Robot Arms
Contents
Summary
We can provide custom built arms from 3-Axis to 6-Axis Arms. The arms can be made with high degrees of rotation. The arms can be stand alone or mounted on the HD2 or LT-F Robot. We have also mounted small arms on the ATR bases.
Shown on the right is our 5th generation clutched position control arm. The assembled HD2 in the picture below is a Wide Chassis HD2. The arm will also fit on a standard width chassis. This 5 axis arm is stronger than previous versions, has greater wrist rotation (can also be made continuous wrist rotation if desired), and includes new controllers. The arm controllers are integrated closed loop motor controllers that position the arm automatically and hold its position. The arm controllers can also be run in manual. The gripper control board has an onboard accelerometer that can be used to tell the relative angle and rotation of the gripper with respect to the earths gravitation pull. The arm controllers are mounted right next to each motor and all the power is bussed from one axis to the next along with communication. This minimized the amount of wires going through each rotating axis and makes component replacement a lot easier.
These videos below demonstrate some of the arms strength and agility, We have lifted full propane bottles, crushed cans, and thrown office furniture around with this robust new arm.
Videos
Direct Drive 5 Axis Arm
This arm is a simple arm with no clutches (except the wrist which does have a clutch). It can be built with or without position feedback. The base rotates ~420 degrees and uses a potentiometer to stop its travel, The shoulder rotates 180 degrees with limit switches to stop its travel; The Elbow travels about 140 degrees with limit switches to stop the travel. The wrist is continuous rotation and has a clutch for non position control; with position control the wrist is limited to 1080 degrees. The gripper can open up to 4.5 inches. All the axis have speed control. The camera is mounted on the base and rotates with the base. The camera has a 360 degree pan, 120 degree tilt, and 27X optical zoom. The arm can lift 25+pounds fully extended.
Direct Drive 4 Axis Arm
This arm is a simple arm with no clutches or position feedback. The shoulder rotates 180 degrees with limit switches to stop its travel. The Elbow travels about 140 degrees with limit switches to stop the travel. The wrist is continuous rotation. The gripper can open up to 5.5 inches. All the axis have speed control. The camera is mounted on the base and rotates with the base. The camera has a 360 degree pan, 140 degree tilt, and 27X optical zoom. The arm has an optional IR camera mounted on the forearm to view the gripper. The arm can lift 25+pounds fully extended. The custom pelican case remote shown can be viewed here.
Tread Driven Robot with a Multi Axis Arm Configured to your needs
As pictured, the custom HD2 Treaded robot is equipped with a 5-Axis arm. We can provide from 3 to 6 axis arms that meet your needs. The base of this pictured robot ~420 degree of rotation. The shoulder has ~220 degrees of rotation. The Elbow has ~280 degrees of rotation. The Wrist/forearm has ~280 degrees of rotation and the gripper has independent fingers that can open larger than 6 inches. Each joint is independently controlled with a gamepad controller and has position feedback and speed controlled positioning. The position control can be used to hold a position or go to preset memorized positions! All the motors have speed control allowing very precise and intricate positioning. The joints also have clutches that protect the arm from overload. With the shoulder and elbow fully extended the intricate arm can lift up to 20lbs using the shoulder or elbow axis. Larger capacity arms are also available if required.
Pictures
Look at the lower right picture and the one to its left; the arm is positioned to the same point, but the base, shoulder, elbow, and wrist are all opposite. The robot is also equipped with 4 cameras. The front camera is on a pan and tilt system. A rear fixed camera. An IR night vision camera on the forearm. The final camera is a 30x optical zoom camera with pan and tilt that tracks with the arm. The robot is controlled with a gamepad controller through a PC over a WiFi network or with the RJ45 jack in the back for a tethered mode. High gain antennas yield very good range with multiple wall penetration. The robot can also be set up with any of the controllers listed below. Below are some videos showing the agility and strength of the arm.
