Statistical investigation of robot performance specifications

Abstract

The technical manager attempting to evaluate robot performance from published specification data faces an increasingly complex decision problem. This problem complexity results from the nonuniformity of robot parameter data due to lack of standards and the rapid technological changes taking place in robotics. An evaluation of the currently available data base of robot specifications is presented and a statistical approach to evaluating the potential impact of trade-offs of performance requirements is presented. An example using four robot parameters – repeatability, velocity, degrees of freedom, and lifting capacity – is given.