Robot

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A robot is a mechanical or virtual artificial agent, usually an electro-mechanical machine
that is guided by a computer program or electronic circuitry. Robots can be autonomous,
semi-autonomous or remotely controlled and range from humanoids such as
ASIMO and TOPIO to nano robots, 'swarm' robots, and industrial robots.
By mimicking a lifelike appearance or automating movements, a robot may convey a
sense of intelligence or thought of its own.
The branch of technology that deals with robots is called robotics.

Machinery was initially used for repetitive functions, such as lifting water and grinding grain.
With technological advances more complex machines were developed, such as those invented by
Hero of Alexandria in the 1st century AD
, and the automata of Al-Jazari in the 12th century AD.
The robots made by such inventors were more for the purpose of entertainment than for performing work.

As mechanical techniques developed through the Industrial age,
more practical applications were proposed by Nikola Tesla,
who in 1898 designed a radio-controlled boat.
Electronics evolved into the driving force of development with the advent of the first electronic autonomous robots created by
William Grey Walter in Bristol,
England in 1948.
The first digital and programmable robot was invented by George Devol in 1954 and was named the Unimate.
It was sold to General Motors in 1961 where it was used to lift pieces of hot metal from die casting machines
at the Inland Fisher Guide Plant in the West Trenton section of Ewing Township, New Jersey.^[1]

Robots have replaced humans^{[citation needed]} in the assistance of performing those repetitive and dangerous tasks which humans prefer not to do,
or are unable to do due to size limitations, or even those such as in outer space or at the bottom of the sea where humans could not survive the extreme environments.

There are concerns about the increasing use of robots and their role in society. Robots are blamed for rising unemployment as they replace workers in some functions.
The use of robots in military combat raises ethical concerns.
The possibility of robot autonomy and potential repercussions has been addressed in fiction and may be a realistic concern in the future.

Overview

The word robot can refer to both physical robots and virtual software agents, but the latter are usually referred to as bots. There is no consensus on which machines qualify as robots but there is general agreement among experts, and the public, that robots tend to do some or all of the following: move around, operate a mechanical limb, sense and manipulate their environment, and exhibit intelligent behavior — especially behavior which mimics humans or other animals.

There is no one definition of robot that satisfies everyone and many people have their own. For example Joseph Engelberger, a pioneer in industrial robotics, once remarked: "I can't define a robot, but I know one when I see one." According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica a robot is "any automatically operated machine that replaces human effort, though it may not resemble human beings in appearance or perform functions in a humanlike manner." Merriam-Webster describes a robot as a "machine that looks like a human being and performs various complex acts (as walking or talking) of a human being", or a "device that automatically performs complicated often repetitive tasks", or a "mechanism guided by automatic controls".

Defining characteristics

While there is no single correct definition of robot,^[6] a typical robot will have several, or possibly all, of the following characteristics.

It is an electric machine which has some ability to interact with physical objects and to be given electronic programming to do a specific task or to do a whole range of tasks or actions. It may also have some ability to perceive and absorb data on physical objects, or on its local physical environment, or to process data, or to respond to various stimuli. This is in contrast to a simple mechanical device such as a gear or a hydraulic press or any other item which has no processing ability and which does tasks through purely mechanicalprocesses and motion.

Mental agency

For robotic engineers, the physical appearance of a machine is less important than the way its actions are controlled. The more the control system seems to have agency of its own, the more likely the machine is to be called a robot. An important feature of agency is the ability to make choices. Higher-level cognitive functions, though, are not necessary, as shown by ant robots.

A clockwork car is never considered a robot.
A mechanical device that is able to perform some preset motions but is unable to adapt (an automaton) is rarely considered a robot.^{[citation needed]}
A remotely operated vehicle is sometimes considered a robot (or telerobot).^[7]
A car with an onboard computer, like Bigtrak, which could drive in a programmable sequence, might be called a robot.^{[citation needed]}
A self-controlled car which could sense its environment and make driving decisions based on this information, such as the 1990s driverless cars of Ernst Dickmanns or the entries in the DARPA Grand Challenge, would quite likely be called a robot.
A sentient car, like the fictional KITT, which can make decisions, navigate freely and converse fluently with a human, is usually considered a robot.^{[citation needed]}

Physical agency

However, for many laymen, if a machine appears able to control its arms or limbs, and especially if it appears anthropomorphic or zoomorphic (e.g. ASIMO or Aibo), it would be called a robot.

A player piano is rarely characterized as a robot.^[8]
A CNC milling machine is very occasionally characterized as a robot.
A factory automation arm is almost always characterized as an industrial robot.
An autonomous wheeled or tracked device, such as a self-guided rover or self-guided vehicle, is almost always characterized as a mobile robot or service robot.^{[citation needed]}
A zoomorphic mechanical toy, like Roboraptor, is usually characterized as a robot.^[9]
A mechanical humanoid, like ASIMO, is almost always characterized as a robot, usually as a service robot.

Even for a 3-axis CNC milling machine using the same control system as a robot arm, it is the arm which is almost always called a robot, while the CNC machine is usually just a machine. Having eyes can also make a difference in whether a machine is called a robot, since humans instinctively connect eyes with sentience. However, simply being anthropomorphic is not a sufficient criterion for something to be called a robot. A robot must do something; an inanimate object shaped like ASIMO would not be considered a robot

Here is a video from youtube about a military robot running backwards faster than the Usian bolt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBt1eEezHeM

The cheetah robot is now being improved by the boston dynamics, with funding from DARPA's Maximum Mobility and Manipulation program ( or M3 Program)

Here are some useful effects/use of robots in todays lifestyle:

The Blind See With Robot Eyes, Thanks to NSF

Posted 15 Feb 2013 at 22:38 UTC by steve

A National Science Foundation news release details the long history of NSF funded research that has resulted in the the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis which gained FDA approval yesterday, becoming the first "bionic eye" approved for use in the United States. The cybernetic device consists of video camera glasses that wirelessly transmit an image to a microelectrode neural stimulator array implanted in the damaged retina, providing the brain with an image. The device can restore vision to victims of retinitis pigmentosa. From the news release:

"The implant allows some individuals with RP, who are completely blind, to locate objects, detect movement, improve orientation and mobility skills and discern shapes such as large letters."

The research began in the 1980s and received a first NFS grant in 1994. Twenty years and $40 million later, we have the first cure for this type of blindness. An improved unit that will fit entirely inside the human eye and has 15 times more electrodes exists in prototype form and will someday replace this initial externally worn unit. For more see the Second Sight news release and the functional description of the prosthesis. The NFS also posted several videos detailing the history of the research.

DARPA Robot to Repurpose Space Junk

Posted 12 Feb 2013 at 19:45 UTC by steve

A recent DARPA news release highlights their Phoenix program. As the name suggests, the goal of the program is give dead space junk a new life. All those dead satellites still have lots of re-usable parts such as antennas and solar arrays. DARPA hopes to develop a robot that can harvest usable parts from space junk and add them to a new class of nano satellites designed to take advantage of the old parts. From the news release:

The first keystone mission of the Phoenix program in 2015 plans to demonstrate harvesting an existing, cooperative, retired satellite aperture, by physically separating it from the host non-working satellite using on-orbit grappling tools controlled remotely from earth. The aperture will then be reconfigured into a ‘new’ free-flying space system and operated independently to demonstrate the concept of space “re-use.”

As robot-builders, we've probably all gone dumpster-diving at one point or another to scavenge high-tech trash from which to build robots. So we'll be watching to see how these dumpster-diving space bots work out. DARPA hopes to involve "non-traditional space communities" in the program to help with design and development. For more details, see the original Phoenix project solicitation. Read on to see a cool little video of a simulated mission in which the space-bot collects spare parts from old satellites.

Elephant Spotting Robots in Africa

Posted 8 Feb 2013 at 23:15 UTC by steve

Researchers in Africa are trying out an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) for doing aerial surveys of large mammals. The drone chosen by the researchers was a Gatewing X100, a small, electric robot plane equipped with GPS, inertial measurement, and other sensors. Aerial surveys using traditional manned aircraft are very expensive to do, so this research could potentially result in new survey methods that will save wildlife researchers a lot of money. The goal was to determine flight parameters and the animals reaction to drone. From the paper:

The use of UAS such as the ×100 opens interesting possibilities for counting elephants. The technology is sufficient to count African elephants in savannahs: flight implementation is easier (very short airfield), safer (no operators on board) and the UAS is reliable in very rough conditions. The UAS flights require civil aviation authorization. However, the main drawback of the Gatewing ×100 is its low autonomy. Unlike a light aircraft, this small UAS cannot cover large areas in a minimum of time (4 to 6 hours per flight). If some UAS cost as much as an aircraft, the logistic and the running costs of the UAS are lower. However, the cost per area covered (km⁻²) is almost 10 times higher than that of an aircraft. Also, the characteristic shape and biometry of elephants on the nadir images allow us to consider use of computer recognition algorithms.

Overall, they had good results. The higher cost per area is due to the Gatewing X100 drone's short flight time; the drone replacement cost, given a lifetime of about 40 flights (around 24 hours total flight per drone); and a repair cost for cameras, antennas, servos, and other components. Elephants and two other large animal species were observed. The researchers noted that the drone was able to pass above all the animals almost unnoticed. The animals never exhibited any flight or warning behaviors. For more details on the project, read the researchers paper, "Unmanned Aerial Survey of Elephants". Also see our previous story on the USGS experiments using drones to reduce the costs of their aerial surveys from $30,000 USD to $3,000 USD per mission..

Argo Robots Collect Millionth Observation

Posted 31 Jan 2013 at 23:43 UTC by steve

Back in 2001, we first reported on the Argo project and its plan to deploy a network of 3,000 robots throughout the oceans of the world to capture precise measurements of temperature (+/- 0.005° C) and salinity. The number of deployed robot floats reached 3,000 in 2007. The robots continuously take measurements as they move from the surface to a depth of 2000 meters and back. They've been returning 100,000 measurements per year and, according to a recent news release, in January they passed the 1,000,000 measurementmilestone. From the website:

Over 100 research papers per year are now being published using Argo data covering a broad range of topics including water mass properties and formation, air-sea interaction, ocean circulation, mesoscale eddies, ocean dynamics, seasonal-to-decadal variability, and global change analysis. A key objective of Argo is to observe ocean signals related to climate change. This includes regional and global changes in ocean temperature and heat content, salinity and freshwater content, the steric height of the sea surface in relation to total sea level and large-scale ocean circulation.

When the project started over a decade ago there was still widespread uncertainty over the rate and nature of climate change. Today, thanks in part to the precise data returned by these robots, researchers are able to build and test much more accurate models of climate change and carbon sequestration. As rising ocean temperatures cause more and more dramatic weather events, data from the Argo robots will be increasingly important to researchers as they try to accurately model and predict the coming changes. The Argo network data itself is available if you'd like to download it or get it on CD. Argo data is also available through standard climate research databases like the KNMI Climate Explorer and is now the primary source of data used for the NOAA Global Ocean Heat and Salt Content graphs. For more see the special Argo Brochure (PDF format) released for the one millionth measurement profile. Read on to see some cool videos of the Argo bots in action.
CC BY-NC-ND Argo photo by flickr user fruchtzwerg's world

Cafe Neu Romance Robot Festival

Posted 30 Jan 2013 at 19:14 UTC (updated 30 Jan 2013 at 19:23 UTC) by steve

Christian Gjørret, leader of Vive Les Robots! sent us a report on Café Neu Romance, billed as the world's first international robot performance festival, held in Prague last November. Why Prague? Because Karel Čapek's R.U.R.premiered there, giving us the word robot, of course:

The 800 visitors to the festival were given an introduction to what connects magical Prague with robots. During the opening, the R.U.R expert, Professor Jana Horakova from the Masaryk University in Brno hold the lecture “Karel Čapek - Czech Frankenstein”, on the notion robot, and how the play R.U.R spread to various European cities after its first performance at the National Theatre in Prague 25 January 1921.

The festival included a wide variety of robots and robotic art, ranging from a fashion show with robotic dresses to robotic origami. Read on for the full new release about the event as well as several nice videos of the sites and sounds from the first international robot performance festival. And keep in mind as you watch them that planning has already started for the second event to be held in November of 2013.

Another example is HRP-4C of japan wherein she is a female humanoid that can sing and interact

HRP-4C

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The HRP-4C, nicknamed Miim, is a female humanoid robot created by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), a Japanese research facility.

Miim measures 158 centimetres (5 feet, 2 inches) tall and weighs 43 kilos (95 pounds) including a battery pack. She has a realistic head and face, and the figure of an average young Japanese female (based on the 1997–1998 Japanese body dimension database). She can move like a human, utilizing 30 body motors and another eight dedicated to facial expressions. Miim can also respond to speech using speech recognition software, and is capable of recognizing ambient sounds.^[1] Miim can also sing, using the vocal synthesizerVocaloid.^[2]

The software that operates the robot is developed on the basis of Open Robotics Platform (OpenRTP), including OpenRTM-aist and OpenHRP3.^[3]

An initial public demonstration was held on March 16, 2009,^[4] with another held at Tokyo's Digital Content Expo in 2010 to showcase recent upgrades that allow HRP-4C to mimic human facial and head movements, as well as execute dance steps.^[5]^[6] 2011 upgrades to Miim's human-like walking ability were shown in a video released by AIST, and have been called "super-realistic".^[7]

Applications for the HRP-4C may include the entertainment industry, and a human simulator for evaluation of devices.

Benefits of Robots

The first industrial robot was introduced to the U.S. in the 1960s, since then their technology has improved immensely creating many advantages of robots. The advancement of robotics has also caused robots to become more widespread across various industries ranging from manufacturing to health care. Many benefits of robots seem to be most noticeable in productivity, safety, and in saving time and money.

Productivity

Robots produce more accurate and high quality work
Robots rarely make mistakes and are more precise than human workers
They can produce a greater quantity in a short amount of time
They can work at a constant speed with no breaks, days off, or holiday time
They can perform applications with more repeatability than humans

Safety

Robots save workers from performing dangerous tasks
They can work in hazardous conditions, such as poor lighting, toxic chemicals, or tight spaces
They are capable of lifting heavy loads without injury or tiring
Robots increase worker safety by preventing accidents since humans are not performing risky jobs

Savings

Robots save time by being able to produce a greater magnitude of products
They also reduce the amount of wasted material used due to their accuracy
Robots save companies money in the long run with quick ROIs (return on investment), fewer worker injuries (reducing or eliminating worker’s comp), and with using less materials.

The list of the advantages of robots does not end there; they have also created jobs for workers. Many people believe the misconception that robots have taken away jobs from workers, but that is not necessarily true. Robots have created new jobs for those who were once on production lines with programming. They have pulled employees from repetitive, monotonous jobs and put them in better, more challenging ones. Today robots are user-friendly, intelligent, and affordable. The benefits of robots continue to grow as more industries incorporate them. Contact RobotWorx at 740-251-4312 for any additional questions or quotes.

References:
http://www.koolgrapsite.com/advantages-of-robotics.html

But even though the robots had there own capabilities they still have there own errors. Here are some harmful effects of robots

Robots will overthrow humans. Humans will be weak,lazy and fat. Robots will be able to control us.

Now for reality

The above answer is being spread by popular science fiction books and films, and also represents the attitudes of the more paranoid members of society.
Robots are simply machines that perform routine, repetitious activities, and are controlled by computers that are not much different in internal design than the computers that we use to "surf the internet."

Robotic devices are incapable of sentient thought, and can only perform tasks for which they are specifically programmed.
Robots perform the tasks that are too dangerous for humans, making the workplace safer.
Robots perform tasks that are extremely repetitive, relieving humans from the boring, mundane process that is associated with mass production.
Robots perform some of the difficult tasks that might be too strenuous for humans.

But humans are still necessary for repair, maintenance and programming of robots.
The first answer seems to be taken right from the movie, "WALL-E".
Believe the cartoons if you insist, but occasionally it would be good to read a little about reality.

So we should act wisely in choosing the rights use of robots..

sources and read more at:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot

http://robots.net/