Polyfunctional robots empower industrial automation and daily life
At the very forefront of technology, polyfunctional robots are becoming a driving force in industrial automation and daily life. By performing multiple tasks and replacing specialized robots designed for single tasks, these robots are enhancing efficiency and profitability. According to Gartner’s forecast, by 2030, 80% of people will interact with smart robots daily, compared to less than 10% today.
Motors are the key component in robotic construction systems. They are responsible for movement and control, and even complex procedures such as medical surgeries. The choice of motors and their drive solutions largely determines a robot’s precision, speed, and other critical performance indicators.
Since polyfunctional robots must perform various complex tasks, they require excellent energy efficiency to ensure sufficient operating time. The ability to seamlessly switch between different tasks also requires a high level of intelligence. Furthermore, they cannot be overly large due to the complexity of their tasks, which requires a high degree of integration. To meet all three of these challenging requirements, motor drive technology – the core of a robot’s performance capabilities – must excel in energy efficiency, intelligence, and integration.
Clearly, polyfunctional robots must possess superior motor drive solutions to deliver outstanding performance and task execution capabilities. Ever responsive to new and emerging market demands, Avnet offers innovative solutions and upholds best practices in the field of motor drives. Its reliable supply of components, integrated design capabilities, product innovation, R&D and customized services enable customers to quickly develop and deploy motor drive and control-related products.
Avnet’s numerous solutions in motor control and robotic system overall performance enhancement include:
- Reliable and efficient motor control
The industrial and IoT markets demand safer and more efficient motor control solutions to maintain high accuracy and reliability within systems. Avnet’s RT1021 servo motor control solution, powered by NXP’s advanced Arm® Cortex®-M7 processor, delivers high CPU performance and real-time response. When paired with a RAMK060 magnetic encoder, the RT1021 servo motor control can detect robotic arm positions and convert mechanical angular positions into highly accurate electrical signals, making it ideal for high-performance application scenarios.
- Servo motor control with FOC algorithm
Servo motor controllers provide precise angular positioning of the motor shaft, playing a crucial role in smart manufacturing. Avnet’s STM32 servo motor controller solution integrates an FOC algorithm, ensuring high efficiency, reliability, and low-noise servo positioning control.
- FPGA-based motor control
Avnet’s comprehensive platform includes an encoder and FPGA-based sensorless field-oriented vector control, delivering high efficiency, high precision, and fast response speed. The motor control can be fully implemented using FPGA logic.
- Seamless integration of motor drives and autonomous mobile robot sensor networks
In the design of autonomous mobile robots (AMR), Avnet utilizes the simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithm to create a map of the robot’s surrounding environment using sensor data. The sensor network, leveraging visual, optical, and acoustic sensors, enables obstacle detection and avoidance to ensure safe and accurate navigation. Throughout these processes, the motor drive system works in seamless coordination with the sensor network’s recognition, judgment, and decision-making responses, thereby enhancing the monitoring and control of AMR movement and speed.
- Integration of tools and platforms to enhance robotic performance
Avnet has integrated Ultra 96-V2 with the official Robot Operating System (ROS) standard platform robot, TurtleBot3. The core technologies of TurtleBot3 include SLAM, navigation and control, making it highly suitable for applications in autonomous security robots and household service robots. Avnet’s Ultra 96-V2 utilizes AMD SDSoC and Vivado HLS tools to accelerate the computation-intensive portions of the SLAM algorithm within AMD programmable logic, accessing them through the hardware accelerator’s ROS abstraction layer. The integration of Ultra 96-V2 with TurtleBot3 can significantly enhance robot performance.
In summary, energy efficiency, intelligence and integration are the key drivers in the innovation of the motor drive technology that is enhancing the capabilities of polyfunctional robots. By continually elevating its technology offerings and service standards in this field, Avnet is playing a vital role in the development and application of this new-age workforce. As polyfunctional robots continue to empower industrial automation and daily life in unimaginable ways, the future looks smarter than ever.
