Industrial arms use forward kinematics — chaining joint rotations from a fixed base out to the end effector — to place a tool tip at a target pose.
P_tip = T_base * R_yaw * T1 * R_shoulder * T2 * R_elbow * T_gripper
- Cycle speed — how fast the pick-and-place cycle runs; faster cycles shorten cycle time but leave less reaction time near the safety zone.
- Shoulder reach — scales how far the shoulder lifts between its "down" (grip) and "up" (transit) poses.
- Station spacing — the base-yaw angle swept between station A and station B.
- Safety zone — when on, the arm halts its cycle whenever a person crosses the light-curtain radius, logging a near-miss instead of a collision.
Real robot cells use light curtains or LiDAR-based safety zones (ISO 10218 / ISO/TS 15066) so the controller can slow or stop before contact, trading a small cycle-time cost for operator safety.