robotics

characteristics

A child sees a cat and learns that cats have certain symbols, or characteristics, that show they are cats. For example, cats have whiskers, four legs, a tail, fur, and so forth. If the first cat a child sees is a black cat, he or she may think that black fur is a characteristic of all cats.

small brains

Another problem with reproducing human intelligence in robots is the issue of scale. Although computers and computer components are getting smaller, it isn't possible to make a robotic intelligence system that is both compact and can closely reproduce the abilities of the human brain.

Microrobotics

As microrobotic technology advances, robots will be able to assemble smaller and smaller chips with more circuits. Microrobots as small as the head of a pin are being developed to construct tiny circuits. Such robots can be programmed to create an exact circuit design that they reproduce perfectly every time. It's hard to imagine how fast computers will become with robotics technology.

freedom of movement

As technology has progressed, so has scientists' and engineers' ability to copy humans in robotic form. Electric and pneumatic motors move the robot's arm to any coordinate it has the freedom to reach. The robotic arm with the greatest freedom of movement can move as much, or more, than the human arm. Fluid and electrical power systems provide the linear and circular motion needed to manipulate the arm and its hand or gripper. Modern robotic arms, wrists, and hands are increasingly more human-like.

CAD

CIM can also use a more complex programming software for directions. Computer-aided design, or CAD, is a graphic design program used to create building and product design plans. A CIM operator draws up a set of plans using CAD and then sends the plans directly to a robot in the manufacturing plant.

Control valves control the movement, flow, and pressure of the gas or liquid taken in and out of a pneumatic or hydraulic system. A directional control valve receives a signal that changes the direction of, stops, or starts, the flow of the liquid or gas in a pneumatic or hydraulic machine. A flow control valve is used to control the rate of fluid flow in a pneumatic or hydraulic machine. A pressure control valve controls the exact pressure in a pneumatic or hydraulic machine.

Control valves ensure that the part of the hydraulic or pneumatic machine that needs pressure receives the correct amount.

convenience

Electric motors are also very convenient. Robots powered by hydraulics and pneumatics run on specific systems that have to be installed just to power the robot. Yet an electrically powered robot can simply be plugged into the electrical wall outlet of any building. In addition, electrically powered robots don't leak or pollute the environment. Hydraulic robots sometimes leak oil and other pollutants.

While there is no reason to fear robots taking over the world anytime soon, it is important to interact with robots in a safe manner. When working with any machine that has potentially dangerous moving parts, you should always think of safety first.

Even when a robot is following all of Asimov's laws, you still can be hurt if you carelessly place yourself in the robot's way.

recognition

For example, a robot that sees the same black cat every day will always make the same neural network connections. The robot's recognition of the cat will become almost automatic. However, scientists have a long way to go before a neural network can emulate the complex human brain.

Robots designed with specialized visual and touch sensors judge whether manufactured objects are correctly made. If the part is made correctly, the robot passes it to the next step in the process. If the part is defective, the robot removes it from the cycle and sends it to be corrected, indicating the exact nature and location of the defect.

Humans performing this task may let defective parts slip by, due to the dull and repetitive nature of the task. Robots get it right every time.

reproduce the patterns

If the natural patterns can be successfully duplicated, the patterns can be reproduced repeatedly in a mechanical device that creates smooth, continuous movement.

early programming language

In 1910, a book called "Principia Mathematica" by Bertrand Russell was published. It presented new mathematical theories. These theories later enabled people to use mathematical logic to write computer programs. At first, programmers physically punched programming commands onto punch cards to input instructions to computers. With the use of punch cards, machines could be programmed to perform tasks without human intervention.

early computers

In 1942, the first digital computer appeared. ENIAC was considered a technological breakthrough. It could perform 5,000 computations in a second. Developments such as the transistor, integrated circuit, and microprocessor led to the creation of the personal computer. Miniaturization paved the way for robotics with powerful, lightweight components in portable, palm-sized computers. ENIAC used enough power to run 2,000 of today's personal computers!

Botball tournament

In a Botball tournament, people gather and compete in teams of two robots. The four robots are put into the Botball arena, where the robots attempt to perform a mandated activity as many times as possible. The team whose robot completes the activity the greatest number of times wins.

Robotic competitions take place every year. Many of the competitions are quiet, scientific demonstrations of a robot's ability to move objects or itself. They're actually tests of engineering and design.

In other competitions, robots fight until only one robot remains functional. Yet, such violent robotic competitions only enhance humans' fear of robots.

psycho

In the 1800s, robots became more elaborate and complicated. J.N Maskelyne invented a robot named Psycho. This robot could spell, calculate math, play cards, and perform simple magic tricks through the control of pneumatic tubes. In 1890, the American inventor Thomas Edison created a talking doll.

kits in botball

Many of the competitors in the Botball competitions use robotic kits supplied by the kit manufacturers. The contest organizers want to ensure that all competitors are competing using the same equipment. However, the robots produced from the kits are not all the same. One of the great things about robotic kits is that each person or team uses creativity to assemble the robot in a different manner. The contestants modify the kit to build the robot they want.

Robot maids

Many people dream of having all their housework done by a machine. In the early 1980s, several companies tried without success to market personal robots. The main problem was cost. Such robots had very limited functionality yet cost around $8,000. Microcomputing power didn't exist to provide the robots with the intelligence required to navigate around the house in search of work. Most of the personal robot companies quickly went out of business. By 2009 there were several household robots on the market. The IRobot-Rumba vacuum cleaner, Electrolux-Trilobite vacuum, Zucchetti-Lawnbolt lawnmower, and IRobot-Scooba 380 swimming pool cleaner are just a few of the household robot now available.

structured light system

Many robotics engineers use the structured light system to give robots three-dimensional sight. This third type of visual sensor uses a light grid projected onto the object being viewed. This allows the robot's computer to interpret the edges, surfaces, and location of the object. Since this system ignores shadows and other distracting effects, the computer has less to process, and recognition is faster.

Mars exploration

NASA's researchers and a team of highly-trained engineers are taking on more advanced projects to explore new areas inside and outside of our solar system. New versions of flying robots would enable them to fly short distances and collect information from more areas on Mars than the original land robots did.

duplicate the patterns

Once described, the natural patterns can be artificially duplicated. For example, a mechanical elbow can be constructed that correctly moves through each phase of motion.

increasing pressure

Pascal's law helped scientists realize that when pressure is applied to one end of a closed container, that pressure will be distributed evenly throughout the container. Returning to our bicycle example, if you added more air to the tire through a valve, the increased pressure of the new air would be distributed all around the tire. The air wouldn't just stay next to the valve.

Walking robots were created to travel over rough terrain that wheeled vehicles were unable to cross. A robot that stumbles constantly is useless. To create more flexible walking robots, there will have to be advances in artificial intelligence, sensors, and robotic vision. Robots will need to see obstacles in their paths and problem-solve where to place their own feet to avoid those obstacles.

Remember that robots are machines with computer processors capable of carrying out a program. Consequently, any machine that you see flying or moving through the sea or over land could be turned into a robot by adding a computer-controlled system. What manner of robots will we see in the future? The possibilities are endless.

leg technology

Robotic arm technology is more advanced than leg technology. This is because robotic arms have been used in manufacturing for decades. Engineers have applied relevant parts of robotic arm technology in their design of robotic legs. For many years, the military has used a robotic, tank-like vehicle that can travel over shell-cratered terrain during battle. However, a similar vehicle with legs is very difficult to design because of the lack of technology to copy the joints of human ankles and hips.

kits and computers

Robotic kits now take advantage of the personal computers that many people have in their homes. To program the robot, the user: Learns the programming language Writes a command program Sends the command language to the robot that is attached to his or her personal computer The robots in kits do not possess artificial intelligence. The amateur robotic kits have about the same capabilities as the commercially used industrial robots of the 1980s.

robots in service

Robots are playing an important and ever greater role in society. They operate in manufacturing, perform work that is dangerous for humans, and also provide assistance in the care services of medicine and teaching.

Other types of sensors allow the robot to perform a variety of specific functions. A robot can be equipped with chemical analyzers that allow it to sample and measure different chemicals in the atmosphere. These sensors are often used to help protect people from dangerous chemicals or radiation.

Robots can be equipped with almost any mechanical sensor, as long as the sensor is small enough to fit on the robot's body frame.

robotics

Robots have fired people's imaginations for centuries. Only recently have robots been able to reproduce very basic human reasoning and action. In this module, you'll be introduced to robots made in the last 20 years that truly are machines that successfully mimic humans.

Replace humans

Robots help humans explore space, produce manufactured goods faster, and perform dangerous work such as hazardous waste disposal. Yet robots are not replacing humanity. Robots cannot yet nurture or care emotionally for a human being. Robots can only do what a human instructs them to do.

Rule based systems

Rule-based systems apply programmed rules to all situations. For example, a robot is programmed to avoid all objects and find the door. If the robot saw a cat, it would simply be an object to avoid. The robot wouldn't consider the cat's unique characteristics.

teleoperating

Some sensors provide information to the robot operator who is teleoperating the machine from a distance. The Mars Rover is an amazing example of this. This robot traveled to Mars and sent information back to Earth about the chemical composition and atmosphere of the planet. The chemical and visual sensors on the Mars Rover allowed the operators to control the robot from Earth. No human being could have withstood the journey to Mars or the planet's climate.

plato

The development of actual theories that enabled the creation of today's robots began with the Greek philosopher Plato. Plato is famous for discussing important scientific and philosophical concepts. One of these was the algorithmic idea. This idea states that natural events, such as human movement, follow a describable and predictable pattern. The algorithmic idea is important to robotics, because it guides investigation into how human minds and bodies work. Robotics attempts to re-create human minds and bodies.

processing machines

The first machines to mimic the human mind were known as processing machines. In 1642, Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, invented a machine that performed simple calculations. In the 1800s, a British mathematician and inventor named Charles Babbage tried to make a programmable calculator. Babbage spent years trying to develop a steam-powered working model, but he never succeeded. After electricity appeared at the turn of the century, simple programmable machines successfully functioned using this energy source.

describe the patterns

The natural patterns must be accurately described. For example, all the phases of motion of the human elbow can be described in intricate detail using words and drawings.

The potential movement of a robotic arm is measured in degrees of pitch, yaw, and roll. Pitch is the up and down motion of the robot part. Yaw is the side to side motion of the robot part. Roll is the rotation of the joint along the axis of the robot part.

The pitch, yaw, and roll of a robotic arm define the coordinates that it will be able to reach--just as the pitch, yaw, and roll of the human shoulder determine its area of reach.

Rectangular coordinates

The rectangular coordinates include only the points within the reach of the arm that are located above and below, away from, and from left to right of the robot's arm.

Revolute coordinates

The revolute coordinates include points in all the directions surrounding the arm. The revolute coordinate arm has much more freedom of movement than the rectangular coordinate arm.

CAD instructions

The robot's processor turns the CAD graphic information into instructions for the robot. The robot is then able to re-create from the raw material the design that was created by the engineer. This type of programming is often used for cutting machines that reproduce patterns.

ternary system

The second type of visual sensor is the ternary system. This system works similarly to the binary system. Yet it includes a wide range of values, such as light, dark, and many shades in between. Instead of two values, each coordinate point can be one of hundreds of shades. This system allows the robot to recognize objects that are more complex.

anthrobots

The types of sensors a robot needs depends on the job it's designed to perform. For example, a robotic arm needs touch sensors to locate and manipulate objects. Yet it usually doesn't need vision, hearing, or sonar to do its work. Anthrobots are robots that need touch, visual, and hearing sensors, as well as radar, to assist them in mimicking the movements and actions of humans. Anthrobots are used in situations that require all the physical and sensory capabilities of a human.

Robotic arms

The various locations a robotic arm can move within a physical space are called coordinates. The computer's processing system tells the arm to move to different points within its specific coordinate system. The points are called coordinate points. Each point in space that the robot arm can reach has a specific number that corresponds to a coordinate point.

Binary system

There are three main types of visual sensors. The first type, the binary system, assigns every object a position on a grid-like system. Each coordinate on the grid is assigned a value of either light (1) or dark (0). Each coordinate is digitally stored in the robot's computer. The robot compares every object it encounters with objects stored in memory. A disadvantage of this system is that many objects must be stored in the robot's memory, and thus recognition is slow.

touch sensors

Touch sensors are usually located in the end-effectors of a robot's arms. These sensors allow the robot to know the shape of an object by the surface area of contact between the object and the sensor. Some touch sensors have built-in thermistors that determine the temperature of an object. With the use of sensors, a robot can detect early changes in pressure or temperature in a manufacturing process and help the company avoid costly mistakes and delays.

Each type of robotic arm has a different freedom of movement. The most restricted type of arm may be able to move only within the rectangular coordinates: Up and down Side to side In and out

Unimate, the first commercially available robot, was a rectangular coordinate robot.

Refining characteristics

When the child sees a striped tabby cat, the child must create a new symbol for a cat. Cats have whiskers. Cats have a tail. Cats have fur. Cats can be black or tabby. As the child encounters more cats, he or she will continue to create new symbols for a cat. The child learns the concept of "cat" in a process, redefining and expanding his or her view of the world.

artificial intelligence

You studied the theories of artificial intelligence and its implications in the field of robotics.