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MA2000 - the Open University's personal robot arm
In the early 1980s, Britain's Open University required a robot arm for use in projects accompanying two new computing courses. The bright yellow MA2000 was the result. It was designed by George Carter (founder of Labman Automation Ltd) and was manufactured by TecQuipment International Ltd, of Long Eaton, Nottingham. TecQuipment also marketed the arm independently as a stand-alone unit.
It was powered by servo motors on its five axes, which allowed closed loop control at all times. Gripper operation, however, required a separate compressed air supply, which was assumed to be available on the typical university lab bench. The arm was offered with a choice of software for the IBM PC or BBC micro.
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