Computer Science Reviewer - Quarter 1

Unravelling Robotics
● Robotics couples the principles of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical
Engineering, Computer Science, and Artificial Intelligence to bring robots to
life.
● Anatomy and Kinematics of a robot play a crucial role (it is the basis for
designing robots capable of performing precise movements).
● Sensors and Perception are the eyes and ears of a robot. (such as cameras,
lidar, and ultrasonic sensor) which guides their decision making process and
interactions with surroundings.
● Actuators and Control Systems are the muscles and brain of a robot.
● The Art of Robot Programming (creating the robot’s instructions which range
from low level (basic movements) to high-level (complex tasks) programming
● Artificial Intelligence and Machine Intelligence
- The learning capabilities of a robot
- Enable robots to learn from data, improve performance over time, and
carry out tasks (ex. computer vision, natural language processing, and
decision working).
- Robot Communication: robots often need to communicate with other
robots and humans (involves wireless communication, networking
protocols, and human robot interaction interfaces).
- Robot Localization, Path Planning, and Navigation: helps the robot
understand its position and environment, and to determine the best route
to reach a specific destination.
- Human-Robot Interaction: designing robots that can effectively and
safely interact with humans (understanding human gestures, speech, and
social something ambot diko kasabot aning gisulat)
- Robot Ethics and Safety: very important as robots grow more
autonomous, need to ensure robots act accordingly.
- Swarm Robotics: concept that involves coordinating large groups of
robots to work together.
- Principles of Biomechanics and Biomimicry: inspired the design of
versatile robots by mimicking the structure and movements of biological
organisms.
- Robots In Industry: involves using robotics technology for automation,
manufacturing, and other industrial applications.
Robotics Sensors: The Eyes and Ears Of A Robot
1. Vision Sensors
- Lidar light detection and ranging
- Obstacle detection and navigation
- Camera
2. Tactile and Force
- Allows robots to handle delicate objects and measure forces during their
interactions.
- Grippers with force feedback (sense of touch and the ability to grasp
objects with just the right amount of force)
3. Proximity Sensors
a. Ultrasonic Sensors - emit and receive sound waves to gauge distances
and detect objects for obstacle avoidance and navigation.
b. Infrared Sensors - measure distances by emitting and detecting infrared
light (for detecting nearby objects).
c. Gyroscopes - measure angular velocity, helps robots maintain balance.
d. Accelerometer - measures accelerating forces, enabling robots to detect
changes in movement and inclination.
e. GPS Receivers - for long distances, receiving signals from satellites to
determine their position on earth.
f. Compass Sensors - a magnetometer detects magnetic fields providing
information about the robot’s orientation with respect to earth’s magnetic
field.
g. Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) - combines accelerometers,
gyroscopes, and magnetometer (sometimes).
4. Temperature Sensors - gauging ambient temperature and enabling them to
monitor environmental conditions. It also ensures that they operate within their
optimal temperature range preventing overheat and other issues.
5. Gas and Chemical Sensors - plays a huge role in detecting gases and chemicals
to alert humans in case of danger. It is also for air quality monitoring.
6. Biometric Sensors - measures physiological data (ex. Heart rate, temperature,
perspiration). They are social robots or health related applications.
7. Range Sensors - robot’s depth perception, time-of-flight (TDF). Provides precise
distance measurement, helps understand spatial surroundings and avoid
obstacles.
8. Humidity Sensors - measure moisture levels in the environment.
9. Sound and Audio Sensors - can capture soundwaves, perceive audio waves, and
respond to spoken comments.
10.Touch and Contact Sensors - essential for collaborative robotics and human
interaction allowing safe teamwork.
 These sensors can be used individually or in combination to provide robots with a
comprehensive understanding of their surroundings. Sensor data is often processed
using algorithms and integrated into the robot’s control system to facilitate the
decision-making and autonomous behavior.

Types Of Robots and Their Uses

1. Industrial
- Often robotic arms with multiple joints and precise control mechanisms.
- Manufacturing tasks (ex. Welding, painting, assembly, material handling,
and quality control) in industries like Automotive, Electronics, and
Aerospace.
2. Mobile
- Designed to move around their environment
- Applications include warehouse logistics, delivery robots, autonomous
vehicles, and exploration in environments (space of underwater)
3. Medical
- Used in med procedures and surgery
- Assists surgeons in minimally invasive procedures with greater precision,
as well as rehabilitation, diagnosis, and drug delivery.
4. Service
- Designed to interact and assist humans
- Ex. cleaning, caregiving, education, customer service, etc.
5. Agricultural
- Farming and agriculture
- Planting, weeding, cropping. Basically to reduce labor
6. Domestic
- Household tasks
- Vacuuming, lawn mowing, security surveillance, etc.
7. Entertainment
- Toys, theme park attractions
8. Space
- Exploration and research.
9. Military and Defense
- Unmanned aerial vehicles, drones, bomb disposal
10. Underwater (ROVs and AUVs)
- Remotely Operated Vehicles
- Autonomous Underwater Vehicles
11. Research
- Developing new robotics tech, testing algorithms
12.Educational
- Teaching programming and robotics concept
Peltier Module
Algorithm - steps/programming language procedures in logical order
↓
Flowchart - to know if there’s an error in the program
↓
Testing/Running - pseudocodes (human language)
↓
Bug/Debugging - IDE (with compiler, debugger, text editor)

Types Of Data
1. Integer
- Numbers
2. Character
- Letters
3. String
- Words/Phrase
4. Floats
- Decimals
5. Double
- Long decimal places
6. Bolean
- Data needs response (either true or false)
Types Of Variables
1. Constant
- Fixed value, cannot be changed
2. Free Defined Variables
- Cannot be changed by its value

Why Is Robotics In School?

1. Promoting STEM Education
- Robotics is a multi-disciplinary field that encompasses Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
- Providing hands on real-world applications of these subjects
2. Enhancing Learning Experience
- Robotics offer a dynamic and interactive learning experience students can
apply theoretical knowledge to build and program robots making abstract
concept more concrete and understandable
3. Developing 21st Century Skills
- Robotics fosters the development of 21st century skills including
teamwork, communication, collaboration, and adaptability
10 Digital Inputs
1. Limit Switches
- Often used to indicate the endpoints of a robot’s movement
- Invisible boundaries (similar to)
2. Proximity Sensors
- Often infrared or ultrasonic
- The eyes of a robot, they detect the pressure or absence of a certain object
within a certain range and provide a digital signal to indicate wether or
not an object has been detected
3. Button/Switch Inputs
- These physical buttons/switches can initiate certain actions or modes in a
robot
4. Binary Encoders
- They convert mechanical motion into digital and are used where precise
position or rotation data is needed
5. Contact Sensors
- Tactile sense for robots
- Provides a digital signal when physical contact is made, allowing a robot
to know when an object is securely held
6. Optical Encoders
- Translate mechanical motion, usually rotation, into digital signals
- Often used in robotic joints to measure the angle or position
7. Digital Camera
- Provide visual data in a form of pixels which are essentially binary data
- Robots process these images to identify objects or patterns
8. Digital Communication Inputs
- The channels through which robots receive digital signals (which convey
through communication protocols such as ethernet USB, serial
communication → carry commands or data from external devices or
systems)
9. 10. Binary Sensors and Light Sensors
- The final pieces of the puzzle
- Can trigger specific robot behavior based on environmental changes while
digital light sensors detect the changes in light intensity allowing robots
to respond to variations in lighting conditions, each of these inputs are
processed by the control system or microcontroller. (it interprets the state
of the input and uses it to trigger specific actions, make decisions, or
adjust the robots behavior).
Top 10 Analog Inputs
1. Position Sensors, Potentiometers, Variable Resistors
- Provide an analog voltage proportional to the position of a movable joint
(ex. Robot joint)
2. Analog Encoders
- Provide varying voltage signals as a function of rotation or position
allowing precise measurements of angles
3. Force/Torque Sensors
- Provide analog readings that indicate the force applied to a robot’s end
effector or manipulator
- Enable tasks like safe object manipulation
4. Analog Pressure Sensors
- Measure fluid or gas pressure
- Provides an analog voltage or current output proportional to the pressure
5. Analog Temperature Sensors
- Ex. thermastors, thermacouples, DHT 11, LM 35, DMT 22
- Provide varying voltage levels based on the temperature it senses
6. Light Dependent Resistors/ Photodiodes
- Provides varying resistance or voltage based on the amount of light they
receive
7. Analog Cameras
- Provides continuous voltage signals that represent the intensity of light at
different points of an image through films
8. Strain Gauge
- Detect deformations in structures and materials by measuring changes in
resistance
- The analog output can be used to assess structural integrity
9. Voltage Sensors
- Measure electrical voltage levels and provide analog output to monitor
power supply conditions
10. Analog Distance Sensors
- Provides voltage outputs that vary according to the distance between the
sensor and an object
11. Gas Sensors (Analog)
- Measure concentration of specific gases in the environment and provide
varying analog inputs
Analog 10 Digital Converters
- Analog signals are converted into digital signals using analog to digital
converters before being processed by the robot’s microcontroller/control
system, this conversion process involves discretizing the continuous analog
signal into discrete digital valves that can be easily manipulated by the
robots algorithms.
Mechanical Sensors
- Provides information about the robot’s physical environment and its own state
- Allow robots to interact and navigate through the world, manipulate objects, and
do certain tasks
1. Force Sensors/Torque Sensors
- Measure the forces acting on a robot's end effector or other parts
- Used in applications (Robot Grippers) to ensure objects are held with the
right amount of force without any damage
- Provide feedback for tasks (assembly and manipulation)
2. Tactile Sensors
- Detect and measure contact pressure and forces on a robot’s surface
- Useful for applications like object recognition, texture analysis, grasping
objects delicately
- Forms → pressure sensitive cells & artificial skin for humanoid robots.
3. Proximity Sensors
- Ex. Capacitative, inductive, ultrasonic sensors (detect the presence or
distance of an object in a robot’s vicinity
- Vital for collision avoidance, avoiding obstacles, and navigation in
unknown environments
4. Joint Position and Encoders
- Measures the position and orientation of a robot’s joints
- Vital for tasks like precise control and feedback (robotic arms & legs)
- Encoders provide information about the relative or the absolute position
of the joints
5. Gyroscopes and Accelerometer
↓ ↓
Angular velocity Acceleration
- Combined data = information about a robot’s orientation and movement
in space
- Maintain balance and stability
6. Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs)
- Robotic navigation and control systems
7. Joint Torque Sensors
- Measure force exerted on a robot’s joint
- Importance = safety, compliance in collaborative work (robots work
alongside humans, responds appropriately
8. Strain Gauges
- Detect damage/deformation/strain in materials
- Prevent overloading and damage

9. Load Cells
- Specialized force sensors used to measure weight/load applied
10. Infrared Sensors
- Detecting objects using heat (obstacle detection in low-light/dark
environments)