c
c or just plain nasty.

Most of the robots in the

Robotics is the branch of technology that deals
with the design, construction, operation,
structural disposition, manufacture and
application of robots. Robotics is related to the
sciences of electronics, engineering, mechanics,
and software.´ Leonardo da Vinci´ created
many robot-like sketches and designs in the
1500¶s. Robotics is the science of robots.
Humans working in this area are called
roboticists.
world are of this type. They can be found in
auto, medical, manufacturing and space
industries. In fact, there are over a million of
these type of robots working for us today. Some
robots like the Mars Rover Sojourner and the
upcoming Mars Exploration Rover, or the
underwater robot Caribou help us learn about
places that are too dangerous for us to go. While
other types of robots are just plain fun for kids
of all ages. Popular toys such as Teckno, Polly
or AIBO ERS-220 seem to hit the store shelves
every year around Christmas time. 



  
 


As strange as it might seem, there really

is no standard definition for a robot. However,
c

      there are some essential characteristics that a
robot must have and this might help you to
decide what is and what is not a robot. It will
 also help you to decide what features you will
need to build into a machine before it can count

 
  



  
  as a robot.
 
 




 

For many people it is a machine that
imitates a human²like the androids in Star
Wars, Terminator and Star Trek: The Next
Generation. However much these robots capture
our imagination, such robots still only inhabit
Science Fiction. People still haven't been able to
give a robot enough 'common sense' to reliably
interact with a dynamic world. However,
Rodney Brooks and his team at MIT Artificial
Intelligence Lab are working on creating such
humanoid robots. The type of robots that you
will encounter most frequently are robots that
do work that is too dangerous, boring, onerous,
Well it is a system that contains sensors,
control systems, manipulators, power supplies
and software all working together to perform a
task. Designing, building, programming and
testing a robots is a combination of physics,
mechanical engineering, electrical engineering,
structural engineering, mathematics and
computing. In some cases biology, medicine,
chemistry might also be involved. A study of
robotics means that students are actively
engaged with all of these disciplines in a deeply
problem-posing problem-solving environment.
 


@p ˜      created many

robot-like sketches and designs in the
1500¶s.
@p The word 
 first appeared in print
in the 1920 play R.U.R. (Rossum¶s
Universal Robots) by
@p     , a Czechoslovakian
playwright. 
 is Czechoslovakian
for R

 or 
(peasant). Typical of
early science fiction, the robots take $%&cè
 

over and exterminate the human race. 
@p è  c  popularized the term 

 through many science-fiction # 

novels and short stories. Asimov is a

An electromechanical device with
visionary who envisioned in the 1930¶s

 degrees-of-freedom () that is
the positronic brain for controlling
    to accomplish a variety
robots; this pre-dated digital computers
of
.
by a couple of decades. Unlike earlier
robots in science fiction, robots do not 
 The science of 
.
threaten humans since Asimov invented Humans working in this area are called
the
  
: 

.

1. A robot may not harm a human or, through #'(   )) : the number
inaction, allow a human to come to harm. of independent motions a device can
make. Also called 
.
2. A robot must obey the orders given by human p
beings, except when such orders conflict with

p

p
 p
the First Law. 
 
 

3. A robot must protect its own existence as 
long as it does not conflict with the First or Cartesian robots have three linear axes of
Second Laws. movement (X, Y, Z). They are
constructed of three mutually-orthogonal
@p ½ !   and "  #   prismatic joints, with variable lengths ˜1,
were the fathers of industrial robots. ˜2, ˜3. Used for pick and place tasks and
Their company, Unimation, built the to move heavy loads. Also called Gantry
Robots, they can trace rectangular
first industrial robot, the $%&c
volumes in 3D space.
($rogrammable %niversal &anipulator
crm, a later version shown below), in
1961.
 ]


  

Spherical robots have two orthogonal
rotational R axes, with variables angle1
and angle2, and one P joint,] variable
radius ˜3. The robots¶ end-effectors can
trace concentric spheres in 3D space.

Cartesian Robot

 

Cylindrical robot positions are controlled ]
by a variable height ˜1, an angle p 2, and a
variable] radius ˜3 (P joint, R joint, P
joint). These robots are commonly used
in assembly tasks and can trace]
concentric cylinders in 3D space.

]

 

Many students (and U.S. Senators) expect
to see C3PO (from Star Wars) walking
around when visiting a robotics
laboratory. Often they are disappointed to
  

learn that the state-of-the-art in robotics
still largely focuses robot arms. There is
much current research work aimed at
creating human-like robots that can walk,
talk, think, see, touch, etc. Generally
Hollywood and science fiction lead real
technology by at least 20 or 30 years.


˜ 
Load bearing capacity is the maximum
weight-carrying capacity of the robot.
Robots that carry large weights, but must
still be precise are expensive.
c 
Accuracy is the ability of a robot to go to
the specified position without making a
mistake. It is impossible to position a
machine exactly. Accuracy is therefore
defined as the ability of the robot to
position itself to the desired location with
the minimal error (usually 0.001 inch).

Repeatability is the ability of a robot to
repeatedly position itself when asked to
perform a task
multiple times. Accuracy is an absolute
concept, repeatability is relative. Note
that a robot that is
repeatable may not be very accurate.
Likewise, an accurate robot may not be
repeatable.
$

Precision is the µfineness¶ with which a
sensor can report a value. For example, a
sensor that
reads 2.1178 is more precise than a
sensor that reads 2.1 for the same
physical variable. Precision is
related to significant figures. The number
] ] of significant figures is limited to the


p 


p

p least precise number in
p a system of sensing or string of
calculations.]

p


 p p




Speed is the amount of distance per unit
time at which the robot can move, usually
specified in inches per second or meters
per second. The speed is usually specified
at a specific load or assuming that the
robot is carrying a fixed weight. Actual
speed may vary depending upon the
weight carried by the robot.