RO B O T IC S

ROBOTS
ROBOTICS
Robotics is the science and technology of robots. It is a growing area of work for computer scientists and
engineers.
Robotics is a branch of (computer) science that brings together the design, construction and operation of
robots. Robots can be found in:
Factories In the home
– Welding parts together – Autonomous floor sweepers
– Spray-painting panels on a car – Autonomous lawn mower
– Fitting windscreens to cars – Ironing robots (for example, ‘dressman’)
– Cutting out metal parts to a high precision – Pool cleaning
– Bottling and labelling plants – Automatic window cleaners
– Warehouses (automatic location of items) – Entertainment (‘friend’ robots)

Drones
– Unmanned aerial vehicles (uavs) are drones that are either remotely controlled or totally autonomous using
embedded systems
– Can be used in reconnaissance (for example, taking aerial photographs)
– Can be used to make parcel deliveries (for example, amazon).
ROBOT
What is a robot?
A robot is a machine that is designed and programmed to carry out tasks at speed and with great accuracy.
A robot is autonomous. This means it can work independently without constant human intervention.
A robot senses and responds to its environment.
1 Many robots don’t possess artificial intelligence (AI) since they tend to do repetitive tasks rather than
requiring adaptive human characteristics.
2 It is important not to confuse physical robots with software robots such as:
– search engine bots or WebCrawlers (these ‘robots’ roam the internet scanning websites, categorising
them for search purposes)
– chat bots (these are programs that pop up on websites that seem to enter some form of conversation with
the web user
Physical robots can be classified as independent or dependent:
»Independent robots:
– have no direct human control (they are said to be autonomous, for example, an autonomous vehicle)
– can replace the human activity totally (no human interaction is required for the robot to function fully).
»Dependent robots:
– have a human who is interfacing directly with the robot (the human interface may be a computer or a control
panel)
– can supplement, rather than totally replace, the human activity (for example, in a car assembly plant where both
humans and robots work together to produce a car).
Characteristics of a robot
To be correctly called a robot, they need to have the following characteristics:
1 Ability to sense their surroundings:
– this is done via sensors (such as light, pressure, temperature, acoustic, and so on)
– sensors allow a robot to recognize its immediate environment and gives it the ability to determine things like
size, shape or weight of an object, detect if something is hot or cold, and so on; all sensor data is sent to a
microprocessor or computer.
2 Have a degree of movement:
– they can make use of wheels, cogs, pistons, gears (etc.) to carry out functions such as turning, twisting, moving
backwards/forwards, gripping or lifting
– they are mechanical structures made up of many parts (for example, motors, hydraulic pipes, actuators and
circuit boards)
– they contain many electrical components to allow them to function
– can make use of end effectors (different attachments to allow them to carry out specific tasks such as welding,
spraying, cutting or lifting).
3 Programmable:
– they have a ‘brain’ known as a controller that determines the action to be taken to perform a certain task (the
controller relies on data sent from sensors or cameras, for example)
– controllers are programmable to allow the robots to do certain tasks.
 THE ADVANTAGES OF ROBOTS

► Robots carry out repetitive work reliably. They don't get bored or make mistakes.

► Robots work quickly. They can work for 24 hours a day if needed.

► Robots can work in dangerous environments that would be risky for humans.

► Robots can work in restricted spaces where humans cannot reach.

► Robots work with hazardous materials like chemicals and radioactive material.
THE TECHNOLOGY OF ROBOTS
The growth of robots has depended on the advances in technology. Some key developments are listed here.
Sensors
To be autonomous and act independently, robots must be able to sense the world around them .
 Proximity sensors use infrared light beams to detect the position of nearby objects.
 Bumper switches tell a robot that it has hit something .
 Pressure pads are used to control robot hands as they pick objects up. They stop the robot hand crushing
objects
There have been important new developments in robots in the recent years.
Vision guided robotics (VGR) allows robots to use video cameras to see in 2D and 3D. Sophisticated
software allows a robot to identify objects and interact with them. In older robot systems, items had to be
in the right position for the robot to pick up and use.
Voice recognition and natural language processing (NLP) are giving robots a sense of hearing. In time we
might be able to speak and give instructions to a robot as if we were talking to a human assistant.
Microprocessors have become smaller and more powerful. This has allowed powerful processors to be
embedded into robots. Embedded processors are important. They allow the robot freedom of movement. Robots
carry the processing power they need with them.
Parallel processing uses several CPUs working together to create faster, more powerful processors.
Two, four or even eight CPUs work together. This provides the processing power needed by sophisticated robots.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Artificial intelligence (Al) is the use of computers to simulate human intelligent behavior.
Robotics is a major area of research in Al. In the future, Al might allow robots to learn and improve the way
they do jobs without human input. Robots might use the cloud to pass what they have learned onto other
robots.
This is often referred to as the cognitive functions of the human brain (that is, the mental process of acquiring
knowledge and understanding through thought, experience and the five senses).
All of these cognitive functions can be replicated in a machine, and they can be measured against human
benchmarks such as reasoning, speech and sight.
Real time operating systems
Robots operate in the real world. They must respond to events as they happen.
This is called real time. Real time operating systems (RTOS) have been developed to allow robots to work in
the real world.
An RTOS runs several jobs at the same time. Each job is given an importance rating. If an important job starts,
it is given all the processing power it needs.
Safety processes have a high importance rating. If the RTOS detects a possible collision, the process that avoids
collision is given all the processing it needs. Other jobs stop until the important job has finished.
 HOW ARE ROBOTS USED?

Robots have become vital tools in many industries. The car and electronics industries already depend on

robots. The range of jobs that robots are used for is growing as robot design improves.

The following are the common areas where robots are used.

• Robots in manufacturing.

• Robots in Agriculture.

• Robots in medicine.

• Robots in distribution.

• Robots in disaster recovery.

Robots in manufacturing
In manufacturing industries, robots do repetitive jobs such as soldering electrical components or making
microchips.
Accuracy is very important in the production of microprocessors.
A tiny mistake can mean the processor does not work properly.
Robots work quickly and do not make mistakes.
In car factories, robots are used to paint cars. This is a hazardous job for humans .

Robots in agriculture
Agriculture is one of the fastest growing areas for robots.
Robots can be used both in glasshouses and out in the fields. Crop spraying by plane is one of the most
dangerous jobs humans do. Drones are now used to spray crops.
Robots are being developed to harvest crops including soft fruits like berries.
Some farmers use tractors and other farm equipment that uses satellite guidance to plough fields and do other
jobs.
Fully autonomous tractors will soon be a feature on farms. Fully autonomous equipment has been developed for
jobs like removing weeds.
Robots in medicine
Robots have many applications in medicine.
-Surgeons work with robotic surgical instruments to perform surgery they could not do with their own hands.
This means that surgery can take less time and patients recover faster.
-Robotic equipment is used to scan patients. It can create a detailed 3D image of internal organs. This helps
doctors to make an early and accurate diagnosis of illness.
Robots are also being used to help patients recover.
-A robot has been developed that lifts patients in and out of bed. It is more comfortable for the patient and saves
nurses from injury.
Robots in distribution
Distribution centres store goods that are sent out to shops or to customers who have purchased them on line.
Robots are used to pick goods that are to be sent to shops and customers.
Distribution centres might use drones and autonomous robot vehicles in the future to deliver goods. Drones can
deliver vital goods to remote areas quickly.
Disaster recovery
Natural and man-made disasters create dangerous environments for humans to work in. Buildings might be
damaged and unstable.
Areas might be polluted with chemicals or radioactive material. Fires might break out. Robots are ideal for this
situation. They have sensors to help assess dangers.
Infrared sensors can help detect people that need to be rescued. Robots can be equipped with mechanical tools to
solve problems or take samples from a disaster site.