Robotic arm

A robot arm is a machine arm.

It can move like your own arm. It has joints to help it bend.

Some arms have a hand at the end. This hand can grip or spin things. These arms help build cars. They can even work in space. Some arms help doctors during surgery. They can also help on Mars.

Robots make hard work much easier.

A robotic arm is a machine that works like a human arm.

It is made of parts called links. These links connect at joints. These joints let the arm move in different ways. Some arms move in a circle. Others move in a straight line.

At the very end of the arm is a part called an end effector. This is like a robot hand.

This hand can do many jobs. It can grip, spin, or even weld metal. Some arms need six degrees of freedom to move well. This means they have six ways to move through space.

Robots do many big jobs. They help build cars in large factories. Some arms even work in space. The Canadarm helps move things on the Space Shuttle.

Other arms work on Mars. The Curiosity and Perseverance rovers both have robotic arms.

These arms help scientists study the red planet. New tools like AI help robots learn how to do tasks. This makes them even more helpful to humans.

A robotic arm is a clever machine that mimics a human arm.

It is often programmable, meaning a computer tells it what to do. These arms are made of parts called links. These links connect at joints to allow movement. Some joints allow rotational motion, which is a turning movement. Other joints allow translational displacement, which is moving in a straight line. The very end of the arm is called the end effector.

This part is like a human hand. It can be used to grip, spin, or weld objects.

How these arms move depends on their design. Most arms are classified by their degrees of freedom. This is a way to measure how many ways the arm can move. Usually, the number of degrees of freedom equals the number of joints. An arm needs at least six degrees of freedom to reach any position in space. This includes both the position and the orientation of the hand. To make this work, scientists use a math process called inverse kinematics. This math calculates the right joint angles to reach a specific spot.

Many famous companies have built these amazing machines. FANUC was started in Japan in 1972. By 2023, they had shipped over 1 million robots. In 2022, the VW Group bought 1,300 FANUC arms for making cars. ABB started in Switzerland in 1988. In May 2025, ABB showed how its arms could build burgers in under 30 seconds. Yaskawa began in Japan in 1915 and made its first Motoman-L10 arm in 1977. KUKA started in Germany in 1898 and built the first electric six-axis arm in 1973.

Robotic arms work in many different places. In space, the Canadarm helps move things on the Space Shuttle.

On Mars, the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers use arms to explore. The InSight lander used an arm called the IDA to move tools.

Even in your home, technology is changing. In the 2010s, low-cost arms became more common for students. In April 2025, HuggingFace released the SO-101 model for as little as $100. Some arms are even open-source, like the MeArm.

Today, these machines are becoming much smarter. They use artificial intelligence, or AI, to learn new tasks. This helps them work in places like hospitals or big warehouses. Some are called cobots, which are collaborative robots. These robots are built to work safely right next to people. They use sensors to make sure they do not bump into humans. As machine learning improves, these arms will become even more independent. They will be able to handle many new jobs in the future.

A robotic arm is a programmable mechanical device designed to mimic the functions of a human arm.

These machines are often part of a much larger, complex robot system. The structure of a robotic arm consists of several parts called links. These links are connected by joints that allow for different types of movement. Some joints provide rotational motion, which allows the arm to turn. Other joints allow for translational displacement, which is movement in a straight line. The sequence of these connected links is known as a kinematic chain.

The very end of this kinematic chain is called the end effector. This component is analogous to a human hand and is used to perform specific tasks. Depending on the job, an end effector might be designed for welding, spinning, or gripping. While people often call this part a "robotic hand," that term is sometimes avoided in technical settings. To move accurately, engineers focus on the degrees of freedom in the arm. This term describes the number of independent ways the arm can move. Usually, the number of degrees of freedom matches the number of joints. An arm requires at least six degrees of freedom to reach any specific pose. This pose includes both the position and the orientation of the hand in three-dimensional space.

To control these complex movements, scientists use a mathematical process called inverse kinematics. This process calculates the necessary configuration of the arm to reach a desired pose. It specifically determines the required joint angles to place the end effector in a certain spot. There are several distinct types of robotic arms used in industry today. Cartesian or gantry robots use three prismatic joints that align with a Cartesian coordinate system. They are often used for assembly or applying sealant. Cylindrical robots use axes that form a cylindrical coordinate system for tasks like spot welding. Spherical or polar robots use a polar coordinate system for gas welding or die casting.

Other specialized designs include the SCARA robot, which uses two parallel rotary joints to move within a plane. Articulated robots feature at least three rotary joints and are common in spray-painting. Parallel robots use concurrent joints and can serve as mobile platforms for flight simulators. There are also anthropomorphic robots, which are shaped to resemble a human hand with independent fingers and thumbs. A special category is the collaborative robot, or "cobot." Unlike traditional industrial robots that are isolated from humans, cobots are designed to work alongside people. They use lightweight materials, rounded edges, and sensors to ensure safety. This allows them to assist in research, material handling, and quality inspection.

Several major companies have shaped the history of robotics. FANUC was established in Japan in 1972 and has shipped over 1 million robots as of 2023. In 2022, the VW Group purchased 1,300 FANUC arms for automobile production. Yaskawa was established in Japan in 1915 and began developing the MOTO arm series in the 1960s. Their first Motoman-L10 arm entered production in 1977, and they sold over 500,000 Motoman robots by 2021. KUKA, a German company founded in 1898, began industrial robot development in 1971. They introduced FAMULUS in 1973, which was the first electric six-axis robot arm. In 2008, KUKA released the KR 1000 Titan, the first arm capable of lifting 1000 kilograms.

Robotic arms are essential tools in space exploration and planetary science. The Canadarm and its successor, Canadarm2, are famous multi-degree-of-freedom arms used in orbit. These arms have been used for satellite deployment and inspecting the Space Shuttle.

On Mars, the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers utilize robotic arms for exploration. The Perseverance rover even has a smaller sample caching arm hidden inside its body. The InSight lander used a robotic arm called the IDA to move instruments on the Martian surface.

In deep space, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft used a robotic arm called TAGSAM to collect a sample from an asteroid.

Modern advancements are driven by artificial intelligence and machine learning. These technologies allow arms to identify and control items even in unstructured surroundings. Vision-based AI systems help with motion planning and adaptive grasping. This makes robotic arms much more effective in medical surgery, logistics, and agriculture. In healthcare, AI-driven arms increase stability during delicate, minimally invasive surgeries. In warehouses, they help with sorting and packaging to improve efficiency. New technologies like edge computing allow robots to interpret sensor data in real time. This improves reaction times in fast-paced industrial sectors and helps robots become more autonomous.