A
robotic arm is a type of mechanical arm, usually
programmable, with similar functions to a human
arm; the arm may be the sum total of the mechanism or may be part of a more complex
robot. The links of such a manipulator are connected by joints allowing either rotational motion (such as in an
articulated robot) or translational (linear) displacement. The links of the manipulator can be considered to form a
kinematic chain. The terminus of the kinematic chain of the manipulator is called the
end effector and it is analogous to the human
hand.