I visualize a time when we will be
to robots what dogs are to humans, and I'm rooting for the machines
CLAUDE
SHANNON, The Mathematical Theory of Communication
Let’s start with the three
fundamental Rules of Robotics.... We have: one, a robot may not injure a
human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. Two,
a robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such
orders would conflict with the First Law. And three, a robot must protect its
own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or
Second Laws.
ISAAC
ASIMOV, Astounding Science Fiction, Mar. 1942
The danger of the future is that
men may become robots. True enough, robots do not rebel. But given man’s
nature, robots cannot live and remain sane, they become “Togolese,” they will
destroy their world and themselves because they cannot stand any longer the
boredom of a meaningless life.
ERICH FROMM, The Sane Society
We are survival machines -- robot
vehicles blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes.
RICHARD DAWKINS, The Selfish Gene Man is a robot with defects. EMILE CIORAN, The Trouble With Being Born
Making realistic robots is going
to polarize the market, if you will. You will have some people who love it
and some people who will really be disturbed.
DAVID HANSON, CNN.com, Nov. 23, 2006
If you make [robots] perfectly
realistic, you trigger this body-snatcher fear in some people.
DAVID HANSON, CNN.com, Nov. 23, 2006
Machines smart enough to do anything
for us will probably also be
able to do anything with us: go to dinner, own property, compete for sexual partners. They might even have passionate opinions about politics or, like the robots on Battlestar Galactica, even religious beliefs. Some have worried about robot rebellions, but with so many tort lawyers around to apply the brakes, the bigger question is this: Will humanoid machines enrich our social lives, or will they be a new kind of television, destroying our relationships with real humans? FRED HAPGOOD, Discover Magazine, June 2008
You gotta be pretty desperate to
make it with a robot.
HOMER SIMPSON, The Simpsons
The machine has no feelings, it
feels no fear and no hope ... it operates according to the pure logic of
probability. For this reason I assert that the robot perceives more
accurately than man.
MAX FRISCH, Homo Faber: A Report
We are not the only avatars of
humanity. Once our computing machines achieved self-consciousness, they
became part of this design.
DAN SIMMONS, Endymion
At bottom, robotics is about us.
It is the discipline of emulating our lives, of wondering how we work.
ROD GRUPEN, Discover Magazine, June 2008 |
Thursday, May 24, 2012
quotes about robots
quotes about robots
household robots
So what exactly household robots are and what do they do?
You probably have heard something about three D's - Dull, Dirty and Dangerous.
This is a designation for jobs that are usually entrusted to robots. Maybe
chores are not very dangerous but they can be rather dirty and dull.
Of course, not everything in a household can be done by
robots, at least not yet. Still, there are jobs where robot application can be
justified at the moment. There are two main criteria that should be met when
thinking about buying a household robot.
At first, you should find out how effectively a robot can do
its job. The robot's efficiency should be high enough for your specific
application. Different applications could require different levels of
efficiency.
Second, a robot's use should be economically justifiable.
Maybe it's cheaper to pay someone to do the job than to buy a robot. This goes
more to commercial applications like shop or pool cleaning. Of course, the time
you spend to clean a room also counts.
By weighing out at least these two criteria it is possible
to find the best price-value bargain. Human emotions also come in the equation.
If you really, really want a household robot there's no reason why you should
prohibit something to yourself.
Robotic vacuums
In my opinion, robotic vacuum cleaners are the most known
household robots to general public. It's so because of the most known of all
vacuuming robots - iRobot Roomba . This company sure knows how to put their
products on the market.
Nevertheless, roomba is not the only one. There are many
vacuuming robots in a wide price range for different applications made by
different companies. Read more on robotic vacuums here.
Other floor cleaners
Although vacuuming is the most known application, robots are
not limited to it. There are robots that can sweep floors such as the iRobot
Dirt Dog and robots that can wash floors like roomba's sibling - iRobot Scooba
as well.
Mobile webcams
Anyone has something they have to watch for. For example a
dog - are you sure that he doesn't sit on a couch when you are not home?
Well... Now you can log on your surveillance robot using the internet and shout
to your dog to get off the couch.
They can have more capabilities also - like playing mp3's
and other handy things when you are home. Two most known mobile webcams are
Spykee made by Meccano/Erector and Rovio made by WowWee. Read a summary on
mobile webcams here.
Gutter cleaners
Remember I talked about three D's? Well, I think gutter
cleaning could fit all three of them. You have to reposition the ladder many
times, you can fall off them and the job is definitely dirty. This sounds like
a perfect job for a robot to me.
Although the justification of robot's application for this
job is quite clear, at the moment I am aware of only one gutter cleaning
robotic solution. That would be Loon made by robot.
Lawn mowing
This job seems quite similar to vacuuming only outdoor and
in a bigger scale, right? If there are many vacuuming robots there should be
many robotic lawn mowers too. Well, that is right. Lawn mowing could be the
second largest robot application in a household.
As I said, there are many lawn mower robots made by
different companies. There are not so expensive solutions for your home lawn.
And there are also rather expensive robots for more serious commercial
applications like golf clubs and other sports fields.
Pool cleaning
Pools are nice and offer you a lot of joyful moments when
you can use it for recreation. However, cleaning them is not so nice. Of
course, you can always pay someone to do the job but a robotic pool cleaner
could be a cheaper solution.
Usually, robotic pool cleaners can clean the pool from floor
to waterline and also filter the water for leaves and other things. This way
owning a pool is made nearly hassle free.
Litter robot
Well, I'm not really sure if these devices can be called
robots but they do a dirty job. The idea is simple - a cat does its thing in
the litter robot which can detect when a cat leaves. When it happens it will
roll cat's things off the surface into a special compartment.
I'm not really sure how it's possible to get a cat into it.
They can be rather independent and proud beings.
Friends
Of course, you can't buy friends at a store. But there are
robots that can entertain you in your daily duties that can be viewed as
borderline toys.
The possible device range is quite large. There are robots
that can follow you around and entertain. There are robots that can wake you up
and run away and hide from you - more like wheeled alarm clocks. There are also
PC-based robots that you can assemble and program as you wish.
How to build a robot
So you want to know how to build a robot? Those are great
news. Whether you want to do that as a hobby or for any other purpose robot
building is a very useful activity. Why it is so? Well, because robot building
improves and polishes many skills such as electronics, programming, mechanical
engineering, ET terrace.
But don't be afraid, you don't have to be an expert in those
fields to build a working robot. Of course, you will get smarter after this
task. Still, the level of skill required is dependent of the way you are going
to build your robot as well as how complicated you want your robot to be. If
you want to build a C-3PO then - Oh my!
C-3po naked
A picture bossy, released under a Creative Common license.
As you may already know, I am going pretty broad on
everything I write about. That is because I want to cover as much
topic-relevant topics as possible. And that is so because I was really fed up
searching the net when I needed some info on robots.
Usually, it took a lot of time to find everything I wanted.
So I made this site. The idea is that here you will find... you guessed - all
on robots. At the moment I am trying to tell something on everything but as the
time goes I will go more in depth with every topic. So, I hope that one day
this site will cover almost everything on everything about robots!
So, this section won't be different. I will try to discuss
as many ways how to build a robot as possible. Of course, building from scratch
is the coolest way to do that. But, as you know, there is more than one way to
skin a cat!
How to build a robot from scratch
OK, in my opinion this is the most advanced way to build a
robot. Basically, you take some electronics components, a robot microcontroller
(or maybe even a single board computer), wheels, motors , batteries, sensors
and other stuff and... Well, make a robot. You do all the design, the entire
planning, programming, etc, etc. So it is all your creation.
As far as I know, this is the most common way to construct a
line-follower robot or a sumobot for a competition. Even if you know nothing
about electronics and all that stuff don't be afraid. There are many great
tutorials on the net on this topic. I will definitely make my own tutorial
too... someday.
By now, if you are really interested in this topic, please
check out society of robots site on how to build a robot. That is a great
information source. They also have some pretty good and easy to follow
tutorials.
Robot kits
Assembling a robot kit can be the easiest, as well as a
not-so-easy way how to build a robot. Available kits can vary widely - both in
terms of price and complexity. There are robot kits that are basically
something like robot building tutorials found on the net with the difference
that you don't have to buy parts separately.
So, many of the skills needed to build a robot from scratch
will be needed to assemble this kind of kit. For example, you should be able to
solder electronics components. As I said, robot kits can fall in a broad price
range. This type is no exception. The price depends of the level of complexity.
There are also beginner robot kits. These usually are
already soldered, you just have to assemble the parts together. Whether you
will have to program it or not depends of the kit.
Then there are advanced robot kits. These can require soldering
but usually they don't. What is advanced about them then? Well the robots
themselves. These can be even humanoid robots that have very advanced control
mechanisms.The borders between these "types" of robot kits are very
blurred. But basically a kit can be regarded as a beginner kit if it requires
little knowledge and skill and the robot itself is fairly simple.
A kit can be regarded as intermediate if it requires some
knowledge and skill; the robot can be fairly simple or a bit more complex. And
last but not least - a kit can be regarded as advanced if a robot itself is
very advanced and/or the kit requires some serious level of skill and
knowledge.
Construction kits
These differ a bit from the above mentioned robot kits. Do
you remember those construction sets where you could assemble various things as
you wish? Well, the idea is basically the same. There are various components
including electronics, sensors, actuators, etc, that enable you to build a
robot.
So, the main difference from above mentioned kits is
following. With a construction kit you can, basically, invent different robots,
whereas in the case of a usual robot kit you can assemble only one specific
robot. Usually, no soldering is required.
Lego Windstorms, Vex robotics design system and Biologic are
a few examples of this type of robot kits. Read more on different robot
construction kits here.
Fidgets
Yes, they even deserve a separate headline. The Fidget
system actually isn't a robot construction kit, it's more like a control-everything-from-your-PC system. No structural parts are included, only
electronic components such as sensors, motor controllers, IO boards.
The strong side of this system, however, is ease of
programming. There's a special API developed to handle low level tasks such as
communication. Anyway, if you'd like to find out more, read my article on
Phidgets.
Development platforms
These are robotic platforms you can build upon. Let's
imagine that you have a great idea you want to test but you are wondering how
to build a robot that is capable of doing the basic tasks. It can seem like a
lot of wasted time to build a robot which could move around and sense its
surroundings if you are willing to test something bigger like robot networking
for example.
Because of this Roomba hacks became pretty popular once the Roomba came out. There was a ready robot that had all the necessary hardware for
the basics. So people hacked them in order to enable them to do other things
than just cleaning.
It grew to such a scale that Roomba sumo competitions are
being organized around the world now. I robot understood what people want and
for a few years now we have an robot Create which is a robotic development
platform based on Roomba.
Of course, it is not the only robotic development platform
on the market. There are also others. Anyway, these semi finished products can
be very useful in science and education applications. This is not limited of
course, hobbyists also use development platforms.
Are you wondering why use robot kits, development platforms,
etc if you can build a robot from scratch? Well the reasons why people build
robots is as many or probably more than there are ways how to build a robot.
Parents could want their offspring to learn something new.
But they don't want them to mess around with a soldering gun. Electronics
students could want to take their knowledge into the next level and add some
mechanics to control.
Mechanical engineering students could want to add some
brains to their creations without tampering with electronics too much.
Programmers could want to test their knowledge outside the computer
environment. Researchers could want to test their new idea without spending
their valuable time on the basics.
These are just a few reasons I can imagine on the spot. But
these illustrates quite clearly that different reasons would require a
different way of how to build a robot. As I said at the beginning of this
article - there is more than one way how to skin a cat.
Hospital Robots
Robots are the newest members of the hospital support and nursing staff. From dispensing medication, to making deliveries and visiting patients, robots are improving the way hospitals function. Robots are helping doctors reach patients across distance. They step in to handle nursing and support staff shortages and streamline many tedious administrative tasks.
McPherson ROBOT-Rx This automated system stores and dispenses single doses of drugs for entire hospitals. Pharmacists enter prescriptions into the computer, the robot collects the dosage by scanning the bar codes on the medications, and bags them, all the while keeping track of all medication. This robotic system ensures that the right medicine reaches the right patient.
The Numbers:
- 1/3 of the medium and large pharmacies in U.S.hospitals own a ROBOT-Rx.
- It sorts half a billion medications error free per year.
- 25,000 - the number of doses a ROBOT-Rx can store.
The Advantage of ROBOT-Rx:
- Prevents medication errors
- Manages dissension numbers
- Eliminates the tedious task of sorting medicine
- Works 24-hours a day
- Keeps track of stocking needs
- Saves money/time
Mechanized Couriers
Robots are efficient messengers. They transport materials like food, x-rays, and linens throughout the hospital. The RobotCart travels a set path and prevents collisions by using sonar. The HelpMate and Aethon TUG are other mechanized couriers work to create better hospital environments.
Virtual visits from your physician. Doctors are examining patients from continents away with interactive robots and hi-tech visuals. Mobile robots such as the In Touch Health Remote Presence (RP-6 and RP-7s) are facilitating faster service and doctor-patient face time. These robots are fully mobile, with computer screens for heads and real-time video cameras for eyes and ears. Doctors operate them using a joystick and wireless technology. Another advantage to these robots is saving staff from cross-infection.
Robot Doctors
Imagine receiving virtual visits from your physician. Doctors are examining patients from continents away with interactive robots and hi-tech visuals. Mobile robots such as the In Touch Health Remote Presence (RP-6 and RP-7s) are facilitating faster service and doctor-patient face time. These robots are fully mobile, with computer screens for heads and real-time video cameras for eyes and ears. Doctors operate them using a joystick and wireless technology. Another advantage to these robots is saving staff from cross-infection.
Robot Health and Safety
Robot Health and Safety
This section is dedicated to health and safety - from the
dangers of manual welding to the importance of robot safety design. Robots have
dramatically altered the industrial work environment. They handle hazardous,
repetitive and demanding tasks, saving workers from multiple psychological and
physical dangers.
But robots have also introduced new safety challenges. While
accidents are rare, safety measures must be taken to protect machines and
humans. Companies are working to make accidents a thing of the past with layers
of high-tech devices and increased safety standards.
robots with brains
Robots with Brains: Welcome to the World of the Humanoid
Replicating human thought has been the goal of robotic
inventors for centuries. From Leonardo DA Vince's 1495 ant robot, to the
cutting edge science of NASA and Japanese engineers, the objective is the same
- mimicking the human form and brain.
Why humanoids? The potential is immense. From household
assistants, to team players in space, robots with brains are creating an
exciting future.
HOUSEHOLD SERVANTS
Many are looking to robots to serve the elderly, ill, or
bedridden. Japanese humanoids are at the forefront of this field. At Tokyo
University, robots have demonstrated their ability to handle typical household
tasks, such as pouring tea and washing dishes. The goal is to have humanoids
that think - those who could learn from their mistakes by memorizing situations
and outcomes and being able to recognize them and adjust accordingly.
HONDA ASIMOV
The ASIMOV robot is expanding horizons. Not only can it walk
alongside someone, and hold hands, it can run at 6km/h and turn while running.
It moves carts, acts as a receptionist and carries trays.
NASA'S J PL ROBOTIC
RESEARCH:
NASA is developing space robots that think like humans.
Their goal is creating robots that perform apart from human direction and
performance-specific software. These robots will work in teams to build and
maintain planetary or orbiting facilities. The main focus of their work is focused
on two different approaches within artificial intelligence: fuzzy logic and
neural networks.
Neural Networks:
Learning from Mistakes - This type of robotic thinking allows robots to learn
from previous actions. It mimics the brains ability to reason through a number
of steps and finally make a decision.
robot innovations
Robot
Innovations
The world of robotic technology is constantly evolving.
Robots are expanding the boundaries of human experience - exploring the depths
of sea, the unknowns of outer space, and the intricacies of the human body.
They are transforming industry by reducing cycle time, improving part quality,
and increasing profits all over the globe.
robots and the envioronment future
Robots
and the Environmental Future
Robotic innovations are helping scientists understand and
combat environmental threats such as pollution and global warming. From
gathering data, to conserving resources, and eliminating hazardous materials,
robots are on the move to save the planet. Check out some of the newest
developments:
Sniffing Out Toxins
Yale University
Engineering students have created robotic dogs that detect toxic substances.
They find materials such as lead, arsenic and other pollutants.
Zip and Zoom: Eliminating Air Pollution
Robotic bugs may
be the future of air pollution control. These tiny patrolled purify airborne
materials like formaldehyde and cigarette smoke.
Cutting Crop Chemicals
Harmful herbicide
use could be cut by 70% with selective spraying robots. These robots will be
programmed to administer single drops of herbicide or to simply pull weeds up
by the roots.
Predicting and Policing Water
Robotic subs have
been used to gauge global warming, monitor water pollution and fishing
problems. When oil spills occur, robots will be used to clean and monitor water
pollution.
Hazarding Everything
Robots collect
data from dangerous and hazardous locations. They can endure extreme climates
and conditions to gather information about the affects of global warming or
pollution.
history about robots
· History about robots- when were robots invented?
- who designed the first industrial robot?
- how did the major robotic companies started?
Robots have captured the imagination of inventors and
storytellers for centuries. While the birth of automation technology can be
traced to the Greeks, the first industrial robots were not produced until the
1970's. Today's cutting edge humanoid robots are the result of years of trial and
error.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Robots in medicine
Robots in medicine
Surgery
Possibly the most glamorous
application of robots in medicine, current state of the art couples a human
surgeon with mechanisms that can perform surgery through very small incisions, greatly
reducing the risk to patients. The surgeon's ability to control the mechanism
is enhanced by providing force feedback to the controls, allowing the operator
to have a sense of touch to help control the robot. This type of robot isn't
completely independent, and is more properly called a teleported device, but
uses much of the same technology an independent robot would employ for motion
control, imaging and tactile/force feedback. The fully autonomous surgical
robot that is a feature of science fiction literature and screen entertainment
is unlikely to appear in the near future, and even if technically possible, would
be viewed with great skepticism by patients (and their lawyers).
Diagnosis
Robotic test instruments
range from exotic scanners (such as computerized axial tomography: the CAT scan)
to laboratory equipment that processes and analyzes samples of blood and other
materials extracted from the body for diagnostic purposes. They provide
consistency and accuracy, reducing the possibility of human error that can
cause an inaccurate diagnosis. While not the classic industrial robot, they do
employ many of the same automation techniques.
Prosthetics
Mechanical replacements for
missing limbs and organs that can interact with the human organic system are a
long-standing goal of the medical community. Research into replacement hearts, limbs,
eyes, ears and other organs offers hope for the development of effective
implanted devices and replacement limbs that can function for long periods of
time. Robotic devices can also provide assistance to people with severe
restrictions on movement, in many cases allowing them at least some capability
to move around or nearby their homes.
One of the great challenges
facing the designers of implantable devices is the need to avoid stimulating
the normal immune system response to foreign objects, a response that can cause
serious complications or disable the device. It is also necessary for the
device to be able to survive in the biological environment without damaging
chemical interactions with the body.
Rehabilitation
Robots can provide exercise
platforms to help restore limb function and can monitor the condition of
patients undergoing rehabilitation from the effects of injuries, stroke or
other brain or nerve damage.
Pharmaceuticals
Industrial robots used to
manufacture drugs provide consistency and cost control in drug production and
can perform many process and handling steps without the risk of contamination
from human operators or exposing humans to dangerous chemicals or inadvertent
drug doses.
Types of robots
Robotics - Types of Robots
Ask a number of people to describe a robot and most of
them will answer they look like a human.
Interestingly a robot that looks like a human is probably the most
difficult robot to make. It is usually a
waste of time and not the most sensible thing to model a robot after a human
being. A robot needs to be above all
functional and designed with qualities that suit its primary tasks. It depends on the task at hand whether the
robot is big, small, and able to move or nailed to the ground. Each and every task means different
qualities, form and function; a robot needs to be designed with the task in
mind.
Mobile robots
Mobile robots
are able to move, usually they perform task such as search areas. A prime
example is the Mars Explorer, specifically designed to roam the mars surface.
Mobile
robots are a great help to such collapsed building for survivors Mobile robots
are used for task where people cannot go.
Either because it is too dangerous of because people cannot reach the
area that needs to be searched.
Mobile robots can be divided in 2 ways.
1.
Rolling robots
2.
Walking robots
Rolling robots
Rolling robots
have wheels to move around. These are
the type of robots that can quickly and easily search move around. However they are only useful in flat areas,
rocky terrains give them a hard time.
Flat terrains are their territory.
Walking robots
Robots on legs are
usually brought in when the terrain is rocky and difficult to enter with
wheels. Robots have a hard time shifting balance and keep them from
tumbling. That’s why most robots with have at least 4 of them, usually
they have 6 legs or more. Even when they lift one or more legs they still
keep their balance. Development of legged robots is often modeled after
insects or craw-fish..
Stationary robots
Robots
are not only used to explore areas or imitate a human being. Most robots perform repeating tasks without
ever moving an inch. Most robots are
‘working’ in industry settings.
Especially dull and repeating tasks are suitable for robots. A robot never grows tired; it will perform
its duty day and night without ever complaining. In case the tasks at hand are done, the
robots will be reprogrammed to perform other tasks...
Autonomous robots
Autonomous robots are self supporting or in other
words self contained. In a way they rely
on their own ‘brains’.
Autonomous
robots run a program that gives them the opportunity to decide on the action to
perform depending on their surroundings.
At times these robots even learn new behavior. They start out with a short routine and adapt
this routine to be more successful at the task they perform. The most successful routine will be repeated
as such their behavior is shaped.
Autonomous robots can learn to walk or avoid obstacles they find in
their way. Think about a six legged
robot, at first the legs move ad random, after a little while the robot adjust
its program and performs a pattern which enables it to move in a direction.
Remote control robots
An autonomous robot is despite its autonomous not a
very clever or intelligent unit. The
memory and brain capacity is usually limited, an autonomous robot can be
compared to an insect in that respect.
In case a
robot needs to perform more complicated yet undetermined tasks an autonomous
robot is not the right choice.
Complicated
tasks are still best performed by human beings with real brainpower. A person can guide a robot by remote
control. A person can perform difficult
and usually dangerous tasks without being at the spot where the tasks are
performed. To detonate a bomb it is
safer to send the robot to the danger area.
Virtual
robots
Virtual robots don’t exist in real life. Virtual robots are just programs, building
blocks of software inside a computer. A
virtual robot can simulate a real robot or just perform a repeating task. A special kind of robot is a robot that
searches the World Wide Web. The
internet has countless robots crawling from site to site. These WebCrawler’s
collect information on websites and send this information to the search
engines.
Another
popular virtual robot is the chatterbot.
These robots simulate conversations with users of the internet. One of the first chatterbots was ELIZA. There are many varieties of chatterbots now,
including E.L.V.I.S.
Beam robots
BEAM is short
for Biology, Electronics, Aesthetics and Mechanics. BEAM robots are made by hobbyists. BEAM
robots can be simple and very suitable for starters.
Biology
Robots are often modeled after nature. A lot of BEAM robots look remarkably like
insects. Insects are easy to build in
mechanical form. Not just the mechanics
are in inspiration also the limited behavior can easily be programmed in a
limited amount of memory and processing power.
Electronics
Like all robots they also contain electronics. Without electronic circuits the engines
cannot be controlled. Lots of Beam
Robots also use solar power as their main source of energy.
Aesthetics
A BEAM Robot should look nice and attractive. BEAM robots have no printed circuits with
some parts but an appealing and original appearance.
Mechanics
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