Robot Control and Programming: Class notes.

Abstract

The term robot is quite complex because it can mean different things to different people. Mostly, it recalls us images of science fiction robots, such as the famous C3PO and R2D2 of Star Wars Trilogy. However, we have to focus on other types, and wait a little for the progress of the technology. If we focus on the real robots, we can find different types. However, the vast majority are classified into the industrial robot category. Industrial robots are recognised easily since their shape usually reminds the human arm. The term industrial shows the fact that those robots work in factories as components of larger manufacturing systems and processes. This book are focused on the lectures that Emilio Sánchez delivers in the frame of Robot Control and Programing subject in TECNUN, where the reader can find and introduction to the basic problems and control and programming techniques of industrial robots. Despite the fact the book is based on classnotes, the author prepared them very carefully to give to them the appearance of a real book. The book starts with a discussion about what is and what isn't a robot, classification and a very brief note about robotics history. The course will cover the different and basic programming and control strategies. Another issue discussed will be the morphology classification. The most important section is the kinematics model. This problem can be solved by means of Denavit-Hartenberg method and homogeneous transformations among coordinate systems. The last chapters are devoted to position control strategies and path planning. Finally the author encourages the reader to open and read this book since he really thinks that Robotics is a very large and interesting field, involving many different disciplines: mechanical design, sensors, actuation (pneumatic, hydraulic, electrical...), control, programming... For this reason, the term mechatronics is also used to express the link between the mechanics and electronics.