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Increasing complexity and aggressive throughput performance of precision robotic manipulators for semiconductor and flat‐panel‐display manufacturing applications require innovative control system architectures and advanced trajectory planning and motion control techniques. Brooks Automation, a global supplier of integrated automation solutions for the semiconductor and flat‐panel‐display manufacturing industries, has developed a number of advances that accelerate technological development in these areas of robot control in an effort to set new industry standards in performance and reliability.

A new efficient controller has been designed for the Aria‐Delta parallel robot family to help increase their capabilities and reduce the required resources and development time. Introduces briefly the robot structure and characteristics, then the controller itself, the hardware components and software modules, its new tools and its overall advantages and performance.

Innovations in robots for plastics applications are moving in many directions. Two headed and up to six axis robots for faster unloading and secondary operations. Stand alone robot controllers are being replaced with control functions integrated into the controller for the injection moulding machine.

Describes the design, construction, and performance of the OmniTread serpentine robot. Provides a review of other designs in this new area of mobile robotics. Presents innovative and unique mechanical and control solutions.

A theoretical analysis of key aspects of the mechanical design and their implications on the performance of the robot is presented. Extensive experimentation and testing helped optimize choices of materials for the critical components: tracks and pneumatic bellows. Performance was evaluated by an independent third party: the Southwest Research Institute.

It was found that pneumatic bellows are optimal joint actuators for serpentine robots. They can provide both strength and compliance, depending on the task, at minimal volume and weight.

The described prototype is tethered to external sources of electrical and pneumatic power. A smaller and fully self‐contained version of the OmniTread is currently under development.

A fully functional OmniTread serpentine robot will provide unprecedented mobility on rough terrain, such as the rubble of a collapsed building. The ability to climb over high obstacles and span large gaps, while still fitting through small openings suggests use of this robot in urban search and rescue, industrial inspection, and military reconnaissance tasks.

The OmniTread serpentine robot incorporates multiple original features, which resulted in three recent patents. Most notably are the Integrated pneumatic joint actuator with proportional position and stiffness control system and the “Tracks all Around” design. These features provide dramatic performance improvements in serpentine robots.

A method to provide control of continuous type robots by means of a process minicomputer was developed and patented by FIAT‐SPE in 1974. The minicomputer acts as a robot controller using data stored in its magnetic core memory to reconstruct previously learned trajectories. It is possible to maintain within strict limits the memory size, thanks to an original processing method which limits the stored data to the “significant points” along each path. A prototype of the above system was developed during 1974 and operated in connection with a commercial 5‐axis manipulator. An engineered system is being developed and the first unit is scheduled for operative testing in early 1976. The system is capable of controlling several robots in time‐sharing. The reproduction speed of the original cycle can be continuously varied over a wide range and also controlled by the feeding rate of the parts to be processed.

There are two commercially accepted methods of force control used in automated surface finishing today. The first method, “through‐the‐arm” force control, applies force using the position of all the robot axes in unison. The second method, “around‐the‐arm” force control, uses the robot for positioning motion only, and applies a controlled force through an auxiliary‐compliant end‐of‐arm tool. Discusses the theory, applicability and features of each of these two technologies.