Which statement defines manual leadthrough in robotics?

• A. A method where the robot learns motion by trial and error without human input.
• B. A method that relies entirely on offline programming.
• C. A method that uses online sensing without any human guidance.
• D. A method where a human manually guides the robot through the motion cycle and the program is saved in the controller's memory.

Answer: (D)

Manual leadthrough is a teaching method where a human physically guides the robot through the motion cycle, and the recorded path is saved in the controller’s memory to be replayed later. This approach lets you capture precise trajectories and timing for repetitive tasks by directly guiding the robot, often using a teach device or hand-guiding.

This method is different from learning by trial and error without human input, which would involve autonomous exploration rather than guided teaching. It also differs from offline programming, where the robot’s program is created away from the actual robot and then loaded later, and from online sensing with no human guidance, where the robot relies on sensors to decide actions in real time without human direction.