Mechanical arms are composed of multiple beams connected by hinges powered by actuators.
[2] Recent advancements have been brought about to lead future improvements in the medical field with prosthetics and with the mechanical arm in general.
It was first introduced in the late 1930s by William Pollard and Harold A. Roseland, where they developed a "sprayer" that had about five degrees of freedom and an electric control system.
Even though Joseph Engelberger marketed Unimate, George Devol invented the robotic arm.
In 1959, a 2700-pound Unimate prototype was installed at the General Motors die-casting plant in Trenton, New Jersey.
Marvin Minsky, from MIT, built a robotic arm for the office of Naval Research, possibly for underwater explorations.
Robots were initially created to perform a series of tasks that humans found boring, harmful, and tedious.
The world's first and earliest functioning prosthetic body parts are two toes from Ancient Egypt.
A German knight, who served with the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, was injured during the war.
The fingers could grasp a shield, hold reins to horses, and even a quill when drafting an important document.
In addition, an arm design of padded tips on the thumb and little finger would allow a pianist to span a series of notes while playing their instrument.
After the war, laborers would return to work, using either legs or the arms because of its ability to grip objects.
Using this mechanical arm, also known as an industrial robot, engineers were able to achieve difficult welding tasks.
In addition, the removal of die-castings was another important step in improving the abilities of a mechanical arm.
With such technology, engineers were able to easily remove unneeded metal underneath mold cavities.
Spot welding is a very important process used in the creation of cars to join separate surfaces together.
[7] As constant improvements were being made, the National University of Singapore (NUS) decided to make even further advancements by inventing a mechanical arm that can lift up to 80 times its original weight.
In 1990, the FDA allowed endoscopic surgical procedures to be done by the Automated Educational Substitute Operator (AESOP) system.
A simple system of 3 joints squeezes and releases motion causing the pincer to close and finally grab a desired object.
[9] The National University of Singapore has started making artificial muscle tissue to be able to be placed in mechanical arms to be able to help people pick up heavy loads.