A method of teaching an articulated robot (300; 300C), the method comprising: providing a first pin (230; 230C) at a first location within a work station; and providing the articulated robot (300; 300C) in an area adj acent to the work station, the articulated robot (300; 300C) having a coordinate system, the articulated robot (300; 300C) having an arm (320; 320C) and an end effector (360; 360C) that is configured to pivot with respect to the arm (320; 320C), the end effector (360; 360C) having a workpiece receiver (370; 370C) with a first protruding member and a second protruding member, the end effector (360; 360C) having a through-beam sensor (380; 380C) including a light emitter provided on one of the first protruding member and the second protruding member, the through-beam sensor (380; 380C) further including a light receiver provided on an other of the first protruding member and the second protruding member, the through-beam sensor (380; 380C) being configured to sense when an object is present between the light emitter and the light receiver; the method further comprising: a) moving the articulated robot (300; 300C) to perform sensing operations in which the through-beam sensor (380; 380C) senses the first pin (230; 230C), the sensing operations being performed while a position and/or an orientation of the end effector (360; 360C) are varied for each sensing of the first pin (230; 230C) to gather sensed position and orientation data, the sensing operations are performed such that the first pin (230; 230C) is located at different distances between the light emitter and the light receiver as the articulated robot (300; 300C) moves the through-beam sensor (380; 380C) across the first pin (230; 230C) for a plurality of linear parallel movements of the end effector (360; 360C); and b) performing calculations on the sensed position and orientation data to determine the first location of the first pin (230; 230C) with respect to the coordinate system of the articulated robot (300; 300C). providing a first pin (230; 230C) at a first location within a work station; and providing the articulated robot (300; 300C) in an area adj acent to the work station, the articulated robot (300; 300C) having a coordinate system, the articulated robot (300; 300C) having an arm (320; 320C) and an end effector (360; 360C) that is configured to pivot with respect to the arm (320; 320C), the end effector (360; 360C) having a workpiece receiver (370; 370C) with a first protruding member and a second protruding member, the end effector (360; 360C) having a through-beam sensor (380; 380C) including a light emitter provided on one of the first protruding member and the second protruding member, the through-beam sensor (380; 380C) further including a light receiver provided on an other of the first protruding member and the second protruding member, the through-beam sensor (380; 380C) being configured to sense when an object is present between the light emitter and the light receiver; the method further comprising: a) moving the articulated robot (300; 300C) to perform sensing operations in which the through-beam sensor (380; 380C) senses the first pin (230; 230C), the sensing operations being performed while a position and/or an orientation of the end effector (360; 360C) are varied for each sensing of the first pin (230; 230C) to gather sensed position and orientation data, the sensing operations are performed such that the first pin (230; 230C) is located at different distances between the light emitter and the light receiver as the articulated robot (300; 300C) moves the through-beam sensor (380; 380C) across the first pin (230; 230C) for a plurality of linear parallel movements of the end effector (360; 360C); and b) performing calculations on the sensed position and orientation data to determine the first location of the first pin (230; 230C) with respect to the coordinate system of the articulated robot (300; 300C). a) moving the articulated robot (300; 300C) to perform sensing operations in which the through-beam sensor (380; 380C) senses the first pin (230; 230C), the sensing operations being performed while a position and/or an orientation of the end effector (360; 360C) are varied for each sensing of the first pin (230; 230C) to gather sensed position and orientation data, the sensing operations are performed such that the first pin (230; 230C) is located at different distances between the light emitter and the light receiver as the articulated robot (300; 300C) moves the through-beam sensor (380; 380C) across the first pin (230; 230C) for a plurality of linear parallel movements of the end effector (360; 360C); and b) performing calculations on the sensed position and orientation data to determine the first location of the first pin (230; 230C) with respect to the coordinate system of the articulated robot (300; 300C).