Research Paper on Robotics: Tips for Writing Effective Research Paper

Robots can be considered programmable machines capable of performing a series of actions autonomously or semi-autonomously. Robotics is the branch of engineering research that deals with the conception, designing, manufacturing, and programming of robots that interact with the physical world. This field overlaps with electronics, computer science, artificial intelligence, mechatronics, nanotechnology, and bioengineering.

Although the science of robotics developed in the 20^th century, the history of robots and human-invented automation dates back much further. Pneumatica and Automata, texts by the ancient Greek engineer Alexandria, testify to the existence of hundreds of “wonder” machines with automated movement. Since then, research has advanced radically and includes machines capable of assembling other machines and even robots with human intelligence and appearance. Robotic engineering research aims at addressing the needs of industries to perform simple repetitive tasks as in the automobile or agricultural industries and carry out work in hazardous environments as in civil or defense. With the integration of artificial intelligence, some robots are even capable of simple decision-making, and current research in robotics is heading toward developing robots with a degree of self-sufficiency that allows mobility and decision-making in unstructured environments.

For robotics researchers, it is important to present findings in a way that is effective and maximizes the chances of publication and reach. To this end, it is important to use the correct terminology in your research manuscript when describing the robot investigated in your study. Depending on the purpose, robots can be classified as autonomous agricultural, exoskeleton, aerospace, consumer robots, etc. When discussing your robotics engineering research, it is best to provide an overview of any similar existing robots of the same category. It is also important to correctly represent any previously manufactured robots; for example, “PaPeRo” is the correct name of the Japanese personal robot, and not “papero.”

When researching exoskeletons, the scientific names of body parts must be used. Take for example a paper on biomechanical robotics, which mentions waist joints. Joints in the body act as ball bearings that connect and aid in the movement of many body parts such as the limbs, fingers, shoulders, elbows, and neck. The hip and knee joints can be explained in terms of different types of motion (e.g., hip flexion/extension, abduction/adduction, or internal/external rotation). The waist, however, does not have any joints. In this case, it would be more appropriate to describe the waist to have some degree of freedom.

One major reason that can lead to the rejection of your research paper is a lack of substantial proof supporting your study. For example, robotics papers in control systems require strong mathematical calculations or equations supporting your study. If possible, the claims made should be well supported by experiments. The claims stated should also be clear and reasonable. For example, a robotics engineering research paper investigating medical robots concluded that “The proposed system can scan various parts of the human body.” However, experiments were only performed on the forearm and thigh. These parts have a single continuous curvature surface and cannot be used to represent the entire human body. It would be better to say something along the lines of, “The proposed system can scan various parts of the human body having relatively flat surfaces, such as the neck, chest, abdomen, and limbs.”

In case your robotics engineering research aims at developing sensors to support the activities of robots, the newly developed sensor should be tested to determine its range (e.g., 0 to 10 N), the maximum supporting load that does not damage the sensor, the tolerance of the measurement result (± 1 N), and the measuring frequency (Hz). Such results can offer substantial evidence to support and verify your study.

It is also important to include basic concepts and definitions common to the field in your research paper, especially when reporting multidisciplinary robotics engineering research. For example, if your paper describes a gripper for transporting capsules and a remotely controlled motor based on these characteristics, readers would generally expect a brief review of state-of-the-art grasping and control strategies, as well as their applications in agricultural robots. Relevant citations should also be included when discussing past work. In addition to looking at popular and classical works, it is also necessary to refer to recent studies building on classical works; for example, a robotics paper that introduces the wizard-of-Oz (WoZ) method should include a proper explanation with appropriate citations. In the field of robotics engineering, scholars have developed a variety of high-performance force controllers, including impedance, admittance, and hybrid controllers. When introducing your topic of study, e.g., research on force control considering the tactile sensation of a surgical robot, it is important to delve deeper into similar studies and discuss how your results compare to others in the literature.

Another aspect you can look into is standard practices. The most recent standard on industrial robots, ISO-9283, was published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 1998. Government agencies such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) also play a major role in developing industry standards. In the US, the Engineering Laboratory (EL) is responsible for developing measurements and standards on robotics and automation. In particular, the Intelligent Systems and System Integration research group investigates testing standards relevant to industrial manufacturing applications. Some important works on testing standardization of industrial robots related to ISO 9283 can be found in “The State of The Art of Testing Standards for Integrated Robotic Systems.” Some of the more common standards approved by the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society are as follows:

• 1872-2015: IEEE Standard Ontologies for Robotics and Automation
• 1873-2015: IEEE Standard for Robot Map Data Representation for Navigation
• 7007-2021: Ontological Standard for Ethically Driven Robotics and Automation Systems
• F3200: Standard Terminology for Driverless Automatic Guided Industrial Vehicles
• F3243: Standard Practice for Implementing Communications Impairments on A-UGV Systems

I hope these tips can help improve communication of your robotics engineering research, increasing the chances of publication and allowing your research paper to reach a wide readership. If at any point you need expert support to enhance and polish your manuscript, choose the trusted professional editing service by Editage, and work with leading experts who are committed to helping you achieve your publication goals.

References

1. Bi, Z. M., Miao, Z., Zhang, B., & Zhang, C. W. The state of the art of testing standards for integrated robotic systems. Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing 63, 101893 (2020).
2. Approved Standards. https://www.ieee-ras.org/industry-government/standards/existing-projects