Performance Gain of Collaborative Versus Sequential Motion in Modular Robotic Manipulators for Pick-and-Place Operations

With the increasing demand for efficiency and profitability in industrial applications, modularity offers significant advantages such as system reconfiguration, reduced acquisition costs, and enhanced versatility. However, achieving compatibility across multi-vendor modular systems remains a challenge, particularly in motion control. This study focuses on improving motion control and sensing compatibility and performance, partly using open-source tools to enhance performance in modular systems. In such systems, effective motion coordination between modules is crucial; without it, operations are constrained to sequential execution, limiting efficiency. This paper quantifies the performance benefits of collaborative motion compared to sequential motion in modular mechatronic systems for pick-and-place operations. The experimental validation, conducted on a robotic manipulator mounted on a linearly sliding platform, demonstrates a substantial improvement. The results show time savings of 36% to 52% and an approximate 35% reduction in energy consumption, highlighting the potential for improved productivity and sustainability in modular automation solutions.