ROBOTICS

ROBOTICSWHAT IS ROBOTICS?Roboticsis the branch ofmechanical engineering,electrical engineeringandcomputer sciencethat deals with the design, construction, operation, and application ofrobots,as well as computer systems for their control, sensory feedback, and information processing.

HISTORY OF ROBOTICS320 BC - Greek philosopher Aristotle made this famous quote:If every tool, when ordered, or even of its own accord, could do the work that befits it... then there would be no need either of apprentices for the master workers or of slaves for the lords.1495 - Around 1495 Leonardo da Vinci sketched plans for a humanoid robot.

1700 - 1900 - Between 1700 and 1900 a number of life-sized automatons were created including a famous mechanical duck made by Jacques de Vaucanson that could crane its neck, flap its wings and even swallow food.

1913 - Henry Ford installs the worlds first moving conveyor belt-based assembly line in his car factory. A Model T can be assembled in 93 minutes.

1920 - Karel Capek coins the word robot to describe machines that resemble humans in his play called Rossums Universal Robots. The play was about a society that became enslaved by the robots that once served them. This idea is now a common theme in popular culture, ie Frankenstein, Terminator, The Matrix etc.1932 - The first true robot toy was produced in Japan. The Lilliput was a wind-up toy which walked. It was made from tinplate and stood just 15cm tall.

1937 - Alan Turing releases his paper On Computable Numbers which begins the computer revolution.1941 -Legendary science fiction writer Isaac Asimov writes the short story Liar! in which he describes the Three Laws of Robotics. His stories were recompiled into the volume I, Robot in 1950 later reproduced as a movie starring Will Smith.Asimovs Three Laws of Robotics

1950 - Alan Turing proposes a test to determine if a machine truly has the power to think for itself. To pass the test a machine must be indistinguishable from a human during conversation. It has become known as the Turing Test.1954 - George Devol and Joe Engleberger design the first programmable robot arm. This later became the first industrial robot, completing dangerous and repetitive tasks on an assembly line at General Motors (1962).1957 - The Soviet Union launches Sputnik, the first artificial orbiting satellite. This marks the beginning of the space race.1964 - The IBM 360 becomes the first computer to be mass-produced.1968 - Stanley Kubrick makes Arthur C. Clark's, 2001: A Space Odyssey into a movie. It features HAL, an onboard computer that develops a mind of its own.

1969 - The U.S. successfully use the latest in computing, robotic and space technology to land Neil Armstrong on the moon.1977 - The first Star Wars movie is released. George Lucass movie inspires a new generation of researchers through his image of a human future shared with robots such as the now famous R2-D2 and C-3PO.1986 - he first LEGO based educational products are put on the market and Honda launches a project to build a walking humanoid robot.1994 - Carnegie Universities eight-legged walking robot, Dante ll, successfully descends into Mt Spur to collect volcanic gas samples.1997 - On May 11, a computer built by IBM known as Deep Blue beat world chess champion Garry Kasparov.The first Robocup tournament is held in Japan. The goal of Robocup is to have a fully automated team of robots beat the worlds best soccer team by the year 2050.

1998 - LEGO launches its first Robotics Inventions System.1999 - Sony releases the first version of AIBO, a robotic dog with the ability to learn, entertain and communicate with its owner. More advanced versions have followed.2000 - Honda debuts ASIMO, the next generation in its series of humanoid robots.2004 - Epsom release the smallest known robot, standing 7cm high and weighing just 10 grams. The robot helicopter is intended to be used as a flying camera during natural disasters.2005 - Researchers at Cornell University build the first self-replicating robot. Each robot is made up of a small tower of computerized cubes which link together through the use of magnets.2008 - After being first introduced in 2002, the popular Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner has sold over 2.5 million units, proving that there is a strong demand for this type of domestic robotic technology.

THREE LAW OF ROBOTICSA robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

COMPONENTSPOWER SOURCEPneumatic ( compressed gas )Solar PowerHydaulicsFlywheel energy storageOrganic garbageFaecesACTUATION actuators are like the muscles of a robot.Electric motorsLinear actuatorsSeries elastic actuatorsAir musclesMuscle wireElectroactive polymersElastic nanotubes

COMPONENTSSENSING - Sensors allow robots to receive information about a certain measurement of the environment, or internal components.TouchVisionOther common forms of sensing in robotics uselidar,radarandsonar.

COMPONENTSManipulation - Robots need to manipulate objects; pick up, modify, destroy, or otherwise have an effect. Thus the "hands" of a robot are often referred to asend effectors.Mechanical grippersVacuum grippersGeneral purpose effectorsLocomotionRolling robotsTwo-wheeled balancing robotsOne-wheeled balancing robotsSpherical orb robotsSix-wheeled robotsTracked robotsWalking applied to robots

COMPONENTSZMP TechniqueHoppingDynamic balancing (controlled falling)Passive dynamicsOther methods of locomotionFlyingSnakingSkatingClimbingSwimming (Piscine)Sailing

COMPONENTSEnvironmental interaction and navigation

Though a significant percentage of robots in commission today are either human controlled, or operate in a static environment, there is an increasing interest in robots that can operate autonomously in a dynamic environment. These robots require some combination ofnavigation hardware and softwarein order to traverse their environment. In particular unforeseen events (e.g. people and other obstacles that are not stationary) can cause problems or collisions. Some highly advanced robots such asASIMO, andMein robothave particularly good robot navigation hardware and softwareCOMPONENTSThe state of the art in sensory intelligence for robots will have to progress through several orders of magnitude if we want the robots working in our homes to go beyond vacuum-cleaning the floors. If robots are to work effectively in homes and other non-industrial environments, the way they are instructed to perform their jobs, and especially how they will be told to stop will be of critical importance. The people who interact with them may have little or no training in robotics, and so any interface will need to be extremely intuitive. Science fiction authors also typically assume that robots will eventually be capable of communicating with humans throughspeech,gestures, andfacial expressions, rather than acommand-line interface. Although speech would be the most natural way for the human to communicate, it is unnatural for the robot. It will probably be a long time before robots interact as naturally as the fictionalC-3PO.COMPONENTSSpeech recognitionRobotic voiceGesturesFacial expressionArtificial emotionsPersonalitySocial Intelligence

CLASSIFICATION OF ROBOTSIn general, robots are classified based on their capabilities. Some standard classifications of robots include theirdomain of operation,degree of autonomy, and thegoalthey are designed to fulfill.Domain of Operation - Robots can be designed and built for any environment imaginable. One popular way of classifying robots is by what environments they're designed to operate in. Some typical examples include:Stationary - These robots are fixed in one place and cannot move. This category includes roboticarms, computerized machine tools, and most other Industrial Robots . Industrial Robots are robots used in mass production e.g. welding robots, CNC plate cutters or CNC drills. The large majority of these robots are stationary and tethered to a computer.Ground - These robots are designed to operate on the surface of the earth or other planet, and are usually sub categorized by their drive train:WheelsTracksLegsCLASSIFICATION OF ROBOTSUnderwater - Also known as Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, these are designed to operate underwater, possibly at great depth.Aerial - Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are various kinds of robotic flying machines, including planes and helicopters.Microgravity - Robots that have been designed to operate in low-gravity environments, such as earth orbit.other specificHazardous EnvironmentsDegree of AutonomyAutonomyis the quality of being self-controlled. One measure of autonomy is the amount of human control that is required for the robot's operation. An autonomous robot can operate properly without intervention indefinitely and can deal with unexpected problems gracefully. Tele-operated robots constantly require humans to send the robot control signals. These are only the endpoints; there is a continuum of possibilities between them. A robot can also be classified by how self-contained it is. Power, logic circuitry, and other things may be located either on the main chassis or connected via a cable tether or wireless link from another location.

MODERN USE OF ROBOTSThough robots have certain limitations in the way they are made, humans are able to utilize them perfectly based on the desired applications. Robotics have come a long way and new findings or developments never end. Here are some applications where robots play important roles.What robots can do?Robotics is highly advanced technology that strives to develop robots for various applications. Let us have a look at robots already invented and being used in the industry.Industrial robots:Industrial robots are electronically controlled, both programmable and reprogrammable to carry out certain tasks with high precision and accuracy. Robots have been extensively used in highly advanced manufacturing facilities or high volume assembly lines for a long time. They are efficient and produce high yields or output. The most common use of robots is in the automobile industry where they are used for various applications like welding, painting, etc. The robots can carry out tasks which are very difficult or hazardous for human beings. Because robots use a perfect copy of exact strategy for troubleshooting purposes, issues and solutions can easily be resolved and implemented. With proper maintenance procedures and schedules, machine wear-out or breakdowns can easily be predicted, resolved and controlled. Over-all, manufacturing plants run by industrial robots can run smoothly without much trouble and with less interactions of humans.

Aerospace robots:Another application of robots is in aerospace for outer space exploration. Aerospace robots or unmanned robotic spacecraft play a key role in outer space probe. Scientists can explore in outer space without putting themselves in great danger considering the risks involved if they go to outer space themselves. With controlled robots, the same results can be achieved safely. The risk to lose a human life in outer space has been greatly avoided.Healtcare delivery:A highly possible advancement in healthcare is using robots in robotic surgery. Due to technological advancement, this is possible even if the patient is located in remote areas. This possibility defies distance. With the proper tools and set-up in place, proper healthcare could be delivered to the patient even in remote areas without the corresponding risks involved.Robots resembling human beings and robotic pets:At home, human-like robots and robotic pets have always been considered friends and companions. They can play a musical instrument, sing, dance, etc. only to please us humans for our own comfort.Military robots:Possibly the worst part of robotic application is in military use, as it may curtail human life instead of upholding it. You can conquer or be conquered with a robot.With man always in conquest of power, we hope that robots will not be used justify an end result for their own favor. Our only hope is that man, along with the advancement in technology, always promotes for the well being of mankind.