Structure: Flexible robots typically have more flexible cavities and/or joint structures, enabling more complex morphological transformations, while rigid robots consist of rigid rods and their joint connections, resulting in relatively fewer degrees of freedom of movement.
Control methods: Flexible robots typically use force and vision-based control systems, while rigid robots mainly use programmable control.
Application areas: Flexible robots are mainly used in fields such as healthcare and service robots, such as surgical robots, rescue robots, and lawnmower robots; while rigid robots are mainly used in automated production equipment such as assembly, spot welding, painting, and cutting on industrial production lines.
Advantages and disadvantages: Flexible robots have advantages such as flexible operation, avoidance of injury, and strong adaptability, making them more suitable for complex fields that require more degrees of freedom control; while rigid robots have advantages such as strong load-bearing capacity, high operating accuracy, and good stability, making them more suitable for fields that require high-quality and high-precision control.
A rigid robot is a robot composed of rigid links and their joints, which can move in various degrees of freedom. These robots are commonly used in automated production equipment such as assembly lines, painting, and cutting. Due to the rigidity of their main structure, rigid robots are characterized by high load-bearing capacity, high operational precision, and excellent stability.
Compared to rigid robots, flexible robots have more flexible cavities or joints, allowing them to perform more complex morphological transformations that often mimic the free movement of the human body. They typically employ force- and vision-based control systems and are suitable for fields such as healthcare and service robotics. For example, flexible robots can be used in surgical robots, rescue robots, and lawnmower robots, offering advantages such as maneuverability, injury avoidance, and better adaptability.
Therefore, compared with rigid robots, flexible robots have better repeatability, positioning accuracy, high-precision machining, strong adaptability, and the ability to resist external interference, making them more suitable for complex fields that require more degrees of freedom control.
In summary, although flexible robots and rigid robots differ in structure and usage, they are both important tools in the production and service sectors, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. The choice can be made based on specific application scenarios and needs.
