PLARA (or Pneumatic Linearly Actuated Robot Arm) is the product of my (and my teammates) blood sweat and tears and I am very proud of it!

The system is based on a delta-type motion system that has been redesigned to use pneumatic cylinders to allow for a lower cost per kilogram payload mass than traditionally actuated systems.

Specifications:

• 5 KG tested payload (10 Kg theoretically possible but yet to be tested)

• 60 cm working cuboid

• ~1000 $/KG cost to payload mass ratio

Problem: Traditional robot arm systems have been optimized for operation with rotational actuators. These designs and actuator systems have already been heavily optimized thus making cost optimization difficult for an undergraduate team with limited time.

Action: I researched existing robot arm architectures and conceived of various methods for adapting the current architectures. I generated sketch proposals for several system architectures. These designs were then discussed with the team and down-selected by weighted decision matrices. I then generated a working prototype to ensure the viability of cylinder actuation on a real world delta type linkage. After the prototype had been generated I created a model of the proposed system in SolidWorks. I generated a scaled model of a single linkage for test stand generation to allow for faster development of controls, after a design review with Professor Peter Whitney.

Result: We were able to order components and assemble both the test stand and full robot with minimal issues. The arm linkages allowed the desired range of motion while providing support for high payload masses. Most importantly, the adaptation of the delta-type design to use linear actuation allowed for the use of pneumatic cylinders, greatly reducing the cost of actuators for our payload.