ROBOTICS

Robotics?is an?interdisciplinary?branch of?computer science? and? engineering. ?Robotics involves the design, construction, operation, and use of?robots. The goal of robotics is to design machines that can help and assist humans. Robotics integrates fields of?mechanical engineering,?electrical engineering,??mechatronics engineering, electronics, biomedical engineering, computer engineering,?control systems engineering, software engineering, mathematics, etc.

Robotics develops machines that can substitute for humans and replicate human actions. Robots can be used in many situations for many purposes, but today many are used in dangerous environments, manufacturing processes, or where humans cannot survive . Robots can take any form, but some are made to resemble humans in appearance. This is claimed to help in the acceptance of robots in certain replicative behaviors which are usually performed by people. Such robots attempt to replicate walking, lifting, speech, cognition, or any other tasks mainly performed by a human. Many of today's robots are inspired by nature, contributing to the field of?bio inspired robotics.

Certain robots require user input to operate, while other robots function autonomously. The concept of creating robots that can operate?autonomously?dates back to?classical times, but research into the functionality and potential uses of robots did not grow substantially until the 20th century. Throughout history, it has been frequently assumed by various scholars, inventors, engineers, and technicians that robots will one day be able to mimic human behavior and manage tasks in a human-like fashion. Today, robotics is a rapidly growing field, as technological advances continue; researching, designing, and building new robots serve various practical purposes, whether?domestically,?commercially, or?militarily. Many robots are built to do jobs that are hazardous to people, such as defusing bombs, finding survivors in unstable ruins, and exploring mines and shipwrecks. Robotics is also used in?STEM(science,?technology,?engineering, and?mathematics) as a teaching aid.

TYPES OF ROBOTS:

There are many types of robots; they are used in many different environments and for many different uses. Although being very diverse in application and form, they all share three basic similarities when it comes to their construction:

1. Robots all have some kind of mechanical construction, a frame, form or shape designed to achieve a particular task. For example, a robot designed to travel across heavy dirt or mud might use?caterpillar tracks. The mechanical aspect of the robot is mostly the creator's solution to completing the assigned task and dealing with the physics of the environment around it. Form follows function.
2. Robots have electrical components that power and control the machinery. For example, the robot with?caterpillar tracks?would need some kind of power to move the tracker treads. That power comes in the form of electricity, which will have to travel through a wire and originate from a battery, a basic?electrical circuit. Even petrol-powered?machines?that get their power mainly from petrol still require an electric current to start the combustion process which is why most petrol-powered machines like cars, have batteries. The electrical aspect of robots is used for movement (through motors), sensing (where electrical signals are used to measure things like heat, sound, position, and energy status), and operation (robots need some level of?electrical energy?supplied to their motors and sensors in order to activate and perform basic operations)
3. All robots contain some level of?computer programming code. A program is how a robot decides when or how to do something. In the caterpillar track example, a robot that needs to move across a muddy road may have the correct mechanical construction and receive the correct amount of power from its battery, but would not be able to go anywhere without a program telling it to move. Programs are the core essence of a robot, it could have excellent mechanical and electrical construction, but if its program is poorly structured, its performance will be very poor (or it may not perform at all). There are three different types of robotic programs: remote control, artificial intelligence, and hybrid. A robot with remote control programming has a preexisting set of commands that it will only perform if and when it receives a signal from a control source, typically a human being with remote control. It is perhaps more appropriate to view devices controlled primarily by human commands as falling in the discipline of automation rather than robotics. Robots that use?artificial intelligence?interact with their environment on their own without a control source, and can determine reactions to objects and problems they encounter using their preexisting programming. A hybrid is a form of programming that incorporates both AI and RC functions in them.

ADVANTAGES OF ROBOTICS:

• In many situations robots can increase productivity, efficiency, quality and consistency of products:
• Unlike humans, robots don’t get bored
• Until they wear out, they can do the same thing again and again
• They can be very accurate – to fractions of an inch (as is needed for example in manufacturing of microelectronics)
• Robots can work in environments which are unsafe for humans – in the nuclear or chemical industries for example
• Robots don’t have the same environmental requirements that humans do – such as lighting, air conditioning or noise protection
• Robots have some sensors/actuators which are more capable than humans

DISADVANTAGES OF ROBOTICS:

• The use of robots can create economic problems if they replace human jobs
• Robots can only do what they are told to do – they can’t improvise
• This means that safety procedures are needed to protect humans and other robots
• Although robots can be superior to humans in some ways, they are less dextrous than humans, they don’t have such powerful brains, and cannot compete with a human’s ability to understand what they can see.
• Often robots are very costly – in terms of the initial cost, maintenance, the need for extra components and the need to be programmed to do the task.

APPLICATIONS OF ROBOTS:

1. Security

Imagine if all the security guards are robots? Even thieves would be scared! That’s why robots are being proposed as security agents as they can protect humans, and they wouldn’t be in danger like human security guards would be. Currently, robotics companies are working on pairing robot guards with human security consultants. A very famous company in this field is?Knightscope?in the United States that has autonomous security robots capable of assisting human security guards with real-time, actionable intelligence. These robots can help with crimes such as armed robberies, burglaries, domestic violence, fraud, hit, and runs, etc.

2. Space Exploration

There are many things in space that are very dangerous for astronauts to do. Humans can’t roam on Mars all day to collect soil samples or work on repairing a spaceship from the outside while it’s in deep space! In these situations, robots are a great choice because there are no chances for the loss of human life then. So space institutions like NASA frequently use robots and autonomous vehicles to do things that humans can’t. For example, Mars Rover is an autonomous robot that travels on Mars and takes pictures of Martian rock formations that are interesting or important and then sends them back on Earth for the NASA scientists to study.

3. Entertainment

Robots are also a big draw in the entertainment industry. While they cannot exactly become actors and actresses, they can be used behind the sets in movies and serials to manage the camera, provide special effects, etc. They can be used for boring repetitive tasks that are not suitable for a human ascinema is, after all, a creative industry. Robots can also be used to do stunt work that is very dangerous for humans but looks pretty cool in an action movie. Theme parks like Disney World are also using autonomous robots to enhance the magical experience of their customers.

4. Agriculture

Agriculture is the sector that is the basis of human civilization. However, agriculture is also a seasonal sector that is dependent on ideal weather conditions optimal soil, etc. Moreover, there are many repetitive tasks in agriculture that are just a waste of farmer’s time and can be performed more suitable by robots. These include seeding, weed control, harvesting, etc. Robots are usually used for harvesting the crops which allow farmers to be more efficient. An example of a robot that is used to remove weeds in farms is the Ecorobotix. It is powered by solar energy and can be used to target and spray weeds using a complex camera system.

5. Health Care

Robots have changed healthcare a lot. And all for the better! They can help doctors in performing operations more precisely, be used as prosthetic limbs, provide therapy to patients, etc. The possibilities are limitless. One example of this is the?da Vinci robot?that can help surgeons in performing complex surgeries relating to the heart, head, neck, and other sensitive areas. There are other robotic devices that are created like exoskeletons that can be used to provide additional support for people undergoing rehabilitation after spinal injures, strokes, etc.

6. Underwater Exploration

Robots are a great option for exploring places that humans cannot reach easily, like the depths of the ocean! There is a lot of water pressure deep in the ocean which means humans cannot go that down and machines such as submarines can only go to a certain depth as well. A deep underwater is a mysterious place that can finally be explored using specially designed robots. These robots are

remote-controlled, and they can go into depths of the ocean to collect data and images about the aquatic plant and animal life.

7. Food Preparation

Don’t want to cook? Don’t worry, there are robots that even can cook and create complete meals for you! These robot chefs can create food using hundreds of different recipes. All humans need to do is choose the recipe they want and provide the robot with pre-packaged containers of all the ingredients that are needed for that recipe. The robot can then cook the food on its own. Moley Robotics is one such robotics company that has created a robotic kitchen with a robot that can cook like a master chef! So no worries if you can’t cook food. Because now a robot can!

8. Manufacturing

There are many repetitive and common tasks in the manufacturing industry that don’t require any usage of the mind like welding, assembly, packing, etc. These tasks can be easily done by robots while leaving the mentally challenging and creative tasks to humans. These robots can be trained to perform these repetitive and monotonous tasks with precision under the guidance and supervision of a human. This option is also best for the manufacturing processes that are dangerous and may be harmful to humans.

9. Military

Robots also have many applications in the military. They can be used as drones to keep surveillance on the enemy, they can also be used as armed systems to attack the opposing forces or as Medicare agents to help friendly forces. Some of the popular robots used in the Military sector include MAARS (Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System) which looks like a tank and contains tear gas and lasers to confuse enemies and even grenade launcher for desperate situations. DOGO is also a tactical combat robot that has a camera for spying on the activities of the enemy and a 9-millimeter pistol for emergency situations!

10. Customer Service

There are robots that are developed to look exactly like humans for cosmetic purposes. These robots are primarily used in the field of customer service in high visibility areas to promote robotics. One such example is Nadine, a humanoid robot in Singapore that can recognize people from previous visits, make eye contact, shake hands, continue chatting based on previous meetings, etc. Another such customer service robot is Junko Chihira in Japan, a humanoid robot working at the tourist information center in Aqua City Odaiba, a shopping center on Tokyo’s waterfront.

CONCLUSION:

Today we find most robots working for people in industries, factories, warehouses, and laboratories. Robots are useful in many ways. For instance, it boosts economy because businesses need to be efficient to keep up with the industry competition. Therefore, having robots helps business owners to be competitive, because robots can do jobs better and faster than humans can, e.g. robot can built, assemble a car. Yet robots cannot perform every job; today robots roles include assisting research and industry. Finally, as the technology improves, there will be new ways to use robots which will bring new hopes and new potentials.