Unit 12: Manipulators and End Effectors

A mobile base moves the robot through the world. A manipulator changes how the robot physically interacts with the world.

Start at the contact point

A Gripper Is a Force Problem begins where robot and object touch. Arms, Levers, and Degrees of Freedom moves backward through the mechanism. Select an End Effector from Evidence compares candidate designs against actual task uncertainty.

The question is not "which gripper is coolest?" It is what contact, force, geometry, and motion make the task reliable without damaging the object or the mechanism?

Make a choice someone can challenge

Produce an end-effector decision matrix with load/force reasoning and one proposed uncertainty test.

The test matters. A weighted matrix organizes assumptions, but evidence should target the assumption most likely to overturn the choice.

Use payload, friction, normal force, torque, lever arm, degree of freedom, workspace, compliance, and grasp only when they describe something visible in the design.

Physical prototypes are optional. Paper, CAD, and simulation can expose most early design mistakes more cheaply.