Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and

application of robots and computer systems for their control, sensory feedback, and information processing.

WHAT IS A ROBOT..??

A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or remotely controlled. Robots range from humanoids such as ASIMO and TOPIO to Nano robots, Swarm robots, Industrial robots,military robots, mobile and servicing robots.

HISTORY OF ROBOTS :

The word robot was introduced to the public by the Czech writer Karel apek in his play R.U.R. (Rossums Universal Robots), published in 1920. In 1927 the Maschinenmensch ("machinehuman") gynoid humanoid robot (also called Parody, Futura, Robotrix, or the "Maria impersonator") was the first and perhaps the most memorable depiction of a robot ever to appear on film, in Fritz Lang's film Metropolis. Fully autonomous robots only appeared in the second half of the 20th century. The first digitally operated and programmable robot, the Unimate, was installed in 1961 to lift hot pieces of metal from a die casting machine and stack them.

HISTORY OF ROBOTS :
DATE SIGNIFICANCE
1930s 1948 Humanoid robot exhibited at the 1939 and 1940 World's Fair. Simple robots exhibiting biological behavior

ROBOT NAME INVENTOR

1956

First commercial robot, from the Unimation company founded by George Devol and Joseph Engelberger
First installed industrial robot

Unimate

George Devol

1961

Unimate

George Devol

1963
1973

First palletizing robot

Palletizer
Famulus

Fuji Yusoki
KUKA Robots

COMPONENTS OF ROBOT

POWER SOURCE ACTUATION ROBOTIC SENSING

MANIPULATION LOCOMATION COMPONENTS

POWER SOURCES

At present; mostly (leadacid) batteries are used, but potential power sources could be: Pneumatic (compressed gases) Hydraulics (liquids) Flywheel energy storage

ACTUATION :

Actuators are like the "muscles" of a robot, the parts which convert stored energy into movement. By far the most popular actuators are electric motors that spin a wheel or gear, and linear actuators that control industrial robots in factories. But there are some recent advances in alternative types of actuators, powered by electricity, chemicals, or compressed air

ACTUATORS

LINEAR ACTUATORS AIR MUSLES

ELASTIC NANOTUBES

MUSCLE WIRES
PIEZO MOTORS

ROBOTIC SENSING

TOUCH Current robotic and prosthetic hands receive far less tactile information than the human hand. Recent research has developed a tactile sensor array that mimics the mechanical properties and touch receptors of human fingertips.

VISION Computer vision is the science and technology of machines that see.Computer vision systems rely on image sensors which detect electromagnetic radiation which is typically in the form of either visible light or infra-red light.

MANIPULATION :

Robots need to manipulate objects; pick up, modify, destroy, or otherwise have an effect. Thus the "hands" of a robot are often referred to as end effectors, while the "arm" is referred to as a manipulator.

MECHANICAL GRIPPERS VACUUM GRIPPERS GENERAL PURPOSE EFFECTORS

LOCOMATION

THE MOVEMENT OF ROBOTS IS THE MOST ESSENTIAL FUNCTION REQUIRED. THE PURPOSE OF MOVEMENT IS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH LOCOMATION COMPONENTS.

ROLLING ROBOTS ONE-WHEELED BALANCING ROBOTS TWO-WHEELED BALANCING ROBOTS SIX-WHEELED ROBOTS TRACKED ROBOTS

WALKING APPLIED TO ROBOTS

Walking is a difficult and dynamic problem to solve. Several robots have been made which can walk reliably on two legs, however none have yet been made which are as robust as a human. There has been much study on human inspired walking, such as AMBER lab which was established in 2008 by the Mechanical Engineering Department at Texas A&M University. Many other robots have been built that walk on more than two legs, due to these robots being significantly easier to construct. Hybrids too have been proposed in movies such as I, Robot, where they walk on 2 legs and switch to 4 (arms + legs) when going to a sprint. Typically, robots on 2 legs can walk well on flat floors and can occasionally walk up stairs. None can walk over rocky, uneven terrain.

WALKING ROBOTS

ZMP TECHNIQUE

The Zero Moment Point (ZMP) is the algorithm used by robots such as Honda's ASIMO. The robot's onboard computer tries to keep the total inertial forces (the combination of earth's gravity and the acceleration and deceleration of walking), exactly opposed by the floor reaction force (the force of the floor pushing back on the robot's foot). In this way, the two forces cancel out, leaving no moment (force causing the robot to rotate and fall over). However, this is not exactly how a human walks, and the difference is obvious to human observers, some of whom have pointed out that ASIMO walks as if it needs the lavatory. ASIMO's walking algorithm is not static, and some dynamic balancing is used. However, it still requires a smooth surface to walk on.

Dynamic balancing (controlled falling)

A more advanced way for a robot to walk is by using a dynamic balancing algorithm, which is potentially more robust than the Zero Moment Point technique, as it constantly monitors the robot's motion, and places the feet in order to maintain stability. This technique was recently demonstrated by Anybots' Dexter Robot, which is so stable, it can even jump.

OTHER MODES OF LOCOMATION

FLYING SKATING SNAKING

CLIMBING SWIMMING (LIKE A FISH)

ROBO-SNAKE

HUMAN-ROBOT INTERACTION

If robots are to work effectively in homes and other non-industrial environments, the way they are instructed to perform their jobs, and especially how they will be told to stop will be of critical importance. The people who interact with them may have little or no training in robotics, and so any interface will need to be extremely intuitive. Science fiction authors also typically assume that robots will eventually be capable of communicating with humans through speech, gestures, and facial expressions, rather than a command-line interface. Although speech would be the most natural way for the human to communicate, it is unnatural for the robot. It will probably be a long time before robots interact as naturally as the fictional C-3PO.

FEATURES OF HUMANROBOT INTERACTION :

SPEECH RECOGNITION

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

ROBOTIC VOICE
GESTURE RECOGNITION

ARTIFICIAL EMOTIONS

Kismet can produce a range of facial expressions

CONTROL :

CONTROL UNITS

The mechanical structure of a robot must be controlled to perform tasks. The control of a robot involves three distinct phases - perception, processing, and action (robotic paradigms). Sensors give information about the environment or the robot itself (e.g. the position of its joints or its end effector). This information is then processed to calculate the appropriate signals to the actuators (motors) which move the mechanical. The processing phase can range in complexity. At a reactive level, it may translate raw sensor information directly into actuator commands. Sensor fusion may first be used to estimate parameters of interest (e.g. the position of the robot's gripper) from noisy sensor data. An immediate task (such as moving the gripper in a certain direction) is inferred from these estimates. Techniques from control theory convert the task into commands that drive the actuators.

UTILITY

Commercial and industrial robots are widespread today and used to perform jobs more cheaply, or more accurately and reliably, than humans. They are also employed in jobs which are too dirty, dangerous, or dull to be suitable for humans. Robots are widely used in manufacturing, assembly, packing and packaging, transport, earth and space exploration, surgery, military, weaponry, laboratory research, safety, and the mass production of consumer and industrial goods.