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Reference.org
Serial manipulator
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<p>Serial manipulators are the most common industrial robots and they are designed as a series of links connected by motor-actuated joints that extend from a base to an end-effector. Often they have an <a href="/facts/Anthropomorphism/foTf9q24">anthropomorphic</a> arm structure described as having a "shoulder", an "elbow", and a "wrist". </p><p>Serial robots usually have six joints, because it requires at least six <a href="/facts/Degrees_of_freedom_(engineering)/2BqcdnLA">degrees of freedom</a> to place a manipulated object in an arbitrary position and orientation in the workspace of the robot. </p><p>A popular application for serial robots in today's industry is the pick-and-place <a href="/facts/Assembly_line/uENUURd9">assembly</a> robot, called a <a href="/facts/SCARA/pSarWfsz">SCARA</a> robot, which has four degrees of freedom. </p>