Robotics is a term that most people don't understand. Perhaps there is a little boy that thinks robots are nothing more than toys, or maybe a little girl who believes robots are boring, ridiculous, and quite frankly, useless; however, that is not the case. Robots are actually memorizing machines. They have more power than the human race, and will most likely dominate the planet at the exponential growth of their capabilities.
What are Robotics?
Robotics is a branch of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science. This branch deal with the design, construction, operation, and application of robots. The purpose of robotics is to create a machine that can replace human beings in dangerous situations or manufacturing processes. Many robots do jobs that are threatening to a human's safety such as defusing bombs, mines or exploring shipwrecks.
History of Robotics
Robots made their first appearance in 1495; Leonardo Da Vinci designed the first humanoid robot. This robot took the form of an armored knight. It was created to prove that the human body could be imitated. Unfortunately, this robot was lost or destroyed several years ago.
The capabilities of this robot include walking, standing, opening and closing its mouth, and raising its arms. It could also move its head from side to side, and is said to have a jaw that is anatomically correct.
The first real android was constructed in 1525 by Hans Bullmann in Germany. This man was said to have created many other androids. His contemporary, Gianello Torriano created the Lute Player Lady. The android stands at 44 centimeters, and though it does not actually work anymore, it is said to have been able to walk in a straight line or in a circle and strum the lute with its right hand. It was also capable of rotating its head. It is currently in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
It is believed that in 1533, Regiomontanus created an iron fly and an artificial eagle, both of which could fly, supposedly with steam pressure. Also, in 1543, John Dee created a wooden beetle that could fly.
In 1564, Pare Ambroise completes a design for a mechanical hand. It was made from the real thing and reinforced with mechanical muscles.
In the 18th century, Japan debuts puppets with mechanisms inside of them that allow them to move by themselves. Around the same time, mechanical dolls appeared in Europe.
1725 was when the first mechanical theater was constructed in Germany. It featured 119 animated figures that could perform small plays.
In 1737, a few robotic beings were invented by Jacques Vaucanson, the first being a human-sized, flute-playing android. It could play 12 songs. This was followed by his second creation which could play a flute and a drum or tambourine. Finally, his third and most famous creation, made in 1738, was a duck that could walk, quack, flap its wings, and even eat and digest food.
Friedrich von Knauss, a German inventor, created an android that could hold a pen and write a segment up to 107 words in 1760. Two years later, Pierre Jacquet-Droz began to create androids that were modeled after writers, artists, and musicians.
In 1801, Joseph Jacquard built an automated loom controlled by punch cards, which are later used in modern computer.
In 1810, The Mechanical Trumpeter was created by Friedrich Kaufmann. This is an example of early programming: notches mounted on a drum inside the robot activate valves that let air pass through. This creates a modulated sound to resemble that of a trumpet.
Thomas Edison begins producing a talking doll in 1889, and Nikola Tesla constructs a remote-controlled boat in 1898.
In 1954, George Devol and Joe Engelberger designed the first programmable robot arm.
1956- Squee The Squirrel; a robotic squirrel. It has 4 sense organs (2 photo-tubes, 2 contact switches), and 3 action organs (a drive motor, a steering motor, and a motor that opens and closes the scoop or "hands"). It also has a brain of half a dozen relays. The robot is designed to find a "nut" and bring it back to its "nest." A network of lights is used to complete this task. Squee was able to complete this task rather well, but not professionally; 75% reliability.
Also in this year, George Devol and Joseph Engelberger formed the first robot company, called Unimation, Inc. To add on, the term "artificial intelligence" is used.
MacHack, a program that plays chess, was written by Richard Greenblatt in 1967.
1969- Victor Scheinman creates the Standard Arm. The design of the arm is still affecting the development of modern robot arms. This arm was revolutionary, being the first successful electrically-powered, computer-controlled robot arm.
Shakey is introduced as the first mobile robot controlled by artificial intelligence in 1970. It is produced by SRI International. Shakey uses a TV camera, a laser range finder, and bump sensors to collect data.
Wabot-1 is built in Japan in 1973. This is the first full-scale anthropomorphic robot built in the entire world. It includes a limb control system, a vision system, and a conversation system. It is able to communicate with a person in Japanese and navigate distances and directions using external receptors, artificial ears and eyes, and an artificial mouth.
1993- Dante; 8-legged walking robot. Its mission is to collect data from harsh environments similar to what might be found on a different planet. After a 20 foot decent, Dante's tether snaps and drops the robot into a crater; the mission fails.
Seiko Epson creates a micro-robot called Monsieur. It is certified as the smallest micro-robot by Guinness Book of World Records.
A RoboTuna is developed by David Barrett to study the way fish swim in 1996. The RoboTuna is not a free-swimming fish. It will take another few years to perfect the project, a task taken on by John Kumph in 2004.
The Gastrobot is a robot that digests organic mass to produce carbon dioxide which is then used to exhort power. This creation by Chris Campbell and Dr. Stuart Wilkinson is given the nickname: "Chew Chew," but it is formally known as the "flatulence engine."
The first node of the International Space Station is set into orbit in 1997. The Pathfinder Mission lands on Mars in July. In 1998, NASA launches the Deep Space 1 autonomous spacecraft to test technologies for future missions that will be conducted solely by robots.
Sony manufactures one of the first robots meant for consumer markets in May of 1999. Aibo, K9 reacts to sounds and can be programmed. It was sold out after 20 minutes.
ASIMO; a humanoid robot, developed by Honda in 2000.
The second generation of Aibo is released in 2001.
The Space Station Remote Manipulator System is successfully launched and begins operations to complete the assembly of the International Space Station in 2001.
In August, the FDA develops the CyberKnife to treat tumors anywhere in the body.
Honda's ASIMO is the first robot that can walk independently with relatively smooth movements - 2002
Sony releases the third generation on Aibo, AIBO ERS-7 in 2003.
Epson releases the smallest robot ever in 2004. Weighing .35 ounces (10 grams) and measuring 2.8 inches (70 millimeters) in height, the Micro Flying Robot is introduced as the smallest and most lightweight robot helicopter. Its mission is to perform as a flying camera during natural disasters. Though this prototype can hardly fly higher than a few meters off the ground, it is seen as a mere shadow of what the company is capable of.
In 2005, researchers at Cornell claim to have created the first self replicating robot. It is an array of computerized cubes linked by magnets. These magnets allow the cubes to attach and detach from each other in a process that eventually seems to replicate the tower.
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Robots in Space
Robots are ideal for tedious or dangerous tasks because unlike humans, they don't get tired, they can endure harsh conditions, they can work without oxygen, they don't get bored with repetition, and they cannot get distracted. Therefore, robots are especially useful in space exploration.
There are two machines that are considered space robots; one is ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) and the other is RMS (Remote Manipulator System).
The ROV is most typically used in nuclear facilities in missions that are too dangerous fro humans to participate in. An ROV may be an unmanned spacecraft that can remain in flight, a lander that makes contact with an extraterrestrial body and the operates in a stationary position, or a rover that can explore an environment once it has landed.
The RMS is more commonly used for industry and manufacturing. It is crane-like and imitates the human arm in many ways; it has side-to-side movement, up-and-down movement, and full 360-degree movement in the wrist which humans do not have. The RMS has performed several tasks for NASA including: positioning and anchoring devices for astronauts working in outer space.
Robots have been trusted with unmanned missions in outer space. For example, in the years of 1966-1968, a series of Surveyor spacecraft were sent to the lunar surface to send images back to Earth to be analyzed so the Apollo Moon missions could be planned. Also, in 1970, the Soviet Lunokhod 1 lunar rover examined an extraterrestrial body while being remotely controlled by Soviet scientists through television viewers. It was able to sense when it was about to tip over; when it did sense this, it would immediately stop and wait for assistance from the scientists back on Earth. To add on, the Voyager 2 is an excellent example of how unmanned missions can greatly increase humans' understanding of the universe. This mission, launched in 1977, allowed scientists to explore Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, and Jupiter without actually voyaging into the dangerous conditions. At the rate that the Voyager 2 is going, it will very likely reach the border of the solar system and continue to provide thought-provoking information about the areas in outer space that are unreachable to human beings.
In addition to this, robots have also served as assistance in manned missions. The RMS is the only robot to be used in manned space missions such as the Space Shuttle Mission STS-41C. One of the goals of the mission was to isolate a malfunctioning Solar Maximum Mission Satellite (Solar Max) and to then repair it so they could then set it back into orbit.
For the future, NASA plans on focusing on three main uses of manipulation in space. This includes: servicers, cranes, and rovers. Servicers refers to human-like, multi-armed manipulators used for servicing and assembly. Cranes, like the RMS, are repositioning systems. And rovers are mobile platforms for transporting payloads. NASA plans to deal with the lacking versatility and consolidate the size of their manipulators for future missions in outer space. Their goal is develop a series of telerobotics where teleoperation and robots are combined. The question of the future of robots in space is not one of human versus machine, but one of how the capabilities of both species can elicit the greatest features out of one another.
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