FEATURE Robotics & Motion Control Inspired by nature
Commonly recognised for its bulging eyes and triangular head, the praying mantis is often portrayed as a motionless predatory insect. Here, Graham Mackrell, managing director of specialist gear manufacturer Harmonic Drive UK, explains how the insect is inspiring design engineers when creating the next generation of robots
Increasing power demands for robots R
obotic technology has reached a point where robots can now be used in virtually
every industry. With the demand for robots increasing, so are the requirements for the batteries that power them. Although robots reduce operational costs
and speed up various tasks carried out on the factory floor, this isn’t possible without the correct power source. Batteries are the main component of a robotic system, and as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) create more intuitive robots, the power demands for these devices become significantly greater than many existing power sources. Loss of power in a robot can be problematic
for several reasons. The first being that, in the event of power failure, a robot can lose its calibration and mastering values. Calibration governs the set parameters in
the kinematic structure of a robot, such as the relative position of joints, tool-centre-point (TCP) positions and joint lengths. For robots used in the medical sector, calibration is fundamental to the robot’s accuracy, especially if operating on a patient. This means that the engineer must
manually reprogramme the robot controller once power returns and before resuming operation. This takes valuable time away from production and potentially reduces revenue costs. To overcome this problem, engineers should ensure that the robot has a suitable backup battery integrated into its system. The range of primary, non-rechargeable, Lithium Thionyl Chloride and Lithium Manganese Dioxide cells and batteries from Ultralife
Corporation, for example, provide long term power to a robots control system. Integrating batteries like this means that if
power is lost, any critical configuration information is safely retained. While ensuring the robot doesn’t lose power
is an important concern for engineers, so is the durability of the chosen battery. This characteristic applies to the mechanical structure of the battery and its lifetime cycle. Batteries with higher energy capacity tend
to have shorter life cycles. The latest high energy Lithium-ion cells, for example, may only operate for a few hundred cycles. This is not an ideal fit for a logistics bot, which would be required to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Instead, design engineers can integrate
Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries. The chemistry features lower energy but can run up to more than 2,000 cycles in a cyclic application, making it a suitable fit for robotic applications in various sectors.
Compact and low weight
CONTACT: Ultralife
www.ultralifecorporation.com
Harmonic Drive UK Tel: 01785 245190 Web:
harmonicdrive.de/en/home
24 May 2019 | Automation
automationmagazine.co.uk
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