Development and Implementation of a 6-DOF Robotic Arm with Machine Vision for Sorting Application

Abstract

The automation of sorting tasks has been essential for various industrial applications, and this study focused on developing a 6-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) robotic arm to accurately sort objects through QR code scanning. The researcher conducted 40 trials across four distinct sets, categorized by color (red/blue) and size (small/large), obtained from a comprehensive functionality test. This study used sorting time as the dependent variable, while the independent variables are the four sorting categories analyzed through Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The results revealed no significant differences in sorting times among the four sets, indicating that the robotic arm performed consistently across all categories. This finding demonstrated the robotic arm's effectiveness, accuracy, and flexibility in handling variations in object attributes such as color and size. The study concluded that the developed 6-DOF robotic arm, combined with machine vision technology and advanced control algorithms, was a reliable and efficient solution for small-scale automated sorting applications, making a valuable contribution to the advancement of robotic systems in industrial automation.