1. The Origin of Industrial Robots The invention of industrial robots can be traced back to 1954, when George Devol applied for a patent on programmable parts conversion. After partnering with Joseph Engelberger, the world’s first robot company Unimation was established, and the first robot was put into use on the General Motors production line in 1961, mainly for pulling parts out of a die-casting machine. Most hydraulically powered universal manipulators (Unimates) were sold in the following years, used for body parts manipulation and spot welding. Both applications were successful, indicating that robots can work reliably and guarantee standardized quality. Soon, many other companies began to develop and manufacture industrial robots. An industry driven by innovation was born. However, it took many years for this industry to become truly profitable.
2. Stanford Arm: A Major Breakthrough in Robotics The groundbreaking “Stanford Arm” was designed by Victor Scheinman in 1969 as a prototype of a research project. He was an engineering student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and worked at the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. The “Stanford Arm” has 6 degrees of freedom, and the fully electrified manipulator is controlled by a standard computer, a digital device called PDP-6. This non-anthropomorphic kinematic structure has a prism and five revolute joints, which makes it easy to solve the robot’s kinematic equations, thereby accelerating computing power. The drive module consists of a DC motor, a harmonic drive and a spur gear reducer, a potentiometer and a tachometer for position and speed feedback.Subsequent robot design was deeply influenced by Scheinman’s ideas
3. The birth of the fully electrified industrial robot In 1973, ASEA (now ABB) launched the world’s first microcomputer-controlled, fully electrified industrial robot IRB-6. It can perform continuous path movement, which is a prerequisite for arc welding and processing. It is reported that this design has proven to be very robust and the robot has a service life of up to 20 years. In the 1970s, robots were rapidly spread to the automotive industry, mainly for welding and loading and unloading.
4. Revolutionary Design of SCARA Robots In 1978, a Selectively Compliant Assembly Robot (SCARA) was developed by Hiroshi Makino at the University of Yamanashi, Japan. This landmark four-axis low-cost design was perfectly adapted to the needs of small parts assembly, as the kinematic structure allowed fast and compliant arm movements. Flexible assembly systems based on SCARA robots with good product design compatibility have greatly promoted the development of high-volume electronic and consumer products worldwide.
5. Development of Lightweight and Parallel Robots The requirements of robot speed and mass have led to novel kinematic and transmission designs. From the early days, reducing the mass and inertia of the robot structure was a major research goal. A weight ratio of 1:1 to the human hand was considered the ultimate benchmark. In 2006, this goal was achieved by a lightweight robot from KUKA. It is a compact seven-degree-of-freedom robot arm with advanced force control capabilities. Another way to achieve the goal of light weight and rigid structure has been explored and pursued since the 1980s, namely the development of parallel machine tools. These machines connect their end effectors to the machine base module via 3 to 6 parallel brackets. These so-called parallel robots are very suitable for high speed (such as for grasping), high precision (such as for processing) or handling high loads. However, their workspace is smaller than that of similar serial or open-loop robots.
6. Cartesian robots and two-handed robots At present, Cartesian robots are still ideally suited for applications that require a wide working environment. In addition to the traditional design using three-dimensional orthogonal translation axes, Gudel proposed a notched barrel frame structure in 1998. This concept allows one or more robot arms to track and circulate in a closed transfer system. In this way, the robot’s workspace can be improved with high speed and precision. This may be particularly valuable in logistics and machine manufacturing.The delicate operation of the two hands is crucial for complex assembly tasks, simultaneous operation processing and loading of large objects. The first commercially available synchronous two-handed robot was introduced by Motoman in 2005. As a two-handed robot that mimics the reach and dexterity of a human arm, it can be placed in a space where workers previously worked. Therefore, capital costs can be reduced. It features 13 axes of motion: 6 in each hand, plus a single axis for basic rotation.
7. Mobile Robots (AGVs) and Flexible Manufacturing Systems At the same time, industrial robotics automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) emerged. These mobile robots can move around a workspace or be used for point-to-point equipment loading. In the concept of automated flexible manufacturing systems (FMS), AGVs have become an important part of path flexibility.Originally, AGVs relied on pre-prepared platforms, such as embedded wires or magnets, for motion navigation. Meanwhile, free-navigating AGVs are used in large-scale manufacturing and logistics. Usually their navigation is based on laser scanners, which provide an accurate 2D map of the current actual environment for autonomous positioning and obstacle avoidance.From the beginning, the combination of AGVs and robot arms was considered to be able to automatically load and unload machine tools. But in fact, these robotic arms have economic and cost advantages only in certain specific occasions, such as loading and unloading devices in the semiconductor industry.
8. Seven major development trends of industrial robots As of 2007, the evolution of industrial robots can be marked by the following major trends: 1. Cost reduction and performance improvement – The average unit price of robots has dropped to 1/3 of the original price of equivalent robots in 1990, which means that automation is becoming cheaper and cheaper.- At the same time, the performance parameters of robots (such as speed, load capacity, mean time between failures MTBF) have been significantly improved. 2. Integration of PC technology and IT components – Personal computer (PC) technology, consumer-grade software and ready-made components brought by the IT industry have effectively improved the cost-effectiveness of robots.- Now, most manufacturers integrate PC-based processors as well as programming, communication and simulation into the controller, and use the high-yield IT market to maintain it. 3. Multi-robot collaborative control – Multiple robots can be programmed and coordinated and synchronized in real time through a controller, which allows robots to work precisely together in a single workspace. 4. Widespread use of vision systems – Vision systems for object recognition, positioning and quality control are increasingly becoming part of robot controllers.5. Networking and remote control – Robots are connected to the network via fieldbus or Ethernet for better control, configuration and maintenance.6. New business models – New financial plans allow end users to rent robots or have a professional company or even a robot provider operate a robot unit, which can reduce investment risks and save money.7. Popularization of training and education – Training and learning have become important services for more end users to recognize robotics. – Professional multimedia materials and courses are designed to educate engineers and labor to enable them to efficiently plan, program, operate and maintain robot units.
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Post time: Apr-15-2025
