ABSTRACT
A robot is a system of intelligently controlled connected bodies whose objective is to accomplish a given task. As such, robots come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. In manufacturing settings, however, robots typically have the forms shown in Figure 19.1.1 — a series of connected bodies attached to a fixed base at one end with a tool (or
end effector
) at the other end. The end effector is sometimes called a
gripper
, and the connected series of bodies is generally called a
robot arm
. The task or job of a robot is usually to produce a movement or to produce a force through its end effector.
