Motion Solutions That Change the Game

How Motion Control Puts the Robo in Robotics

From the Roomba vacuum cleaner (a mobile

application) to the DaVinci surgical robot system (a

non-mobile application), motion control is required to

move any robotic application.

The word robotics implies a fully functioning system – fully

autonomous or at least automated in some fashion – that

someone builds for intended purposes. An engineer

programs a robot to perform a certain task or series of tasks

and the user only needs to know how to operate it (i.e.

understand how to power it, make the correct selections and

push the start button).

Motion control, on the other hand, encompasses a range

of components (such as electronic drives and controllers,

motors and other mechanics) that work together to power

a system. In order for those components to work together

as needed, motion control technology and application

engineering is required. One key part of motion technology

is software. Without the various pieces of motion software

integrated into the system, the components would be little

more than a pile of electrical and mechanical parts.

While dierent in concept, robotics and motion control work

hand in hand. In fact, motion control is a necessary subsystem

of robotics. To help understand this, we’ve broken down in

the following the key ways motion control puts the robo in

robots.

How Motion Control Puts the Robo in Robotics:

Robotics, whether for mobile applications or not, depends greatly upon motion control technology

Motion Control Ensures Precision

Every business strives for precision. But for some industries,

precision is critical. In semiconductor manufacturing, for

instance, Optical Critical Dimension spectroscopy is a key

technology used for optical metrology (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Optical Critical Dimension (OCD) spectroscopy is a key

technology used for optical metrology and process control in

semiconductor manufacturing. OCD enables measurements

of the smallest semiconductor design features down to the

nanometer level. At the heart of an OCD system is a high precision

positioning system in the form of a highly integrated multi-axis

stage system. The axes of the OCD’s stages are controlled by a

compact embedded motion controller. Working closely with the

stage system designer, Allied Motion developed the advanced-

performance custom motion controller module that powers the

OCD system’s stages.

OCD enables measurements of the smallest semiconductor

design features down to the nanometer level. Movements in

an OCD spectroscopy system clearly must be very precise. OCD

systems are certainly automatic (in that they automate the OCD

process), and for that reason, may be thought of as robotic.

At the heart of OCD systems is a highly integrated multi-

axis positioning stage system that incorporates precise

positioning mechanics. Servo motors power the system’s

individual axes, and in turn, are powered by servo motor

controllers that together with the motors are capable

of realizing highly dynamic, but precise, motions in the

positioning system.