LEARNING PATH 04 · 25 GUIDES
Design a robot
Work from measurable requirements through mechanics, electronics, control and validation.
Start with: Basic mechanics, algebra and low-voltage electronics. Use current-limited bench supplies and unpowered assemblies before moving mechanisms.
Examples are preliminary engineering models, not a certified design. Protect against stored energy, falling axes, moving tools and electrical hazards. Have mains wiring, safety circuits and final machine compliance handled by qualified people.
From foundations to a working test
25 practical guides
Write measurable requirements before designing a robot
A useful robot specification describes a task in measurable terms: what moves, how far, how accurately and under which conditions. Begin with the required…
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Choose robot degrees of freedom from the task
Every added axis increases mechanical, sensing and control work. Identify the independent position and orientation variables the task truly needs. A…
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Estimate gravity torque for a robot shoulder joint
For a vertical-plane arm, the shoulder must support both the payload and the arm itself. Use perpendicular lever arms in the demanding pose, then add…
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Calculate link inertia before choosing acceleration
Mass location matters as much as total mass when a joint accelerates. A long light link can require substantial torque, and a small payload at the tip can…
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Check motor heating with RMS torque over a duty cycle
A motor may tolerate a brief high torque but overheat during sustained operation. An RMS torque calculation is a useful thermal screening tool when torque…
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Use gear reduction to understand reflected load inertia
A reduction changes the inertia seen by the motor as well as torque and speed. A simple reflected-inertia calculation helps explain actuator behavior, but…
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Estimate robot-link bending before adding a larger motor
If a link bends, a stronger actuator may increase force without improving tool accuracy. A cantilever approximation gives an early estimate of stiffness…
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Screen a solid robot shaft for torsional stress
A shaft must transmit torque without excessive stress or twist. A simple circular-shaft formula is useful for comparing diameters, but shoulders, keyways…
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Estimate wheel torque for a small mobile robot
A wheeled prototype needs enough traction and motor torque to accelerate its mass against resistance. Begin with a level-floor force budget, then extend…
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Choose encoder resolution from joint-position sensitivity
Encoder resolution defines the smallest reported angle increment, not the complete positioning accuracy. Convert counts into angular and endpoint…
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Create a low-voltage robot power budget
A power budget separates steady loads from startup and acceleration peaks. Add controllers, sensors, fans and conversion losses instead of sizing the…
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Calculate voltage drop in a robot power cable
A long or thin supply path can cause resets when motors draw current. Estimate the complete round-trip resistance, then measure voltage at the load during…
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Estimate electronics temperature rise before enclosing a robot controller
A controller that runs cool on an open bench can overheat in an enclosure. A first-order thermal resistance model links power loss to temperature rise. It…
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Scale a low-voltage analog sensor with a resistor divider
A resistor divider can scale a known low-voltage analog signal into an ADC range. It does not provide isolation, overvoltage protection or compatibility…
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Convert ADC codes into physical sensor units
Raw ADC numbers become useful only after you define reference voltage, sensor transfer function and calibration. Use a clear ideal conversion for…
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Estimate joint speed from encoder counts
Speed estimation turns count changes over time into angular velocity. Short windows react quickly but amplify quantization; longer windows smooth the…
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Choose a control sampling rate with delay in mind
A controller needs a sampling period appropriate to the dynamics it is trying to regulate. Nyquist is a signal-reconstruction boundary, not a complete…
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Understand proportional control with a bounded actuator
Proportional control commands effort in proportion to error. Increasing gain increases response, but physical actuator limits and plant dynamics prevent…
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Prevent integral windup in a simulated robot controller
Integral action can remove steady error, but it can keep accumulating when the actuator is saturated. When the target changes, that stored integral may…
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Design a robot process as explicit states
A collection of independent if statements can accidentally allow incompatible actions. A state machine makes allowed transitions visible and provides a…
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Frame robot serial messages so corrupted data is rejected
A byte stream has no inherent message boundaries. A robust parser needs a bounded length, clear framing, integrity check and timeout. Test it on stored…
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Use a watchdog to detect a stalled robot application
A watchdog can detect missing progress, but only if the signal being monitored represents meaningful healthy work. A timer interrupt that keeps toggling…
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Give a robot simulation physically meaningful mass and inertia
A robot model can look correct while behaving unrealistically because mass or inertia is missing or invalid. Begin with simple link shapes and verify…
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A prototype can fail because several small dimensional deviations add in the same direction. Trace the dimension chain that controls the fit. Do not…
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Build a robot verification matrix and release checklist
A robot is not finished when it moves once. Connect each requirement to evidence, configuration and a pass/fail decision. Separate functional…
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