Robot end effector: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 08:30, 27 May 2009

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[[Image:Endeffector.png|thumb|right|An example of an end effector]]

In robotics, an '''end effector''' is the device at the end of a [[robotic]] arm, designed to interact with the environment. The exact nature of this device depends on the application of the robot. <br />

This is a strict definition, which originates from serial robotic [[manipulators]]. There the end effector means the last link (or end) of the robot. At this endpoint the [[tool]]s are attached. In a wider sense, an end effector can be seen as the part of a robot that interacts with the work environment. This does not refer to the wheels of a [[mobile robot]] or the feet of a [[humanoid robot]] which are also not end effectors - theyeffectors—they are part of the robot's mobility.

==Examples==

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When referring to robotic prehension there are four general categories of robot grippers, these are<ref>{{cite book |last1=Monkman |first1=G. J. |last2=Hesse |first2=S. |last3=Steinmann |first3=R. |last4=Schunk |first4=H. |title=Robot Grippers |publisher=Wiley-VCH |year=2007 |isbn=978-3-527-40619-7 |page=62}}</ref>:

# Impactive -– jaws or claws which physically grasp by direct impact upon the object.

# Ingressive -– pins, needles or hackles which physically penetrate the surface of the object (used in textile, carbon and glass fibre handling).

# Astrictive -– suction forces applied to the objects surface (whether by vacuum, magneto– or electroadhesion).

# Contigutive -– requiring direct contact for adhesion to take place (such as glue, surface tension or freezing).

== See also ==