GSB HONORS PHYSICS MR BOSTIAN: Robotics

Examples of Common Robots:

The Cubinator (Robot that can solve Rubix Cubes)

Deep Blue (The robot that beat Garry Kasparov (world chess champion), first robot to beat a human in chess)

The Mars Rover

Robot that landed on the surface of Mars

Remote control cars

What is Robotics?

-the science and technology that is used to design, build and operate robots

What is a Robot?

A robot is a “mechanical device that operates automatically” (). The word, Robot, comes from the Czech word “robata” meaning drudgery. Robots can be built and programmed to perform various, routine tasks.

The History of Robotics:

270 BC: ancient Greek engineer Ctesibus made organs and water clocks with movable figures

1495: Leonardo da Vinci sketched plans for humanoid robot

1700-1900: life-sized automatons were created (including famous mechanical duck that could crane its neck, flap its wings, and swallow food; made by Jacques de Vaucanson)

1913: Henry Ford installs first moving conveyor belt assembly line in his car factory, now a model T could be assembled in about 93 minutes

Ford Assembly Line

1921: The world “robot” is coined to describe machines that resemble humans. Capek coined the term for his play called “Rossus Universal Robots” (a play about society enslaved by robots that once had served them, now popular theme in pop culture: Terminator, Frankenstien, The Matrix etc.)

1932: First true robot toy was produced in Japan, “lilliput” was a wind-up toy that walked

Lilliput

1937: Alan Turing releases his paper “On Computable Numbers", which begins computer revolution

Alan Turing

1941 - Science fiction writer Isaac Asimov first used the word "robotics" to describe the technology of robots and predicted the rise of a powerful robot industry.

1950: Alan Turing proposes the “Turing Test,” this test is to determine whether a machine truly has the power to think for itself

1948 - "Cybernetics", an influence on artificial intelligence research was published by Norbert Wiener

1954: Devol and Engleberger designs first programmable robot arm, later becomes first industrial robot

1957: Soviet Union launches “Sputnik,” first artificial orbiting satellite

Sputnik in Space

1961 - The first industrial robot was online in a General Motors automobile factory in New Jersey. It was called UNIMATE.

1963 - The first artificial robotic arm to be controlled by a computer was designed. The Rancho Arm was designed as a tool for the handicapped and it's six joints gave it the flexibility of a human arm.

1964: IBM 360 is the first computer that is mass-produced

1969: US successfully lands Neil Armstrong on the moon, using the latest in computing, robotic and space technology

Neil Armstrong on the Moon

1970 - Shakey was introduced as the first mobile robot controlled by artificial intellence. It was produced by SRI International.

1974 - A robotic arm (the Silver Arm) that performed small-parts assembly using feedback from touch and pressure sensors was designed.

1986: First LEGO based educational products are put on the market, Honda launches a project to build walking humanoid robot

1994: Carnegie Universities creates Dante II, eight-legged walking robot, successfully descends into Mt Spur to collect volcanic gas samples

Dante II

1997: Computer built by IBM, aka Deep Blue, beats world chess champion Garry Kasparov

1997: First Robocup tournament is held in Japan, goal to have fully automated team of robots beat worlds best soccer team by 2050

1998: LEGO launches first Robotics Inventions system

1999: Sony releases the first version of AIBO, robotic dog with the ability to learn, entertain, and communicate with its owner

2000: Honda debuts ASIMO, the next generation in its series of humanoid robots

ASIMO

2004: Epsom release smallest known robot, standing 7cm high weighing 10 grams, robot helicopter intended to be used as a “flying camera” during natural disasters

2005: Researches at Cornell build first self-replicating robot, each robot is made up of a small tower of computerized cubes which link together through the use of magnets

2008: Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner sold over 2.5 million units, proves strong demand for domestic robotic technology

Roomba

How Robots Work?

Robots complete tasks by following sets of specified instructions, telling the robot exactly what to do. The instructions are stored the robot’s control center, its computer or part of a computer. The computer then sends commands to the motorized joints of the robot. How these joints function are extremely similar to a human’s, moving various parts of the robot in order to complete the task.

All Robots have a movable body, only some have motorized wheels and motorized segments. Robots are typically made of metal or plastic, and like the bones in our body, the individual segments are connected with joints. An actuator, a type of motor responsible for moving or controlling a mechanism or system that is operated by a source of energy, is needed for the robots to spin wheels and pivot jointed segments. There are many different types of motors used as actuators, for example, electric motors, solenoids, hydraulic systems, and/or a pneumatic system (system driven by compressed gases).

Diagram of Actuator

In order to drive the actuators, the robot needs a power source. Most robots either use a battery or it just plugs into a wall. Hydraulic robots also needs a pump to pressurize the hydraulic fluid, and pneumatic robots need an air compressor or compressed air tanks. The actuators are wired to an electrical circuit, the curvet powers the electrical motors and
solenoids directly, activating the hydraulic system by manipulating electrical valves. These valves pressurized the fluid’s path through the machine. Robots use pistons that can push both ways in order to move their segments in different directions.

The Robot’s computer controls everything that is attached to the circuit. The computer switches on all the necessary valves and motors in order to move the robot. Most robots are reprogrammable, meaning that to change the robot’s behavior, all you would have to do is write a new program. Not all robots have sensory system. In fact, only a few have the ability to see, hear, smell or taste, however the most common sense robots have is the sense of movement. This is the robot’s ability to monitor its own motion. The standard design of a robot uses slotted wheels attached to the robot’s joints and an LED on a side of the wheel
that shines a beam of light through the slots to a light sensor on the other side of the wheel. The slotted wheel turns when the robot moves a particular joint, the slot then breaks the light beam as the wheel spins, allowing the robot to read the pattern of the flashing light that transmits to its computer. The computer can then tell exactly who far the joint has traveled from the light patter.

Design of Robots:

Robots are very rarely in the shape of the humanlike forms that appear in science fiction movies. They can vary in size, shape and design, but most are stationary structures that have just a single arm that is capable of lifting things and using tools. However, engineers have developed more complex robots. Other robots are mobile with cameras and electronic sensors. These robots are controlled by stored instructions where they receive feedback
from the sensors and a remote control.

Types of Robots:

There are different types of robots, most regarding what these robots are going to be used for. The designs and functions of the robot must vary depending on the task it is built for. These “types of robots” can vary within its own classification as the functions of the robot becomes more specialized.

“Industrial robots - Industrial robots are robots used in an industrial manufacturing environment. Usually these are articulated arms specifically developed for such applications as welding, material handling, painting and others. If we judge purely by application this type could also include some automated guided vehicles and other robots.

Robots Making Cars in Assembly Line

Domestic or household robots - Robots used at home. This type of robots includes many quite different devices such as robotic vacuum cleaners, robotic pool cleaners, sweepers, gutter cleaners and other robots that can do different chores. Also, some surveillance and telepresence robots could be regarded as household robots if used in that environment.

Robot Pool Vacuum Cleaner

Medical robots - Robots used in medicine and medical institutions. First and foremost - surgery robots. Also, some automated guided vehicles and maybe lifting aides.

Service robots - Robots that dont fall into other types by usage. These could be different data gathering robots, robots made to show off technologies, robots used for research, etc.

Starbug: Robot used to collect data and ecosystem surveys

Military robots - Robots used in military. This type of robots includes bomb disposal robots, different transportation robots, reconnaissance drones. Often robots initially created for military purposes can be used in law enforcement, search and rescue and other related fields.

Navy Drone

Entertainment robots - These are robots used for entertainment. This is a very broad category. It starts with toy robots such as robosapien or the running alarm clock and ends with real heavyweights such as articulated robot arms used as motion simulators.

Robotic Quartet

Space robots - Robots used in space. This type would include robots used on the International Space Station, Canadarm that was used in Shuttles, as well as Mars rovers and other robots used in space.

Advanced Humanoid Robot NASA

Hobby and competition robots - Robots that you create. Line followers, sumo-bots, robots made just for fun and robots made for competition.” (http://www.allonrobots.com/types-of-robots.html)

Robot Fights

Common Robots:

Mobile robots: These robots have the ability to move. This means that the robot must have a working locomotion system. Tracks or wheels are best for robots that only need to move on a smooth surface, however on rougher terrain it is more difficult. While wheels and tracks can be used, they must be large enough, so engineers tend to turn to legs instead. Legs are more adaptable than wheels and since they also help researches understand natural locomotion, it is a useful exercise in biological research. In most of the basic robots, the pistons move the robot’s legs back and forth. These pistons attack different leg segments much like our own muscles attach to our ones. However, the trickier part is trying to get all the pistons to work together. Engineers have to figure out the right combination of piston movements and program this information into the robot’s computer in order for the robot to function properly. Most of these robots have a built-in balance system in the computer that corrects the robots movements. These robots can be controlled by remote, for example the electronic remote-control toy cars.

Example: Remote Control Car

Autonomous Robots: These robots are more complex than a mobile robot, for they can act on their own. The basic idea of this robot is that the robot will be able to respond in a certain way to an outside stimuli. The most basic of these robots is the “bump-and-go robot.” this type of robot has bumper sensors in order to detect obstacles, once it has detected these obstacles. It will go in a straight line until it hits something, the impact pushes into its bumper sensor. As the sensor goes off, the robot’s programming will tell the robot to back up, turn right, and go in a straight line once again until it hits another obstacle. More advanced robots use the same basic idea, but they are much more complex. The sensor systems and new programs are able to enhance the robot’s perception and intelligence. Today, these robots are able to navigate in a a variety of environments, like the Mars Rover. Some use stereo vision to see the world, while others use microphones and “smell.” There are some robots that are only able to work in a certain environment, while more advanced robots have the ability to analyze and adapt to unfamiliar environments.

The Pros and Cons of Robots:

In the Industrial world, robots are being used more and more. This is for multiple reasons.

For one, robots can produce better quality items. Robots can perform with precision and high repeatability every time.

Secondly robots can produce more than humans. Robots don't need to sleep, eat or go on vacation. They have a constant work speed. We can also enhance the efficiency of each robot, minimizing the amount of time it takes for each product. These advantages allow them to produce more than humans can.

Thirdly, Robots also reduce the risks in factories and such. Now workers are being put into supervisory roles instead of performing these hazardous tasks. Light screens and barriers will keep the operator out of harms way.

Robots do not need to be paid or have healthcare benefits. They do not need salaries, pensions, or paid vacations, etc. With workers in lower risk jobs, the health care and benefits can be lowered. Also, since there will be more production and more quality, there will most likely be more returning customers and customer satisfaction rates.

However, while there are many benefits to robots there are also many disadvantages.

The initial expense for these machines are high. When business owners restrict the purchase to new robotic equipment. This can be especially troublesome to smaller businesses or corporations. The cost should be calculated beforehand and compared to the business' greater budget. This is not to mention the regular maintenance and mechanical needs of the robot.

While robots have proven to be very helpful, they do not guarantee results. They need a specific production plan with all the steps carefully listed from the beginning to end of the process. If there is problems further down the line, robots many not help o achieve the goals of the company

Employees will also need time to be trained and assimilated into the new robotic process. They will need to learn programming (or hire programmers) and will have to interact with the new equipment. This takes time, effort, and in result money.

Programming in Robotics:

In order to get a robot to perform a task, it has to be programmed to do exactly that. The robot’s computer (basically the robot’s brain) tells each joint of the robot what to do based on its programming. The programming are algorithms of binary code or languages that are then converted into something of binary code, that tell the robot exactly what to do.

Computer programming - creating a sequence of instructions to enable the computer (or in this case machine/robot) to do something (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/computer+programming)

Programming, or writing softwares, involves describing processes, or “authoring algorithms.” Basically, this is developing lists of instructions, the “source code representation software” (http://www.bfoit.org/itp/Programming.html). This is how we are able to manipulate objects to do something, like composing music, designing a house, etc. The Programs tell the computer exactly what to do, however that might not be what you would want.

“A computer can only understand two distinct types of data: on and off.” (http://www.codeconquest.com/what-is-coding/how-does-coding-work/). A computer is really just a collection of on and off switches, anything it does is nothing more than a “Unique combination of some transistors [or switches] turned on and some transistors turned of.”

Binary Code is the “representation of these combinations as 1’s and 0’s, where each digit represents one transitor. Binary Code is grouped into bytes, groups of 8 digits representing 9 transistors… Modern computers contain millions or even billions of transitors, which means an unimaginably large number of combinations. But one problem arises here. TO be able to write a computer program by typing out billions of 1’s and 0’s would require superhuman brainpower, even then it would probably take a lifetime or two to write.”

Programming languages is when that line of code is write in the Python programming language. Basically it’s a “programming (or coding) language is a set of syntax rules that define how code should be written and formatted. thousands of different programming languages make it possible for us to create computer software, apps, and websites… Each language comes with a special program that takes care of translating what we write into binary code.” This replaces Binary code, letting us write codes that are much easier for us to write, read, and understand.

There are multiple languages in computer programming. This is because different languages have been designed for different purposes. For instance, some are used for web development, while others may be used for solving numeric problems. These languages can be classified into low-level or high-level. Low-level languages are similar to binary code while high-level languages do not resemble binary code much. However, high-level languages are easier to program in. The main programming languages that we use today are mostly high-level languages.

A program is a “text file, written in a certain coding language. The code inside a program file is called the source code. Every coding language has its own file extension for identifying code files written in that language. For example, Python’s is ‘.py’.” (http://www.codeconquest.com/what-is-coding/how-does-coding-work/). Making a program is simple, you write the code in a plain text editor and save the file. Some languages save a separate binary file, allowing the computers to directly run the file, while others have programs that are run indirectly by a certain software.

“A computer doesn’t actually understand [the programs], and it doesn’t know how to display it on a screen. It only understands on and off. So to actually run a command like print ‘Hello, world!’, it has to translate all the code in a program into a series of off and ons that it can understand.” (http://www.codeconquest.com/what-is-coding/how-does-coding-work/). In order to do that, the language must be translated into multiple languages until you end up with simple binary code.

In programming there are three different types of code that dictates if a robot performs behaviors using sensor inputs and/or radio transmitters.

"Autonomous Code:

Autonomous code allows a robot to perform behaviors without input from the radio control transmitter. The
robot follow pre-programmed routines responding only to sensor inputs.

Radio Control Code:

Radio control code allows you to configure the way in which the radio control transmitter controls the robot,allowing a human operator to provide input to the robot.

Mixed Autonomous and Radio Control Code:

Autonomous code can be integrated with radio control code to achieve even better robot performance for complex tasks." (http://www.vexrobotics.com/vexedr/software/)