Robotic arm

Various types of manipulators combine the advantages of both biological and mechanical robots in terms of structure and performance.
Robotic manipulators were the earliest industrial robots and also among the first modern robots. They can replace humans in performing heavy, repetitive tasks, thereby enabling the mechanization and automation of production, and they can operate in hazardous environments to ensure human safety. As a result, they are widely used in sectors such as mechanical manufacturing, metallurgy, electronics, light industry, and nuclear energy.
In today’s world, with technology advancing at an unprecedented pace, the primary differences between robotic arms and human hands lie in their flexibility and endurance. In other words, the greatest advantage of a robotic arm is its ability to repeatedly perform the same task without ever tiring—provided it operates under normal conditions. The applications of robotic arms are also becoming increasingly widespread; these devices represent a cutting-edge form of automated production equipment that has emerged over the past few decades, offering exceptional precision and the capability to operate effectively in diverse environments. Industrial robotic arms constitute an important subfield within the broader realm of robotics.

Based on their drive mechanisms, they can be classified as hydraulic, pneumatic, electric, and mechanical. Their key feature is the ability to perform a wide range of predetermined tasks through programming, combining the advantages of both human operators and conventional robotic systems in terms of structure and performance.

A robotic manipulator consists of three main components: the end-effector, the actuation system, and the control system. The end‑effector is the part that grips or holds the workpiece (or tool) and comes in various configurations—such as gripping, supporting, or suction types—depending on the object’s shape, size, weight, material, and operational requirements. The motion mechanism enables the end‑effector to perform rotational (oscillatory), translational, or composite motions, thereby executing prescribed actions and changing the position and orientation of the gripped object. The independent degrees of freedom of the motion mechanism—such as lifting, extending/retracting, and rotating—are referred to as the manipulator’s degrees of freedom. To grasp an object at any position and orientation in space, six degrees of freedom are required. Degrees of freedom are a key design parameter for robotic manipulators; the greater the number of degrees of freedom, the higher the manipulator’s flexibility and versatility, but also the more complex its structure. Typically, specialized manipulators have two to three degrees of freedom. The control system achieves specific motions by regulating the motors associated with each degree of freedom, while simultaneously processing feedback from sensors to maintain stable closed-loop control. At its core, the control system is usually implemented using microcontroller chips such as microcontrollers or DSPs, with the desired functionality realized through appropriate programming.