The word robot comes from the Czech word “robota”, meaning “forced labor.” The stuff of science fiction robotics in the 21st century is different than your parents or your grandparents’ ideas of robotics. What used to be thought of as futuristic improbability is now becoming a reality.
There are, theoretically, three Laws of Robotics. The Laws of Robotics were developed by a small group of scientists who believe that robotics is the wave of the future. The first law, referred to as law zero, is that a robot may not injure humanity, or, though inaction, allow humanity to come to harm. The second law states that a robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm, unless this would violate a higher order law. This law was created so that mankind would seek not to create robots that would harm people. The third law is that a robot must obey orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with a higher order law. And finally the final law is that a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with a higher order law. These were used in a recent Hollywood movie however many people don’t know that the Laws of Robotics actually exists.
According to The Robot Institute of America a robot is a “reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move materials, parts, tools, or specialized devices through various programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks.” This is a scientific sounding description however most people just think of robots as machine that mimic their counterparts. In practical usage, a robot is a mechanical device which performs automated tasks.
The most developed robot in practical use today is the robotic arm and it is seen in applications throughout the world. We use robotic arms to carry out dangerous work such as when dealing with hazardous materials. We use robotic arms to carry out work in outer space where man can not survive and we use robotic arms to do work in the medical field such as conducting experiments without exposing the researcher.
Some of the most advanced robotic arms have such amenities as a rotating base, pivoting shoulder, pivoting elbow, rotating wrist and gripper fingers. All of these amenities allow the robotic arm to do work that closely resembles what a man can do only without the risk.
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Modern robotics can help where it is too dangerous for humans to venture. Search and rescue robots (S&R robots) have meanwhile become so sophisticated that they have already carried out their first missions in disasters. And for this reason rescue robots will be given a special place at the RoboCup 2009 – the robotics world championships in Graz.
The rescue robotics programme provided exciting rescue demonstrations in which two complex disaster scenarios formed the setting for the robots’ performances. An accident involving a passenger car loaded with hazardous materials and a fire on the rooftop of Graz Stadthalle were the two challenges that flight and rescue robots faced on their remote controlled missions. Smoke and flames made the sets as realistic as possible, ensuring a high level of thrills.
Blazing flames on the eighth floor of a skyscraper means that the reconnaissance and search for injured would already be life threatening for fire services. A remote controlled flight robot can help by reconnoitering the situation and sending information by video signals to the rescue services on the ground. As the robotics world championships, the RoboCup recognised the possible uses of rescue robots a long time ago and promoted their development in the separate category “RoboCup Rescue”. RoboCup 2009, organised by TU Graz, dedicates one particular focus to the lifesaving robots with a rescue robot demonstration, a practical course for first responders and a workshop for the exchange of experiences between rescue services and robotics researchers.
A burning rooftop and hazardous materials
Fire and smoke were seen in front of the Graz Stadthalle on Thursday 2nd July 2009, and yet there was no cause for panic – rescue robots were in action. To demonstrate the capabilities of flight and rescue robots, two disaster scenarios were re-enacted as realistically as possible. A crashed automobile loaded with hazardous materials provided a challenge to the rescue robot. Operated by rescuers by remote control, the metal helper named “Telemax” had to retrieve the sensitive substances and bring them out of the danger zone. The flight robot had to find a victim on the rooftop of the Stadthalle und send information in the form of video signals.
Emergency services meet their future helpers
There is an introduction to possible applications of today’s rescue robotics together with a practical course specially for first responders. In the training courses on 3rd and 4th July from 8 to 10am, search and rescue services from the whole world over can practise operating flight robots, go on a reconnaissance mission in a specially designed rescue area with rescue robots or practise various manipulation tasks and recover hazardous materials or retrieve injured persons using remote controlled robots.
A workshop on the topic of rescue robotics will take place following the RoboCup on the 6th July 2009 at TU Graz. The focus will be on an exchange of experiences between first responders and robotics researchers.
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Robotics is being used extensively to perform the operations that are considered very hazardous for humans or are highly repetitive in nature. A Robot is a reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move material, parts, tools, or specialized devices through various programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks. Some places where robots are very useful include working at high temperatures, handling hazardous materials, working in inhumane conditions, and isolated areas. Robots are programmed by using the concepts of artificial intelligence enabling them to think and act like humans.
Here are the features of a typical robot:
- A pre-programmed circuit is placed in the robots that enable them to think like humans. Even their shape is many times like the humans, though robots are available in a wide variety of shapes.
- Robots are equipped with sensors that help them sense the environment within the factory and interact with various things.
- Based on their intelligence, robots can make certain choices within the atmosphere they are placed in.
- As per the program robots can move within one or more axes of rotation. They can make well coordinated skillful movements especially of hands.
Applications of Robots
The robots can manufacture bulk jobs that have repetitions, require speed, accuracy and reliability, better than the humans. In a number of factories the human labor is being replaced by robots, which has lead to cheaper production of bulk goods like that of automobiles and electronics. Here are some examples of factories where robots are being used:
- Production of cars: Over the last few years the automobile factories have been dominated by the robots more than any other industry. In some companies you will find hundreds of robots working on fully automated production lines with each robot replacing nearly ten human workers.
- Welding: Perhaps the most popular application of the robots is in industrial welding. The robots can perform uniform high quality, speedy spot and arc welding as well as laser welding.
- Spray painting: This is another area where robots are used extensively. The robots have relieved humans from hazardous, but skillful jobs, increasing the uniformity and the quality of work and cutting costs.
- Packaging: The robots are being used extensively for packaging of manufactured goods and even loading them into vehicles for transporting.
- Electronic goods: Printed circuit boards are usually manufactured in large quantities, which are almost exclusively manufactured by the pick and place robots. These robots can place and assemble thousands of components per hour thus far outperforming humans.
- Hazardous working conditions: There are numerous tasks where humans have been replaced by robots because of hazardous working conditions. These conditions can be extremely high temperatures like in foundries.
There are various types of robots that are used exclusively for different applications. They have different shapes depending upon the type of work to be performed. The applications desired from the robot also decide whether it is stationary or mobile. In the future, the usage of robots will expand to replace humans in many more areas. The unemployment that the use of robots is creating has been the ethical question industry has to face and justify.
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