Robotics

Robotics is the design, construction, and use of machines (robots) to perform tasks traditionally done by human beings. Although there is no consensus regarding the definition of the term robot, it is commonly denned as a mechanism that can sense its environment, process what it senses, and act upon its environment based on that processing. Robotics requires a working knowledge of electronics, mechanics, and software, and is usually accompanied by a large working knowledge of other subjects. The Robot Institute of America defines a robot as a programmable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move material, parts, tools, or specialized devices, through variable programmed motions, for the performance of a variety of tasks.

Karel Capek (1890–1938) made the first use of the word robot from the Czech word for forced labor or serf. He introduced the word robot into his play R.U.R. {Rossum's Universal Robots), which opened in Prague in January 1921. In R.U.R., Capek poses a paradise, where the machines initially bring so many benefits, but in the end bring an equal amount of blight in the form of unemployment and social unrest. The word robotics was first used in “Runaround,” a short story publishedin 1942 by Isaac Asimov (1920–92). I, Robot, a collection of several of these stories, was published in 1950. One of the first robots Asimov wrote about was a robotherapist.

Today, robots are widely used in industries such as automobile manufacturing to perform simple repetitive tasks and in industries where work must be performed in environments hazardous to humans. Many aspects of robotics involve artificial intelligence; robots may be equipped with the equivalent of human senses such as vision, touch, and the ability to sense temperature. These functions vary depending on the purpose and application of the robots. Robots are also used for military purposes, in medicine, and in education, among other applications.

The architecture of robots requires the involvement of different fields of technology; currently those fields include theory of robots, sensors and transducer technology, motors technology (steppers or DC servomotors), motor drive and control, control theory, power semiconductor drive, microelectronics, digital systems, microprocessors, computer systems, and computer interfacing.

Robots are usually classified by the actions or series of actions they can execute for a predetermined purpose; a general classification includes robots as manual-handling devices, fixed-sequence robots, variable-sequence robots, playback robots, numerical control robots, and intelligent robots.

Advantages

Robots offer specific benefits to workers, industries, and countries. If introduced correctly, industrial robots can improve the quality of life by freeing [Page 1382]workers from dirty, monotonous, dangerous, and heavy labor. It is true that robots can cause unemployment by replacing human workers, but robots also create jobs such as robot technicians, salespeople, engineers, programmers, and supervisors.

A NASA scientist at work on a medical robot used to improve the precision of brain surgery.

The benefits of robots to industry include improved management control and productivity and consistently high-quality products. Industrial robots can work tirelessly night and day on an assembly line without a loss in performance. Consequently, they can greatly reduce the costs of manufactured goods. As a result of these industrial benefits, countries that effectively use robots in their industries will have an economic advantage on the world market.

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