End effector
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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.
In Computer Graphics, an End effector is the position and orientation of the last joint in a chain of joints.
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 tools are attached. In a wider sense, an end effector can be seen as the part of a robot that interacts with the environment. Using this more general definition, the wheels of a mobile robot or the feet of a humanoid robot are also end effectors. In the case of hyper redundant robots, the entire robot can be considered to be an end effector.
[edit] Examples
The end effector of an assembly line robot would typically be a welding head, or a spray gun. A surgical robot's end effector could be a scalpel or others tools used in surgery. Other possible end effectors are machining tools, like a drill or milling cutters. The end effector on the space shuttle’s robotic arm uses a pattern of wires which close like the aperture of a camera around a handle or other grasping point.
In industry a common task for a robot is to grab an object and move it. There are many ways a robot can pick up objects. One involves the use of vacuum to pick up objects. An other way is to use a gripper. Grippers rage from very simple parallel jaws to very advanced ones like robotic hands.
[edit] References
- Koren, Y. (1985). Robotics for engineers. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-035399-9
- Monkman. G.J., Hesse. S., Steinmann. R. & Schunk. H. Robot Grippers. Wiley. ISBN 978-3-527-40619-7
