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The paper presents an innovative mechanism for the singularization of micro-spheres, which can be effectively employed in a diverse range of robotized applications in micro-electronics and micro-mechanics. Many miniaturized devices are currently being developed and consist of different micro-components to be precisely assembled. The demanding product and process requirements can be met by automating the assembly phases, which include sorting and feeding the micro-components. Therefore, accurate, high-throughput, and modular mechanisms and tools able to supply a number of micro-components, or even a single element for the subsequent operations, play a significant role. In this context, this work focused on the development of a novel strategy for separating a single component from an unstructured stock of identical parts, in particular of micro-spheres with diameters of 0.2-1 mm. Suitable expedients were considered to overcome the adhesive effects that can become significant at the micro-scale due to the very small size and low mass of the micro-spheres. The paper describes the operating principle and the actuation strategies of the mechanism. The design and the development of a prototype for singularizing micro-spheres with a diameter of 0.6 mm are thoroughly discussed. Finally, the results of experimental singularization tests demonstrate the method effectiveness and the mechanism performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a second level of university course called Master in France, Laurea Magistrale in Italy, jointly organized by UPMC Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris (France) and UniBS Università degli Studi di Brescia (Italy). During this "double-degree" course, students coming from these universities share two semesters while studying subjects related to mechatronics and biomechanics. At the end of the program the students obtain a double degree from both universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper a gain scheduling approach is proposed for the hybrid force/velocity control of an industrial manipulator employed for the contour tracking of objects of unknown shape. The methodology allows to cope with the configuration dependent dynamics of the manipulator during a constrained motion and therefore a significant improvement of the performance results. Experimental results obtained with an industrial SCARA manipulator demonstrate the effectiveness of the technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Motion planning for free-flying robots can be quite complex due to the fact that any movement of the joints influences the position and the orientation of the spacecraft which carries the manipulator. Several studies have been carried out to plan joint trajectories which eliminate the effects of the dynamic disturbances. Approximate solutions to this problem have been proposed using the concept of the Disturbance Map. The authors have already studied this problem for the case of 2 DOF and 3 DOF planar robots connected with revolute joints developing an exact solution based on the concept of dynamic singularities. Aim of this paper is to extend the proposed methodology to the case of planar polar manipulators, analyzing the peculiarities of these robot arm configurations. A numerical procedure for the evaluation of zero disturbance trajectories is also presented and application examples are developed. The adoption of the proposed strategy improves the performances of spacecraft’s attitude control system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An original method for the static calibration of robots using the pose matching approach is presented. Three algorithms for the identification of the structural parameters are investigated. The procedure includes a methodology to automatically remove the unnecessary parameters for the robot under analysis. After a theoretical introduction, the methodology is practically applied to an actual 5 DOF measuring robot used in a shoe manufactory industry. The accuracy of the robot is increased up to its repeatability. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the results of dynamic tests performed to study the robustness of a dynamics model of an industrial manipulator. The tests show that the joint friction changes during the robot operation. The variation can be identified in a double exponential law and thus the variation can be predicted. The variation is due to the heat generated by the friction. A model is used to estimate the temperature and related friction variation. Experimental data collected on two robots EFORT ER3A-C60 are presented and discussed. Repetitive tests performed on different days showed that the inertial and friction parameters can be robustly estimated and that the value of the measured joint friction can be used to estimate the unexpected conditions of the joints. Future applications may include sensorless identification of collisions, predictive maintenance programs, or human–robot interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]