This book isn’t complete.

Ch1: Robotics or Bits Meet Atoms

1.1 Robots and Other Machines

Characteristics:

  • interact with physical world directly
  • can be programmed to execute different tasks

1.2 What You Will Learn About Robots

1.3 Robotics: The Big Picture

The conceptual structure and essential six parts of all robot systems

We could do more or less sensor data processing in the sensing part and leave more or less to the planning part. Author’s advice is: Everything related to getting information out of sensor data without considering the robot’s objectives is part of sensing.

1.4 Robot Software Development Lifecycle

The robot(software) development lifecycle

Ch2: Robots from a Software Point of View

2.1 Interacting with The Real World

The generic inner structure of a sensor is shown in figure 2.1. The actuator’s inner structure is depicted in figure 2.2.

The inner structure of a generic sensor The inner structure of a generic actuator

2.2 Types of Robots

Manipulators

The different parts making up a manipulator

  • Joint: the moveable parts in the robot hardware
  • Link: a rigid mechanical part connecting the joints
  • Base: the first link of the robot
  • End Effector(EE): the last link of the robot
  • Flange: a standardized mounting plate that allows to fasten tools to the last link of the robot
  • Tool: a device attached to the flange that enables the robot to perform the intended process

To a large extent, robots are motion generating machines.

Abstract API for manipulators:

robot.move(pose)

Mobile Robots

Abstract API for mobile robots:

robot.navigate(pose)

Mobile Manipulators

There are two basic approaches for integrating the mobile and manipulation functionality:

  • Independent successive
  • Coupled simultaneous

2.3 Robot Sensor Basics

Position Sensors

we distinguish different types according to three criteria:

  • Angular/Rotary versus Linear
  • Absolute versus Incremental
  • Single-turn vs Multi-turn (for rotary encoders only)

Abstract API for position sensor(encoder):

encoder.position()

Cameras

Apart from the resolution, another important property of cameras is their frame rate.

Abstract API for cameras:

camera.image()

2.4 Robot Sensing Basics

2.5 Robot Actuator Basics

Three most widely used types of electric motors in robotics:

  • stepper motors
  • (brushed) DC motors
  • brushless DC motors

Ch3: Robot Software Systems

Ch4: Robot Motion (Geometry)

Ch5: Robot Motion (Kinematics)