ABSTRACT
The theory of robots was too academic. The problems considered were often too advanced for the industrial robotics of that time. The actuators represent a subsystem of the entire robot. It is often said that a robot consists of a mechanical part and actuators. In the early stage of robotics, pneumatic cylinders were often used to drive the manipulation mechanisms. Such devices had limited motion possibilities. The hydraulic actuator is to some extent similar to the pneumatic one but avoids its main drawbacks. Accordingly, computer-aided design is significant for designing suitable robots for objective tasks and saving manpower, time, and costs required for design. Torsion shafts or torque tubes are R/R transmissions often used in robots to transmit power at a distance. As the number of industrial robots used in manufacturing systems increases and robots tend to be used in many nonindustrial fields, additional functions and performance improvements, such as high speed motion and high precision positioning, are desirable.
