Hello friends, this is our first blog and we welcome you all from our heart. In this, blog we are discussing about ROBOTICS and its introduction and some basics of it and how to develop a carrier in it.
what is robotics ?
Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering and science that includes mechanical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering, computer science, and others. Robotics deals with the design, construction, operation, and use of robots, as well as computer systems for their control, sensory feedback, and information processing.
The concept of creating machines that can operate
autonomously dates back to
classical times, but research into the functionality and potential uses of robots did not grow substantially until the 20th century. Throughout history, it has been frequently assumed by various scholars, inventors, engineers, and technicians that robots will one day be able to mimic human behavior and manage tasks in a human-like fashion. Today, robotics is a rapidly growing field, as technological advances continue; researching, designing, and building new robots serve various practical purposes, whether
domestically,
commercially, or
militarily. Many robots are built to do jobs that are hazardous to people such as defusing bombs, finding survivors in unstable ruins, and exploring mines and shipwrecks. Robotics is also used in
STEM (science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics) as a teaching aid.
Components of Robotics: -
Power source
The
InSight lander with solar panels deployed in a cleanroom
At present, mostly (lead–acid)
batteries are used as a power source. Many different types of batteries can be used as a power source for robots. They range from lead-acid batteries, which are safe and have relatively long shelf lives but are rather heavy compared to silver-cadmium batteries that are much smaller in volume and are currently much more expensive. Designing a battery-powered robot needs to take into account factors such as safety, cycle lifetime and
weight. Generators, often some type of
internal combustion engine, can also be used. However, such designs are often mechanically complex and need fuel, require heat dissipation and are relatively heavy. A tether connecting the robot to a power supply would remove the power supply from the robot entirely. This has the advantage of saving weight and space by moving all power generation and storage components elsewhere. However, this design does come with the drawback of constantly having a cable connected to the robot, which can be difficult to manage.
[32] Potential power sources could be:
Actuation
Actuators are the "
muscles" of a robot, the parts which convert
stored energy into movement. By far the most popular actuators are electric motors that rotate a wheel or gear, and linear actuators that control industrial robots in factories. There are some recent advances in alternative types of actuators, powered by electricity, chemicals, or compressed air.
Electric motors
The vast majority of robots use electric motors, often brushed and brushless DC motors in portable robots or AC motors in industrial robots and
CNC machines. These motors are often preferred in systems with lighter loads, and where the predominant form of motion is rotational.
Linear actuators
Various types of linear actuators move in and out instead of by spinning, and often have quicker direction changes, particularly when very large forces are needed such as with industrial robotics. They are typically powered by compressed and oxidized air (
pneumatic actuator) or an oil (
hydraulic actuator).
Series elastic actuators
A flexure is designed as part of the motor actuator, to improve safety and provide robust force control, energy efficiency, shock absorption (mechanical filtering) while reducing excessive wear on the transmission and other mechanical components. The resultant lower reflected inertia can improve safety when a robot is interacting with humans or during collisions. It has been used in various robots, particularly advanced manufacturing robots and
[33] walking
humanoid robots.
Air muscles
Pneumatic artificial muscles, also known as air muscles, are special tubes that expand(typically up to 40%) when the air is forced inside them. They are used in some robot applications.
Muscle wire
Muscle wire, also known as shape memory alloy, Nitinol® or Flexinol® wire, is a material which contracts (under 5%) when electricity is applied. They have been used for some small robot applications.
Electroactive polymers
EAPs or EPAMs are a plastic material that can contract substantially (up to 380% activation strain) from electricity, and have been used in facial muscles and arms of humanoid robots,
[40] and to enable new robots to float, fly, swim or walk.
Piezo motors
Recent alternatives to DC motors are
piezo motors or
ultrasonic motors. These work on a fundamentally different principle, whereby tiny
piezoceramic elements, vibrating many thousands of times per second, cause linear or rotary motion. There are different mechanisms of operation; one type uses the vibration of the piezo elements to step the motor in a circle or a straight line.
[Another type uses the piezo elements to cause a nut to vibrate or to drive a screw. The advantages of these motors are
nanometer resolution, speed, and available force for their size. These motors are already available commercially, and being used on some robots.
Elastic nanotubes
Elastic nanotubes are promising artificial muscle technology in early-stage experimental development. The absence of defects in
carbon nanotubes enables these filaments to deform elastically by several percents, with energy storage levels of perhaps 10
J/cm
3 for metal nanotubes. Human biceps could be replaced with an 8 mm diameter wire of this material. Such compact "muscle" might allow future robots to outrun and outjump humans.
[47]
Sensing
Sensors allow robots to receive information about a certain measurement of the environment, or internal components. This is essential for robots to perform their tasks, and act upon any changes in the environment to calculate the appropriate response. They are used for various forms of measurements, to give the robots warnings about safety or malfunctions, and to provide real-time information of the task it is performing.
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 touches receptors of human fingertips.
[48][49] The sensor array is constructed as a rigid core surrounded by conductive fluid contained by an elastomeric skin. Electrodes are mounted on the surface of the rigid core and are connected to an impedance-measuring device within the core. When the artificial skin touches an object the fluid path around the electrodes is deformed, producing impedance changes that map the forces received from the object. The researchers expect that an important function of such artificial fingertips will be adjusting robotic grip on held objects.
Scientists from several
European countries and
Israel developed a
prosthetic hand in 2009, called SmartHand, which functions like a real one—allowing patients to write with it, type on a
keyboard, play piano and perform other fine movements. The prosthesis has sensors which enable the patient to sense real feeling in its fingertips.
Vision
Computer vision is the science and technology of machines that see. As a scientific discipline, computer vision is concerned with the theory behind artificial systems that extract information from images. The image data can take many forms, such as video sequences and views from cameras.
In most practical computer vision applications, the computers are pre-programmed to solve a particular task, but methods based on learning are now becoming increasingly common.
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. The sensors are designed using
solid-state physics. The process by which light propagates and reflects off surfaces is explained using
optics. Sophisticated image sensors even require
quantum mechanics to provide a complete understanding of the image formation process. Robots can also be equipped with multiple vision sensors to be better able to compute the sense of depth in the environment. Like human eyes, robots' "eyes" must also be able to focus on a particular area of interest, and also adjust to variations in light intensities.
There is a subfield within computer vision where artificial systems are designed to mimic the processing and behavior of the
biological system, at different levels of complexity. Also, some of the learning-based methods developed within computer vision have their background in biology.
Other
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,
[52] while the "arm" is referred to as a
manipulator.
[53] Most robot arms have replaceable effectors, each allowing them to perform some small range of tasks. Some have a fixed manipulator which cannot be replaced, while a few have one very general purpose manipulator, for example, a humanoid hand.
[54] Learning how to manipulate a robot often requires a close feedback between human to the robot, although there are several methods for remote manipulation of robots.
[55]
Mechanical grippers
One of the most common effectors is the gripper. In its simplest manifestation, it consists of just two fingers which can open and close to pick up and let go of a range of small objects. Fingers can for example, be made of a chain with a metal wire run through it.
[56] Hands that resemble and work more like a human hand include the
Shadow Hand and the
Robonaut hand.
[57] Hands that are of a mid-level complexity include the
Delft hand.
[58][59] Mechanical grippers can come in various types, including friction and encompassing jaws. Friction jaws use all the force of the gripper to hold the object in place using friction. Encompassing jaws cradle the object in place, using less friction.
Vacuum grippers
Vacuum grippers are very simple astrictivedevices that can hold very large loads provided the
prehension surface is smooth enough to ensure suction.
Pick and place robots for electronic components and for large objects like car windscreens, often use very simple vacuum grippers.
General purpose effectors
Some advanced robots are beginning to use fully humanoid hands, like the Shadow Hand, MANUS,
[61] and the
Schunk's hand.
[62] These are highly dexterous manipulators, with as many as 20
degrees of freedom and hundreds of tactile sensors.
[63]
Locomotion
Rolling robot
For simplicity, most mobile robots have four
wheels or a number of
continuous tracks. Some researchers have tried to create more complex wheeled robots with only one or two wheels. These can have certain advantages such as greater efficiency and reduced parts, as well as allowing a robot to navigate in confined places that a four-wheeled robot would not be able to.
Two-wheeled balancing robots
Balancing robots generally use a
gyroscope to detect how much a robot is falling and then drive the wheels proportionally in the same direction, to counterbalance the fall at hundreds of times per second, based on the dynamics of an
inverted pendulum.
[64] Many different balancing robots have been designed.
[65] While the
Segway is not commonly thought of like a robot, it can be thought of as a component of a robot, when used as such Segway refer to them as RMP (Robotic Mobility Platform). An example of this use has been as
NASA's
Robonaut that has been mounted on a Segway.
One-wheeled balancing robots
A one-wheeled balancing robot is an extension of a two-wheeled balancing robot so that it can move in any 2D direction using a round ball as its only wheel. Several one-wheeled balancing robots have been designed recently, such as
Carnegie Mellon University's "
Ballbot" that is the approximate height and width of a person, and
Tohoku Gakuin University's "BallIP".
[67] Because of the long, thin shape and ability to maneuver in tight spaces, they have the potential to function better than other robots in environments with people.
[68]
Spherical orb robots
Several attempts have been made in robots that are completely inside a spherical ball, either by spinning a weight inside the ball,
[69][70] or by rotating the outer shells of the sphere. These have also been referred to as an
orb bot[73] or a ball bot.
Six-wheeled robots
Using six wheels instead of four wheels can give better traction or grip in outdoor terrains such as on rocky dirt or grass.
Tracked robots
Tracked wheels behave as if they were made of hundreds of wheels, therefore are very common for outdoor and military robots, where the robot must drive on very rough terrain. However, they are difficult to use indoors such as on carpets and smooth floors. Examples include NASA's Urban Robot "Urbie".
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,
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).
[80] 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 (see below). However, it still requires a smooth surface to walk on.
Hopping
Several robots, built in the 1980s by
Marc Raibert at the
MIT Leg Laboratory, successfully demonstrated very dynamic walking. Initially, a robot with only one leg and a very small foot could stay upright simply by
hopping. The movement is the same as that of a person on a
pogo stick. As the robot falls to one side, it would jump slightly in that direction, in order to catch itself.
[84] Soon, the algorithm was generalized to two and four legs. A bipedal robot was demonstrated running and even performing
somersaults.A
quadruped was also demonstrated which could
trot, run,
pace, and bound.
[86] For a full list of these robots, see the MIT Leg Lab Robots page.
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.
[88] This technique was recently demonstrated by
Anybots' Dexter Robot,
[89] which is so stable, it can even jump.
[90] Another example is the
TU Delft Flame.
Passive dynamics
Perhaps the most promising approach utilizes
passive dynamics where the
momentum of swinging limbs is used for greater
efficiency. It has been shown that totally unpowered humanoid mechanisms can walk down a gentle slope, using only
gravity to propel themselves. Using this technique, a robot need only supply a small amount of motor power to walk along a flat surface or a little more to walk up a
hill. This technique promises to make walking robots at least ten times more efficient than ZMP walkers, like ASIMO.
Other methods of locomotion
The autopilot can control the plane for each stage of the journey, including takeoff, normal flight, and even landing. Other flying robots are uninhabited and are known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). They can be smaller and lighter without a human pilot on board, and fly into dangerous territory for military surveillance missions. Some can even fire on targets under command. UAVs are also being developed which can fire on targets automatically, without the need for a command from a human. Other flying robots include cruise missiles, the Entomopter, and the Epson micro helicopter robot. Robots such as the Air Penguin, Air Ray, and Air Jelly have lighter-than-air bodies, propelled by paddles, and guided by sonar.
Snaking
Several
snake robots have been successfully developed. Mimicking the way real snakes move, these robots can navigate very confined spaces, meaning they may one day be used to search for people trapped in collapsed buildings. The Japanese ACM-R5 snake robot can even navigate both on land and in water.
Skating
A small number of
skating robots have been developed, one of which is a multi-mode walking and skating device. It has four legs, with unpowered wheels, which can either step or roll. Another robot, Plen, can use a miniature skateboard or roller-skates and skate across a desktop.
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