Robots

Posted by Winnie Melda on March 12th, 2019

Introduction

If there is one technology advancement that has made living easier and convenient is Robot technology. A robot is a system that contains control systems, sensors, manipulators, software and power supplies all working together to execute one or more tasks repeatedly, faster and precisely. The building, programming, system Designing and testing of robots is a combination of mechanical engineering, physics, mathematics, electrical engineering, computing and structural engineering. (Knight, 2014) In some cases chemistry, medicine and biology might be involved. Students studying robotics are required to engage actively with the required disciplines in a deeply problem-posing problem-solving environment.

It is strange that there lack any standard definition for a robot. Nonetheless, there exist some essential characteristics that a robot must possess. These characteristics help one to decide what can be regarded or not regarded as a robot. The characteristics also help one to determine what features to build into a machine before it can count as a robot. One of the essential characteristics of a robot is sensing capabilities. (Ill-Woo, 2007) A robot should be able to sense its surroundings differently from the way humans sense their surroundings. Giving a robot sensor including touch and pressure sensors, taste sensors, light sensors, hearing and sonar sensors and chemical sensors gives the robot awareness of its environment. The second essential characteristic is movement. Whether walking on legs, rolling on wheels, propelling by thrusters a robot needs to be able to move around its environment, to count as a robot.  The whole robot might move or just parts of the robot move like the Canada Arm.  The third characteristic is Energy.  A robot should be able to power itself. It might be electrically powered, solar powered or battery powered. The fourth essential characteristic is Intelligence. A programmer gives a robot "smarts" capabilities so that it knows what it is to do.

Robots can be categorized according to the mode of operation and the time frame in which they were widely first used. According to the mode of operation, most robots are controlled human operators or computers.  Robots controlled by computers fall into two main categories; insect robots and autonomous robots. (Matthew, 2014) While autonomous robots act as stand-alone systems, complete with their controller, insect robots work in fleets with all fleet members under a single controller. The similarity of the system to a colony of insects gives rise to the term insect robots.  Grouped according to the time frame, first-generation robots were first used during the 1970s and consist of nonprogrammable, stationary and electromechanical devices without sensors. (Hanson, 2015) Developed in the 1980s, second-generation robots contain programmable controllers and sensors. Third-generation robots were used between 1990 and the present. They are mobile, with sophisticated programming, autonomous or insect type, have speech recognition or synthesis among other advanced features.

The type of job encountered by laborers in industries is usually monotonous and repetitive. Individuals who carry out these tasks tend to a point where they might not be efficient and effective. (Yamada, 2009) At times, some tasks are risky enough to involve any human activity. This is when the importance of robots is realized. Additionally, industries are seeing increasing benefits in the use of robot technology including an increase in efficiency and reduction of cost. The types of robots used in each industry are as different as the tasks that they are required to perform.

Conclusion

The future of robots might take on forms yet to be imagined. Some advanced robots with superficial resemblance to human beings are known as androids are also being used currently. The generation of robots in the research and development phase includes features such as self-replication, artificial intelligence, nanoscale size and self-assembly.

Work cited

Knight, Will. "The Robots Running This Way." Technology Review 117.1 (2014): 38-45.

Hanson, Robin. "How To Survive A Robot Uprising." Reason 46.11 (2015): 60-63.

Yamada, Yoji. "Safety Robot Technology In The Future." Advanced Robotics 23.11 (2009): 1513-1516.

Matthews, William. "Robot Or Not? (Cover Story)." Army Magazine 64.11 (2014): 35-38.

Ill-Woo, Park, et al. "Mechanical Design Of The Humanoid Robot Platform, HUBO." Advanced Robotics 21.11 (2007): 1305-1322.

Carolyn Morgan is the author of this paper. A senior editor at MeldaResearch.Com in paper college 24/7. If you need a similar paper you can place your order from custom nursing papers.