Universal Robot-Tool Coupling for Construction: A Systematic Review of Cross-Platform Flange Interfaces and End-Effector Adaptation
Academic Article in Scopus
Despite the existence of modern capable robots, crews still carry plywood by hand and use nail guns to fasten it on a typical timber-frame job. Panel handling and fastening are obvious candidates for automation because they involve repetitive, labor-demanding tasks that put workers in danger. However, in current practice, the tool on the robot wrist is nearly always connected to a single arm through a unique wiring scheme, bolt pattern, and bracket. It typically takes new hardware, new cable routing, and safety I/O adjustments to move the same end-effector to a different brand of robot or even a different payload class. In this article, we investigate the possibility of having one tool-side interface that can move across several commercial manipulators. We use universal coupling to describe a cross-platform interface that allows the same end-effector to be mounted on different robots with only small mechanical and utility adjustments. To study how realistic this is, we reviewed peer-reviewed reports of robots and end-effectors working together on construction-related tasks. For each manuscript, we noted the mechanical connection, how utilities reach the tool, how well the tool-center point is recovered after re-mounting, and how demanding installation appears. We propose a Universal Coupling Readiness Matrix based on these patterns, which connects mechanical compatibility, utility pass-throughs, TCP (Tool Center Point) stability, and installation effort. We talk about the implications of this approach for the adaptation of a cross-brand tool in robots such as UR, ABB, KUKA, and Yaskawa.
