Virtualização de um manipulador robótico de 5 juntas rotativas

Abstract

Industry 4.0 is driving the emergence of various technologies and tools based on automating processes and exchanging information between different devices. Current technologies include, for example, the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality. In this context, robotic systems, especially robotic manipulators, are being used to perform critical tasks that could compromise the safety of human operators. These devices are therefore taking an active part in the industrial process. However, the risks associated with operation, high costs and the need for human intervention represent the main challenges for the insertion of robotic systems. In view of this, virtualization has emerged as a promising solution aimed at enhancing safety, reducing costs and making it possible to study these devices. Therefore, this work aims to virtualize a didactic robotic manipulator with 5 rotary joints, providing an interactive virtual environment, through a graphic interface, to carry out studies and tests on the manipulator in question. Virtualization is used in conjunction with digital twins, as these represent the virtual "twin" of an industrial process or physical device. The aim is therefore to create a digital twin that represents the physical robotic arm. There are numerous tools for virtualization. This work is based on two main ones: the 3D modeling software Autodesk Inventor and the numerical computing and programming software Matlab. The serial communication protocol was used to connect the real model to the virtual model, which was integrated using the Arduino platform. This type of protocol proved to be suitable, as it provides low latency, precision and is ideal for short-distance communication. The results obtained in this work highlight the importance of virtualization for studying physical devices, especially robotic manipulators, without the need for physical implementation.