Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
(Source: Images CC-BY-SA Modular Robotics)
Figure 12.7 FARKUS conveyance with four attached modules.
FARKUS is more than an assembly robot; it's an ecosystem of
simple robots that work together. In the same way that our commercial
products are made out of lots of tiny robots, the power of FARKUS lies
in the modularity and interconnection between various modules that
can be reconfigured quickly to support different assembly processes
and production lines.
At a basic level, a factory performs a bunch of operations to a bunch
of products. The Modular Robotics factory, for instance, uses opera-
tions like soldering, ultrasonic welding, programming, testing, and
printing to make products like Cubelets and MOSS. FARKUS consists
of several parts: movers, to move products through the factory; a col-
lection of modules that perform operations to the products; a control
system to manage the ecosystem; and nests to cradle the products as
they make their way through a production line.
We've designed and built two movers so far. The conveyance is
something like a conveyor belt: it uses a stepper motor, a Geneva
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