21 Actuators and Computer-Aided Design of Robots Miomir Vukobratovi´ c Mihajlo Pupin Institute Robot Driving Systems Present State and Prospects • DC Motors: Principles and Mathematics • How to Mount Motors to Robot Arms • Hydraulic Actuators: Principles and Mathematics • Pneumatic Actuators: Principles and Mathematics Veljko Potkonjak University of Belgrade Kenji Inoue Osaka University Computer-Aided Design Robot Manipulator Design Problem • Robot Design Procedure • Design Condition Input • Fundamental Mechanism Design • Inner Mechanism Design • Detailed Structure Design • Design Example Masaharu Takano Kansai University At the beginning of a discussion on robot design one should recall the history of robotics. During the early stage of robotics, no exact theory existed. | 21 Actuators and Computer-Aided Design of Robots Miomir VukobratoviC Mihajlo Pupin Institute Veljko Potkonjak University of Belgrade Kenji Inoue Osaka University Masaharu Takano Kansai University Robot Driving Systems Present State and Prospects DC Motors Principles and Mathematics How to Mount Motors to Robot Arms Hydraulic Actuators Principles and Mathematics Pneumatic Actuators Principles and Mathematics Computer-Aided Design Robot Manipulator Design Problem Robot Design Procedure Design Condition Input Fundamental Mechanism Design Inner Mechanism Design Detailed Structure Design Design Example At the beginning of a discussion on robot design one should recall the history of robotics. During the early stage of robotics no exact theory existed to assist engineers in designing robots. The designers followed the rich experience of machine building. In the 1970s the theory of robotics started to grow fast. At the same time industry manufactured and implemented rather complex robots capable of solving many industrial tasks. However there was little connection between theory and industrial practice. The theory of robots was too academic. The problems considered were often too advanced for the industrial robotics of that time. Theoretical research dealt with mathematical modeling of robot dynamics problems of control of nonlinear multivariable systems like robots stability of control even force feedback etc. It seems that robot industry did not believe the need for some exact theory. Experience in machine building and control represented sufficient background for design of many successful robots. Presently the necessity for complex precise and high-speed robots requires a close connection between theory and practice. Regarding the application of robot dynamics the main break-through was made when computer-aided methods for dynamic modeling were developed see Chapter 20 . Such methods allowed fast and user-friendly calculation of all relevant dynamic effects.