I am interested in building a robot that performs assembly based on color sensors.
The robot has to pick up tiny 5mm x 5mm pieces that weigh a few grams. The pieces are of 50 different colors and are in 50 different buckets. Input from a color sensor determines which colored piece is to be picked; so I need to match an appropriate color sensor to this robot. The initial assembly is 2-dimensional on a surface measuring 30 cm x 30 cm.
I would like to start with something simple. Would the RB-Lyn-843 ($350) do the job? Does it have the appropriate sensor interface? Is there a part that would be able to pick up small pieces?
If the simple configuration is successful, I would like to move onto something like RM-com-11 ($5700) (assuming it has the required parts).
I feel this kind of a problem should have been solved before. Would readers have a different suggestion? Welcome all help.
SK
Hi,
Here are some answers to your questions:
What type of assembly are you expecting to perform with a robotic arm? It would help advise you better if you had pictures or videos of such an assembly being done.
The weight of the pieces is certainly not an issue with most hobbyist-grade robotic arms (they usually have payloads of 50-200 g). The size might be a bit more problematic with typical grippers combined with the movement tolerance of the robotic arm (as the gripper gets further from the base, the movements are less precise).
Which type of color sensor are you using and which type of interface does it have? This will determine if you can use an AL5 robotic arm with the SSC-32U as its controller. This board has only passive analog and digital input pins so it cannot support sensors with a serial interface (or other complex forms of communications).
The RB-Lyn-843 can certainly lift such light pieces, but you may have some trouble with the size depending on the type of object/surfaces. Could you provide a picture of a typical object? You may want to consider one of those two upgrades to pick small objects more easily: Lynxmotion Vacuum Gripper Kit or Lynxmotion Vacuum Gripper Kit w/ Wrist Rotate.
Concerning the sensor interface, please see the answer above. If the passive inputs are not enough/appropriate for your sensor, you could always use the RB-Lyn-484 instead. It has a BotBoarduino (Arduino-compatible board) as a controller instead, which can interface directly with most typical sensor interfaces available (or with a shield for things like RS-485 and CAN).
We also recommend that you check out our Lynxmotion AL5 robotic arm guide, available here.
Sincerely,
