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How do robots move materials between conveyor belts in factories?

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Humanoid robot — robot ASIMO, a two-legged humanoid robot developed by the Honda Motor Co.

In industrial settings, robots move materials between conveyor belts through a process known as material transfer, which is a primary application of industrial robotics.2

These robots utilize a mechanical manipulator consisting of an arm-and-body section and a wrist. The arm-and-body section is responsible for positioning the robot within its workspace, while the wrist provides the necessary orientation for the task. To perform the actual movement of parts, the robot is equipped with an end effector, typically a gripper designed specifically for the geometry of the objects being handled.123

The operation functions as follows:
* Grasping: The robot uses its gripper to pick up a part from one conveyor belt.23
* Transfer: The robot’s joints, driven by electric or hydraulic motors, move the arm and wrist to transport the part through a programmed path.13
* Placement: The robot places the part onto a second conveyor belt or into a specific arrangement, such as on a pallet.2

Some advanced systems incorporate tactile or visual sensors, allowing the robot to identify product styles or determine the proximity of objects to be manipulated.23