Robotics from a software perspective : Components

When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. I am sure you have heard this at least once. Most often, when people hear about a robot, they immediately think of some kind of human-like mechanically connected pieces of steel. Yeah it is true that a robot generally may be view as a set of mechanical components powered by some sophisticated electronic circuits. But my objective throughout these series of posts is to shift the debate from the hardware to the software perspective. As a matter of fact a software engineer working in robotics does not really need those stuffs. However even though it does not seem important, definitely I don't always appreciate the black box methods. Instead of just considering  a robot that we may be asked to work with as a black box that suite our need it is  worth stopping for a while and look up what is even happening inside. 

   Today I am really interested in looking at different components constituting a robot:

Robots consist of a number of components, that work together: the controller, the manipulator, an end effector, a power supply, and a means for programming.

• Controller:  the part of a robot that coordinates all movements of the mechanical system. It also receives input from the immediate environment through various sensors. The heart of the robot’s controller is generally a microprocessor linked to input/output and monitoring devices.
•  Manipulator:  consists of segments that may be jointed and that move about, allowing the robot to do work. The manipulator is the arm of the robot which must move materials, parts,
  tools, or special devices through various motions to provide useful work. The manipulator is made up of a series of segments and joints much like those found in the human arm. Joints connect two segments together and allow them to move relative to one another. The joints provide either linear (straight line) or rotary (circular) movement
• End effector: The end effector is the robot’s hand, or the end-of-arm tooling on the robot. It is a device attached to the wrist of the manipulator for the purpose of grasping, lifting, transporting, maneuvering, or performing operations on a workpiece. The end effector is one of the most important components of a robot system. The robot’s performance is a direct result of how well the end effector meets the task requirements.
• Power supply: The power supply provides the energy to drive the controller and actuators.
• Means for programming: The means for programming is used to record movements into the
  robot’s memory. A robot may be programmed using any of several different methods. In fact this where we as software people come in to play by writing some programming code or computer instructions that will direct or affect different components of the robot as well as its surrounding environment.