[...]... segments of chapters and put together xi Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw- Hill Companies, Inc Click here for Terms of Use xii Introduction a unique robot While there are books describing the electric circuits used in robots, and books that teach the software and control code for robots, there are few that are focused entirely on the mechanisms and mechanical devices used in mobile robots This book intends...x Contents Industrial Robots Industrial Robot Advantages Trends in Industrial Robots Industrial Robot Characteristics Chapter 11 Proprioceptive and Environmental Sensing Mechanisms and Devices Industrial Limit Switches Layouts Combination Trip (Sense) and Hard Stop By-Pass Layouts Reversed Bump Bumper Geometries and Suspensions Simple Bumper Suspension Devices Three Link Planar Tension... mobile robots by containing, in a single reference, complete graphically presented information on the mechanics of a mobile robot It is written in laymen’s language and filled with sketches so novices and those not trained in mechanical engineering can acquire some understanding of this interesting field It also includes clever schemes and mechanisms that mid-level mechanical engineers should find new and. .. with the aid of hundreds of sketches showing drive layouts and manipulator geometries and their work envelope It discusses what mobility really is and how to increase it without increasing the size of the robot, and how the shape of the robot can have a dramatic effect on its performance Interspersed throughout the book are unusual mechanisms and devices, included to entice the reader to think outside... produce a working robot, reduce the struggles and effort required to achieve that goal, and, therefore, increase the likelihood that your project will be a success Building, designing, and working with practical mobile robots requires knowledge in three major engineering fields: mechanical, electrical, and software Many books have been written on robots, some focusing on the complete robot system, others... new and useful Since mobile robots are being called on to perform more and more complex and practical tasks, and many are now carrying one or even two manipulators, this book has a section on manipulators and grippers for mobile robots It shows why a manipulator used on a robot is different in several ways from a manipulator used in industry Autonomous robots place special demands on their mobility system... references to mechanisms useful to both of the other types of robots Robot and mobile robot are used interchangeably throughout the book Autonomous, in this book, means acting completely independent of any human input Therefore, autonomous robot means a self-controlled, selfpowered, mobile vehicle that makes its own decisions based on inputs from sensors There are very few truly autonomous robots, and no... Pivot Suspension Devices to Detect Motions in All Three Planes Conclusion Index 258 259 259 261 263 270 276 277 278 279 280 282 283 284 284 285 286 287 289 291 Introduction T his book is meant to be interesting, helpful, and educational to hobbyists, students, educators, and midlevel engineers studying or designing mobile robots that do real work It is primarily focused on mechanisms and devices that relate... sensors to make decisions are labeled telerobotic or teleoperated to differentiate them from autonomous robots It is important to note that the mechanisms and mechanical devices that are shown in this book can be applied, in their appropriate category, to almost any vehicle or manipulator whether autonomous or not Another word, which gets a lot of use in the robot world, is mobility Mobility is defined... has powerful tools to aid in the design process beyond the many tricks, mechanical devices, and techniques shown in this book These tools include 3D design tools like SolidWorks and Pro-Engineer and also new ways to produce prototypes of the mechanisms themselves This is commonly called Rapid Prototyping (RP) NEW PROCESSES EXPAND CHOICES FOR RAPID PROTOTYPING New concepts in rapid prototyping (RP) .