SCARA (Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm) is a special type of industrial robot with cylindrical coordinates.

SCARA robots feature three rotational joints with mutually parallel axes, enabling positioning and orientation within a plane. The fourth joint is a translational joint, facilitating end-effector movement perpendicular to the plane. The position of the wrist reference point is determined by the angular displacements φ1 and φ2 of the two rotary joints and the displacement z of the translational joint, i.e., p = f(φ1, φ2, z). This robot type features a lightweight structure and rapid response; for example, the Adept1 SCARA robot achieves speeds up to 10 m/s, several times faster than typical articulated robots. It is most suitable for planar positioning and vertical assembly tasks.

SCARA systems exhibit compliance in the x and y directions while maintaining high rigidity along the Z-axis. This characteristic makes them particularly well-suited for assembly tasks, such as inserting a round-headed pin into a circular hole. Consequently, SCARA systems were initially deployed extensively for assembling printed circuit boards and electronic components. Another defining feature of SCARA is its serial two-bar linkage structure, resembling a human arm. This allows it to extend into confined spaces for operations and then retract, making it well-suited for handling and picking up objects like integrated circuit boards.

Today, SCARA robots are also widely used in the plastics industry, automotive industry, electronics manufacturing, pharmaceutical industry, and food processing industry. Their primary functions involve part handling and assembly tasks.