Activity 4: Collaborative Robot Fundamentals

Course: CS 304 - Robotic Agents
Due Date: Friday, February 27, 11:59PM

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Overview

In this activity, you will experiment with a collaborative robot (cobot) simulator to explore fundamental concepts in robotic manipulation: Cartesian movements, axis orientation, payload management, and pick-and-place operations. You will document your experiments and analyze how the robot responds to different commands.

The simulator models a FANUC CRX 10iA collaborative robot with:

• 6 degrees of freedom (6 joints)
• Max payload: 10 kg
• Max reach: 1249 mm
• SCHUNK EGP 64 gripper

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Getting Started

Opening the Simulator

Access the simulator online: https://learnroboticagents.com/cobot-simulator

Controls

Mouse Controls:

• Left-click + drag: Rotate camera around robot
• Right-click + drag: Pan camera
• Scroll wheel: Zoom in/out

Keyboard Shortcuts:

• R - Reset camera view
• G - Toggle grid
• L - Toggle axis labels

Robot Controls (in sidebar):

• Cartesian Mode: Move robot end effector to specific X, Y, Z positions
• Payload Mode: Adjust payload weight and operate gripper
• Orientation Mode: Rotate end effector using Yaw, Pitch, Roll
• Info Panel: View joint angles, toggle labels, access robot specs

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Robot Specifications

Based on FANUC CRX-10iA specifications (total motion range)

Joint	Name	Range of Motion
J1	Base	380°
J2	Shoulder	360°
J3	Elbow	570°
J4	Wrist 1	380°
J5	Wrist 2	360°
J6	Wrist 3/Gripper	450°

Key Concepts

Cartesian Movement:

• X-axis: Left/Right (from robot's perspective)
• Y-axis: Forward/Backward
• Z-axis: Up/Down (vertical)

Orientation (Euler Angles):

• Yaw: Rotation around Z-axis (left/right tilt)
• Pitch: Rotation around X-axis (forward/backward tilt)
• Roll: Rotation around Y-axis (twist)

Payload:

• Maximum payload: 10 kg
• Exceeding 80% capacity causes robot strain (visible vibration)
• Gripper max capacity: 1.25 kg (SCHUNK EGP 64)

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Experiments Overview

Complete the following experiments and document your findings in experiments.md:

1. Cartesian Movement: Explore X, Y, Z coordinates and understand the robot's reach
2. Joint Angles: Record how joint angles change with different positions
3. Orientation: Experiment with Yaw, Pitch, Roll
4. Payload Testing: Test payload limits and observe strain effects
5. Pick and Place: Complete pick-and-place tasks with the gripper

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Submission

• Complete all experiments in experiments.md
• Document observations, measurements, and conclusions
• Push your completed work to your GitHub repository