Modular robotic arm

Our reconfigurable modular manipulator (RMM), developed under funding from NASA, uses a Universal Mating Adapter (UMA) for internal power and communications. This allows the building of a 1-DOF to N-DOF manipulator in minutes by combing individual pitch and roll joints. Each joint contains its own power and control electronics, failsafe brake, and absolute and relative optical encoders. All power and data cables pass through the joints internally, avoiding potential snags of external cables. The joints are "hot-swappable" and contain all configuration, calibration, and park information in non-volatile memory. The final joint is equipped with an "auto-detach" device, which allows it to engage or disengage with different end-effectors... or with a payload that is equipped with a UMA plug.