Autonomous Linear Slider with Extendable Robotic Arm for Increased Reachability

Challenging and unreachable tasks such as inspection and maintenance of equipment often require a robot to reach high, hidden, or confined areas that are difficult for humans to access. Such regular, repetitive tasks can be performed more efficiently if automated. This paper presents the derivation of kinematic equations of a new linear robotic system comprising an n-link prismatic arm on an automated slider that undergoes horizontal motion along a rail mounted on a fixed solid base at both ends. While moving linearly along the horizontally placed rail, the mobile slider facilitates reachability by placing the end-effector and allowing access to an arbitrary target to accomplish assigned tasks. Based on the work requirements,
$n\in \mathbb{N}$
rigid links can be attached to the robotic arm system for reaching high places and positioning the end-effector to reach remote targets in a workspace. Motion controllers in the form of autonomous acceleration controllers are derived for both the mobile slider and the prismatic arm using the Lyapunov based Control Scheme (LbCS). Computer simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the motion controllers. Such linear robotic systems can have potential practical applications in routine, repetitive tasks requiring increased reachability, especially in the construction sector, such as maintenance, inspection, assembly of parts, and even surveillance.