Internship at RIKEN 8: Linear Actuator (Part I)

An actuator is a moving component of the machine that works by receiving a control signal and a source of energy (usually electrical). A linear actuator is an actuator that moves in a straight line, in contrast to the circular motion of a rotary actuator.

We have two linear actuators from SURUGA SEIKI Co., Ltd. - one for the x-axis, and another for the y-axis. We can use the Python serial library to control various aspect of the motor like its position, speed, acceleration, etc. Currently, we have a basic setup consisting of the robotic arm, the two linear actuators and a board to rest the paper.

The Code

The Command

• We specify the linear actuator to move by prefixing the command with "AXI:" - "AXI:1" is the x-axis, and "AXI:2" is the y-axis.
• The ? suffix indicates a request. This is then read with ser.read()

Writing & Reading

We created a very primitive (temporary!) GUI to go along with our GUI for the robotic arm.

What's Next

We will begin coding the arm to draw various shapes like squares with shading. More about that in the next post!