. They can assist in material handling. Some of the applications of robots in Industry are:
Machine loading and Unloading
Robots are extensively being utilized for the loading and unloading of machines and parts in industries,
thus substituting human labor and other mechanical methods. Robots possess the benefit of duplicating
the designed tasks, performing accurately, and being compatible with the nearby equipment.
In machine loading and/or unloading applications, the robot transfers parts into and/or from a production
machine. The three possible cases are
• Machine loading and unloading, which involves both loading of the raw work part and unloading of the
finished part by the robot.
Industrial robot applications of machine loading and/or unloading include the following processes:
• Die casting. The robot unloads parts from the die casting machine. Peripheral operations sometimes
performed by the robot include dipping the parts into a water bath for cooling.
• Plastic molding. Plastic molding is similar to die casting. The robot unloads moulded parts from the
injection molding machine.
• Metal machining operations. The robot loads raw blanks into the machine tool and unloads finished
parts from the machine.
• Forging. The robot typically loads the raw hot billet into the die. Holds it during the forging strikes, and
removes it from the forge hammer.
• Press working. Human operators work at considerable risk in sheet metal press working operations
because of the action of the press. Robots are used to substitute for the workers to reduce the danger. In
the simplest applications, the robot loads the blank into the press, then the stamping operation is
performed, and the part falls out of the machine into a container.
• Heat-treating. These are often simple operations in which the robot loads and/or unloads parts from a
furnace.
Material Transfer
Pick and Place Operation
These applications are ones in which the primary purpose of the robot is to move parts from one location
to another. The basic application in this category is called a pick-and-place operation, in which the robot
picks up a part and deposits it at a new location. Transferring parts from one conveyor to another is an
example. Only two or three joints are required for many of the applications, and pneumatically powered
robots are often used.

Fig: Pick and Place Operation

Palletizing and related operation
A more complex example of material transfer is palletizing, in which the robot retrieves parts, cartons, or
other objects from one location and deposits them onto a pallet or other container at multiple positions on
the pallet. Other applications similar to palletizing include depalletizing, which consists of removing parts
from an ordered arrangement in a pallet and placing them at another location (e.g., onto a moving
conveyor); stacking operations, which involve placing flat parts on top of each other; and insertion
operations, in which the robot inserts parts into the compartments of a divided carton.

Fig: Pallets for material handling and storage

Processing operations
These are operations in which the robot uses a tool as an end effector to accomplish some processing
operation on a work part that that is positioned for the robot during the work
These are done by a Specialized tools attached to the robots Arm
(1) Spot welding
Robots used for spot welding are usually large, with sufficient payload capacity to wield the heavy
welding gun. Five or six axes are generally required to achieve the position and orientation of the welding
gun. Playback robots with point-to-point control are used. Jointed arm robots are common in automobile
spot-welding lines, which may consist of several dozen robots.

(2) Arc welding

Industrial robots can also be used to automate the arc welding process. The cell consists of the robot, the
welding apparatus (power unit, controller, welding tool, and wire feed mechanism), and a fixture that
positions the components for the robot. The fixture might be mechanized with one or two axes so that it
can present different portions of the work to the robot for welding (the term positioner is used for this type
of fixture). The robot used in arc welding must be capable of continuous path control. Jointed arm robots
consisting of six joints are frequently used.
(3) Spray Painting

The unhealthy and unpleasant environment of the painting booth in industry made this process
an ideal candidate for the application of robots. The solvent materials that are used in spray painting are
toxic, and therefore the operators must be protected by masks and be provided with fresh-air ventilation.
The painting area must be dust-free and temperature-controlled, and consequently the painting booth is
small in size and inconvenient for the operators. Furthermore, the noise arising from the air discharge
through the painting nozzles can cause irreversible damage to the ears. For all these reasons, spray
painting became one of the first applications of robots. The requirement for robots in spray painting are
different from those of other robot applications, and therefore many robot manufacturers offer a robot
dedicated to this one application. The spray painting robots are of CP capability and have the following
characteristics:
(a) High level of manipulator dexterity,
(b) Large working volume for small-base manipulator,
(c) Compact writs,
(d) Small payload, and
(e) Low accuracy and repeatability.
The painting robot must be able to carry any type of spray gun. Spray guns, however, are light in weight
and therefore painting robots are designed for small payloads (e.g., 1 kg). Finally, the requirements for
repeatability and resolution are the least severe in painting robots. The exact location of end points is not
critical, and in many jobs can be even outside the painted surface. Therefore, a repeatability of 2 mm
throughout the working volume is regarded as sufficient for spray-painting robots.
 (4) Assembly
Assembly involves the combining of two or more parts to form a new entity, called a subassembly or
assembly. The most appealing application of industrial robots for assembly involves situations in which a
mix of similar models are produced in the same work cell or assembly line. Examples of these kinds of
products include electric motors, small appliances, and various other small mechanical and electrical
products.
 (5) Inspection
Inspection accomplish the following functions:
• making sure that a given process has been completed,
• ensuring that parts have been assembled as specified, and
• identifying flaws in raw materials and finished parts.
Inspection tasks performed by robots can be divided into the following two cases:
• The robot performs loading and unloading to support an inspection or testing machine.
• The robot manipulates an inspection device, such as a mechanical probe or vision sensor, to inspect the
product.

Other Processing operations

• Drilling, routing, and other machining processes
• Grinding, wire brushing, and similar operations
• Water jet cutting
• Laser cutting
Applications of robots in Medical
Medical robots have found applications mainly in surgery. It is a highly interactive process and
many surgical decisions are made in the operating room. The goal of surgical robots is not to replace the
surgeon with a robot, but to provide the surgeon with a new set of very versatile tools that extend his or
her ability to treat patients. Hence, medical robotic systems are surgical assistants that work cooperatively
with surgeons. A special subclass of these systems is often used for remote surgery. Currently, there are
two main varieties of surgical assistant robot are available. The first variety, surgeon extender, is
controlled directly by the surgeons. They augment or supplement the surgeon’s ability to manipulate
surgical instruments during surgery. The promise of these systems is that they can give even average
surgeons superhuman capabilities such as elimination of hand tremor or ability to perform dexterous
operations inside the patient’s body, etc. As a result, casualty rates are reduced, and operative times are
shortened. The second variety, auxiliary surgical support, generally works side-by-side with the surgeon
and perform such functions as endoscope holding or retraction. These systems typically provide one or
more direct control interfaces such as joysticks, head trackers, voice control, or the like. However, the
surgeon should be attentive during their use, e.g., while using robot vision to keep the endoscope aimed
at an anatomic target. Note that initial surgical robotic systems in the 1980s employed general-purpose
industrial manipulators, either directly or with minor modifications. Industrial robots are still being used
today as research and validation tools where immediate clinical use is not contemplated or specialised
kinematic design is not essential. Surgical robots must be compatible with the operating theatre. The robot
must have sufficient strength, accuracy, and dexterity for its intended use. It must be placed where it can
work on the patient while also allowing access by clinical staff. Usually, this is done by mounting the
robot to the operating table or placing it on the floor beside the patient. However, ceiling mounts and
attachment to the patient are occasionally used.
Applications of robots in Space
Explorations of the planets, moons and other near bodies in space are a clear goal for the
international space science community. A robotic approach to explore these bodies has the benefit of being
able to achieve many of the things a human could do but at lower cost without endangering human life.
To be effective, such robotic systems must be versatile and robust with cost reduction becoming
increasingly important. There are a variety of tasks that the robots can do in space including space
manipulation (servicing equipment in space), surface mobility (planetary exploration), and robotic
colonies (outposts that are either self-sustaining, or preparatory for human colonies). In addition, robots
may perform scientific experiments that include sample and return of planetary atmosphere or terrain,
manipulating the environment (moving rocks, drilling, etc.), testing the composition of the atmosphere
and other tests using arbitrary scientific equipment.
There are three characteristics that a robot should have for space missions:
Compactness and Lightness
The cost of sending robot into space is directly correlated to its size and weight.
Robustness
Missions often have only one attempt to succeed (usually at great cost).
Versatility and Adaptability
In exploration where the environments are inherently unknown, adaptability must be high to increases the
chance of success.
Applications of robots in Underwater
Underwater applications of robots involve prospecting for minerals on the floor of the ocean (e.g., nodules
of manganese), salvaging of sunken vessels, and the repair of ships either at sea or in dry dock. In the
latter case, a prototype version of a mobile robot that is used to clean barnacles from the sides of ships has
been built and tested in France by a ship-building company. This rather remarkable tripod is capable of
moving in either air (i.e., above the waterline) or in water. It grips the ships sides with both vacuum and
magnetic feet, a technique that has proven to be reliable. The scrubbing action is produced by a rotating
brush mounted on the end of a rotary axis arm.

Applications of Humanoid Robot

(1) Research and space exploration

Most of the humanoid robots are used in research and space exploration in outer space.

(2) Personal assistance and caregiving

These humanoid robots also work as personal assistance work for individuals, especially the medically ill
elderly patients.

(3) Education and entertainment

These types of robots are used in educational institutions for educational and entertainment purposes.

(4) Search and rescue

Some robots can aid heavily in security administrations like traffic controls, police administrations, etc.
Humanoids can also help conduct time-sensitive search and rescue operations and curb menaces like child
trafficking, etc., with high efficiency.

(5) Manufacturing and maintenance

These robots are the most widely used because industries have to use robots for hazardous work.

Applications of Micro robots

 Medical Applications Such as cleaning of Blood vessels with micro-robots

 Military application in spying
 Surface defect detection
  Building intelligent surfaces with controllable ( Programmable) structures
 Tool for Research and Education
Excellent prospects with micro-robots involve dangerous, painful, repetitive, or impossible
tasks for humans (in small spaces, in a vacuum) or more accessible functions. Still, robots can
perform them better than humans. They can also be used as industrial and technical robots
(capable, for example, of making tiny parts or mechanisms, diagnosing or repairing the inside of
a machine without disassembling it, inspecting piping from the inside, etc.). They are able to work
in a vacuum or an environment with no air, etc. Nowadays, micro-robots have already been
developed and applied in the domestic sphere (service robots), for example, robots for vacuum
cleaners and games or training robots for programming.

Social Issues and Future of Robotics

Social Issues
(1) Productivity and Capital Formation
Robots can reduce cost and increase productivity in manufacturing. Productivity improvement in the
United States is an important social issue and a major national concern.
The importance of robotics, by itself, in improving productivity. Two reasons were offered:
1. Robotics is only one part of a wide array of technologies available to automate manufacturing and
to increase industrial productivity.
2. Productivity is a subtle and complex concept with several definitions and measurements.
Furthermore, even after some specific definition is chosen, industrial productivity depends on
many factors that interact with one another. It is difficult, hence, to attribute productivity
improvements to any single technology.

While most applications of robots to date have been made by large firms, the future diffusion of
robotics and related technologies can also affect small businesses in several ways. For example,
there are likely to be many new business opportunities for small firms to develop and produce
software and specialized types of equipment.
Secondly, it can be argued that robotics and flexible automation may in some cases lower the
minimum scale for efficient production, and therefore that new manufacturing opportunities could
be created for small businesses. Third, the adoption of robotics and related technologies by large
firms may foreclose some manufacturing opportunities for small firms that cannot afford to invest
in new equipment. This situation frequently arises when major equipment technologies change.
The important questions seemed to be whether there would be adequate capital for three purposes:
1. To fund the modernization of industrial plants for the use of automation technology. The
financial need would be particularly great if it were necessary to rebuild entire plants in order to
make the most effective use of robotics.
2. To fund the construction and expansion of plants to produce robots in quantities
Capital formation is another social issue that is related to productivity. Economist often attributes
the capability to create new investment capital to the growth of productivity.
 Robotics Technology that will generate a return on investment for those who want to buy robots,
or develop robots, then the capital will be available.
(2) Labor
Unemployment is an issue that is constantly raised in discussions about the social impact of robots,
but that seems in this context not to be well understood as yet or even to have been widely studied
by labor economists in the United States
Productivity improvements resulting from the use of robotics and related technologies can affect
labor in a number of ways. These effects depend on factors such as the following
 The effects of new technology on the relative proportion of machinery to workers (the
capital-labor ratio) in a given industry.
 The extent of change in prices and production volumes for U.S. firms once the new
technology is in use. The supply of qualified workers with specific job skills in a given
industry.
For some time, most experts in the United States have argued that more jobs are
created by new technology than are eliminated. However, if these jobs are in different
industries and/or require different skills, the effect on an individual who has been replaced
by automation.
Production and servicing of robots and related technologies will create new jobs. The
number of jobs created and the rate at which they appear will depend both on the growth
rate of the robot industry and the degree to which robot manufacture and repair are,
themselves, automated.
In order to assess the effects of automation on future employment levels, a baseline must be
established against which job loss or gain can be measured. This baseline could be a simple
extrapolation of current trends. But it may also need to be adjusted to reflect two other
effects:
● Virtual employment, domestic jobs that were not explicitly eliminated, but that would
have existed were robots not installed.
 Virtual unemployment, domestic jobs that would have-been lost if the plant had
not responded to domestic and international competition by automating.
Quality of working environment is another issue that was identified. If robots are
employed principally for jobs that are unpleasant or dangerous and if the new jobs
created by robotics are better, the quality of work life will improve. Productivity
increases may also, in the longer term, result in a shorter, more flexibly scheduled
workweek.
(3) Education and Training
A number of education and training issues are raised by robotics. Some of them will be addressed
in the current OTA (Office of Technology Assement) assessment of the impact of information
technology on education, in the context of vocational education and industrial training.
Shortage of trained technical experts in the field of robotics. If there is to be any significant
expansion in the pace of automation including robotics, many more computer scientists, engineers,
software programers, and technicians will be needed in the next decade.
 A shortage already exists in many fields of engineering and science. It seems to be particularly
critical in areas of computer software design and programing, according to findings of the recently
released National Information System study by OTA. Hence, the issue is not peculiarly unique to
robotics technology, at least in the case of very highly skilled jobs. At the same time, replace
unionized jobs the use of robots has already created some new technical jobs. A few programs have
been started at the community college level to train workers in robot installation, programing, and
maintenance.
If the introduction of robotics into a plant is not to result in unemployment, a program of
retraining displaced workers to take on new jobs may be necessary. Retraining may also be required
for those workers who remain, for their existing jobs will change in form and function even if their
job title remains the same.
(4) International Impacts
Concern about economic competition in this technology from Europe and Japan was repeated
often. Panelists pointed to large investments abroad both for research and development and for
encouraging the use of robots. This potential competition exists on two levels: 1) developing and
selling robotics technology, itself, and 2) using robots to produce goods more competitively (for
example automobiles).
Some experts felt that the directions of robotics-related research were significantly
different between the United States and other nations, notably Japan. U.S. researchers emphasize
software and highly flexible systems while many foreign laboratories are concentrating on
hardware.
The issue of international competition creates conflicts in import/export policy. Controls
might be placed on exports of industrial robots either for national security reasons or to limit foreign
access to domestic high technology that increases the competitiveness of U.S. firms. However, such
controls also deny U.S. robot manufacturers access to foreign markets. Even if the total international
market in robots were to remain relatively small, robot technology would be a vital component in
the much larger international market for sales of complete automated factories.

(5) Other Applications

Nearly all of the present applications of robots are in industrial situations. In the future, robot
applications will no doubt extend to fields outside of manufacturing. The possibilities include
hazardous work environments, defence applications, space exploration, and undersea operations.
There are also opportunities for robots to be used in service industries in restaurants, hospitals,
garbage collection, and similar activities.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is exploring the expanded use of robots
for such tasks as planetary exploration, repairing satellites in space, and aiding mining expeditions.
Some researchers are interested in the use of robots for ocean exploration and seabed mining.
These examples suggest that, depending on the capabilities of robots in the next decade, there
may be important applications that are not now imagined. The nature of these new capabilities, and
hence of the applications, will depend in part on Federal policies in such broad areas as R&D,
technical education, and reindustrialization.
 Future of Robotics
We can theorize a likely profile of the future robot based on the various
research activities that are currently being performed. The features and capabilities of
the future robot will include the following (it is unlikely that all future robots will
possess all of the features listed).
• Intelligence: The future robot will be an intelligent robot, capable of making
decisions about the task it performs based on high-level programming commands and
feedback data from itsenvironment.
•Sensor capabilities: the robot will have a wide array of sensor capabilities including
vision, tactile sensing, and others. Progress is being made in the field of feedback and tactile
sensors, which allow a robot to sense their actions and adjust their behavior accordingly. This
is vital to enable robots to perform complex physical tasks that require some active control in
response to the situation. Robotic manipulators can be very precise, but only when a task can
be fully described.
•Telepresence and Related Technologies: it will possess a telepresence
capability, the ability to communicate information about its environment (which may
be unsafe for humans) back to a remote” safe” location where humans will be able to
make judgments and decisions about actions that should be taken by the robots.
•Mechanical design Features: the basic design of the robot manipulator will
be mechanically more efficient, more reliable, and with improved power and actuation
systems compared to present day robots. Some robots will have multiple arms with
advanced control systems to coordinate the actions of the arms working together. The
design of robot is also likely to be modularized, so that robots for different purposes
can be constructed out of components that are fairly standard.
•Mobility, Locomotion and navigation: future robots will be mobile, able to
move under their own power and navigation systems.

•Universal hand (gripper): robot gripper design will be more sophisticated,

and universal hands capable of multiple tasks will be available.

•Systems integration and networking: robots of the future will be “user

friendly” and capable of being interfaced and networked with other systems in the factory
to achieve a very high level of integration.