Development of a novel intelligent robotic manipulator

This paper describes the design features of a new robotic manipulator incorporating a novel spherical motor capable of three degrees of motion in a single joint for purposes of dexterous actuation, a loadable device at the end of the wrist actuator as the end effector with tactile and proximity sensing capabilities, and appropriate conventional and intelligent planning and control algorithms to support the execution of a series of complex tasks in an uncertain or hostile environment. The spherical wrist actuator is developed through analytic studies and the design of position and torque control instrumentation. The end effector is a micromanipulator based on the principle of in-parallel mechanisms. Heuristics, manifested in fuzzy logic, are employed to incorporate artificial intelligence for decision making and control in the robotic manipulator. The intent is to provide an overview of the significant design and algorithmic features of the manipulator deferring a detailed treatment of the proposed approaches to forthcoming publications.