Robotics - Components

                                       COMPONENTS FOR ROBOTICS

• Power source:

         These batteries are much lighter than non-lithium batteries of the same size.Made of Lithium and Carbon. The element Lithium is highly reactive meaning a lot of energy can be stored there. The anode, the positive end, is made of zinc powder because the granules have a high surface area, increasing the rate of reaction and higher electron flows, Rechargeable batteries can have electricity generating reactions reversed by passing a current in the opposite direction.

•  Actuator

         A mechanical device for moving or controlling something, The actuators are covered by wire and controlled by circuit connected to a power supply. Actuators fit on a yoke and are designed to sit directly over the valve enhancing the compact design of the valve assembly. Air actuators are useful in situations where any spark could be disastrous or where there is no electricity available.

•  Electric motors

    Motors are in just about every appliance from clothes washing machine and dish washer to coffee grinders, microwaves and electric can openers. Electric motors can be powered by alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC). Most electric motors develop their mechanical torque by the interaction of conductors carrying current in a direction at right angles to a magnetic fields. 

•  Air muscle

          The muscle consists of a rubber tube (bladder or core) that is surrounded by a tubular braided fiber mesh sleeve. The muscles consist of an inflatable inner tube/bladder inside a braided mesh, clamped at the ends. Though they can technically be designed to lengthen as well, this is not useful as the soft muscles buckle. Robotists find it interesting that air muscles provide a reasonable working copy of biological muscles.

•  Elastic nanotubes

          This nanoscale structure has generated enormous interest in the research field of science and engineering in the last decades because of its excellent mechanical properties An Armchair nanotube is one classification of carbon nanotubes which corresponds to a configuration where there is no twist in addition to the rolling. The exceptional mechanical and electrical properties of carbon nanotubes have made them alternatives to the traditional electrical actuator for both macroscopic and microscopic applications.