The design of the arms of industrial robots and manipulators is a demanding process both in terms of expertise and in terms of the time required. For these reasons, algorithms have been created, with the help of which it is possible to design cross-sections of individual arms of robots and manipulators not only from the point of view of maximum allowed deflection but also from the point of view of minimizing cross-sectional dimensions or minimizing the weight of arms. These algorithms were subsequently used in the development of the software tool RobotArmDesign, with the help of which it is possible to simplify and shorten the arm design process significantly. This tool also has a connection to the SolidWorks CAD system and its simulation tools through its API interface, making it possible to refine robot arms designs while maintaining significantly shorter design times than would be the case with commonly used procedures. This tool's capabilities were demonstrated in the design of a robot arm with an angular structure and five degrees of freedom.
The design and selection of a suitable drive unit for use in mechatronic systems is a process that can be demanding not only in terms of the time required but also in terms of the demands placed on the knowledge and experience of development workers. The development aimed to create algorithms for the selection of compact electric power units based on data from dynamic analyses of the proposed system, with the help of which it would be possible to shorten and simplify the drive unit selection process significantly. The result of the development is a software tool called DrivePicker. Its functions and benefits are demonstrated in the design of drive units for a robotic arm with an angular structure and 5 degrees of freedom. Comparing selected units from two manufacturers (Spinea DS and HarmonicDrive CanisDrive) shows that by using this software tool, we can significantly speed up and streamline the design of mechatronic devices. DrivePicker also has an interface for connection to simulation and CAD systems, which opens up the possibility of further autonomy.
Robotic arms are complex mechatronic systems. Therefore, their design requires knowledge and experience from various technical fields, such as mechanics, electrical engineering, electronics or control. From the view of the requirements placed on developers, the design of robotic arms is one of the more complex tasks. Unfortunately, there is a lack of necessary specialists in this field of technology. Therefore, ways are sought to help existing specialists in their work and, simultaneously, reduce the time needed to design the required equipment. At the same time, there are also sought ways to open the way to this issue for developers who do not yet have enough experience. For this reason, algorithms and development tools have been developed to significantly simplify and reduce the time required to design robotic arms and simultaneously automate as much of this process as possible. The aim is to shorten the design time and achieve better results than in the case of designs according to classical procedures.
The design of mechatronic devices is a demanding process not only in terms of the time required but also of the demands placed on the knowledge and experience of development workers. The aim of this research and development was to create suitable procedures, algorithms, and databases of 3D models, with the help of which could this process be significantly shortened and simplified. The results of the development are a software tool for the design of electric drive units, procedures for creating 3D models with the possibility of using the SolidWorks software API, methods for automating the creation of assemblies of 3D models and a description of the knowledge database in which various data and algorithms are stored. The benefits of the proposed procedures, the Drive Picker software tool, and the knowledge database, are demonstrated on the design of a robotic arm with 5 degrees of freedom. Despite the complexity of the preparation of documents needed, it turns out that the chosen approach can significantly speed up and simplify the design of mechatronic devices.
The design of robotic arms is a demanding process, especially in terms of the demands placed on developers' knowledge and experience and the time required for the design. Therefore, the development aimed to create procedures for possible automation of some of the individual tasks of the robotic arm design process, which are further applied in the development of a software tool for the automation of partial tasks in the design of robotic arms RobotDesigner. The benefits and functions of RobotDesigner are demonstrated in the example of optimization of a simple manipulator with 5 degrees of freedom for a given manipulation task. The optimization results show that the use of this software tool significantly speeds up and streamlines the sub-tasks of design and optimization of arms. By using iterative processes and artificial intelligence, using similar software tools and connecting them to CAD systems, it will not only be possible in the future to fully automate the robot arm design process but also to generate and compare different structures and design solutions to find the most optimal for the task, which the robot will perform.
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