INTRODUCTION TO

ROBOTICS TECHNOLOGY
ROBOTICS is an interdisciplinary
research area at the interface of
computer science and
engineering. Robotics develops
machines that can substitute for
humans and replicate human
actions.
Robots can be used in many situations and for
many purposes, but today many are used in
dangerous environments (including inspection
of radioactive materials, bomb detection and
deactivation), manufacturing processes, or
where humans cannot survive (e.g. in space,
underwater, in high heat, and clean up and
containment of hazardous materials and
radiation).
Professionals in robotics
technologies blend computer
science with electrical and
mechanical engineering to
create automated and
intelligent machines.
Robotics technologies consist of all
processes necessary to design,
build and maintain robots and other
intelligent machines. Robots are
sophisticated, intelligent systems
used to assist pilots and maneuver
spacecraft without direct human
intervention.
Mechatronics plays a major role in robotics
technology. It is a multidisciplinary field
that combines several types of
engineering—electrical, computer, and
mechanical—and refers to the skill sets
needed in the contemporary, advanced
robotics technology. Mechatronics is an
essential foundation for the expected
growth in automation and robotics.
•Relationship
of
Mechatronic
s to Robotics
Technology
to create
actual
robotics
prototype
•Multiple
disciplines to
design objects
that involve
mechanical
parts,
electronics,
and
mechatronics
AEROSPACE
This is a broad category. lt incIudes aII sorts
of fIying robots —the SmartBird robotics
seaguII and the Raven surveiIIance drone,
for exampIe —but aIso robots that can
operate in space, such as Mars rovers and
NASA’s Robonaut, the humanoid that flew
to the lnternationaI Space Station and is
now back on Earth.
CONSUMER
Consumer robots are robots you
can buy and use just for fun or
heIp you with tasks and chores.
ExampIes are the robot dog Aibo,
the Roomba vacuum, Al-powered
robot assistants, and a growing
variety of robotic toys and kits.
DISASTER
RESPONSE
These robots perform dangerous jobs
Iike searching for survivors in the
aftermath of an emergency. For
exampIe, after and earthquake and
tsunami struck lapan in 2011,
Packbots were used to inspect
damage at the Fukushima Daiichi
nucIear powerstation.
DRONES
AIso caIIed unmanned aeriaI vehicIes,
drones come in different sizes and
have different IeveIs of autonomy.
ExampIes incIude DJl’s popuIar
Phantom series and Parrot’s Anafi, as
weII as miIitary systems Iike GIobaI
Hawk, used for Iong-duration
surveiIIance
EDUCATION
This broad category is aimed at
the next generation of robotics, for
use at home or in cIassrooms. lt
incIudes hands-on programmabIe
sets from Lego, 3D printers with
Iesson pIans, and even teacher
robots Iike EMYS.
ENTERTAINMENT
These robots are designed to evoke an
emotionaI response and make us
Iaugh or feeI surprise or in awe. Among
are robot comedian RoboThespian,
Disney’s theme park robots Iike Navi
Shaman, and musicaIIy incIined bots
Iike Partner.
HUMANOIDS
This is probabIy the type of robot that
most peopIe think of when they think
of robot. ExampIes of humanoid
robots incIude Honda’s Asimo, which
has a mechanicaI appearance, and
aIso androids Iike the Geminoid
series, which are designed to Iook Iike
peopIe.
INDUSTRIAL
The traditionaI industriaI robot consists of a
manipuIator arm designed to perform
repetitive tasks. An exampIe is the
Unimate, the grandfather of aII factory
robots. This category includes also
systems like Amazon’s werehouse robots
and collaborative factory robots that can
operate aIongside human workers
MEDICAL
MedicaI and heaIth-care robots incIudes
systems such as the da Vinci surgicaI robot
and bionic prostheses, as weII as robotic
exoskeIetons. A system that may fit in this
catetory but is not a robot is Watson, the
lBM question-answering supercomputer,
which has been used in heaIthcare
appIications
MILITARY
AND
SECURITY
Military robots include ground
systems like Endeavor Robotics’
PackBot, used in lraq and Afganistan
to scount for improvised expIosive
devices, and BigDog, designed to
assist troops in carrying heavy gear.
Security robots incIudes autonomous
mobiIe systems such as CobaIt
SELF-
DRIVING
CARS
May robots can drive themseIves
around, and an increasing number of
them can now drive you around. Early
autonomous vihicles include the ones
built for DARPA’s autonomous-vihicle
competitions and also Google’s
pioneering self-driving Toyota Prius,
Iater spun out to form Waymo
TELEPRES
ENCE
TeIepresence robots aIIow you to be
present at a pIace without actuaIIy going
there. You Iog on to a robot avatar via the
internet and drive it around, seeing what
it sees, and taIking with peopIe. Workers
can use it to coIIaborate with coIIeagues
at a distant office, and doctors can use it
to check on patients.
UNDERWA
TER
The favorite pIace for these robots
is in the water. They consist of
deep-sea submersibIes Iike
Aquanaut, diving humanoids Iike
Ocean One, and bio-inspired
systems Iike the ACM-R5H
snakebot
RESEARCH
The vast majority of today’s robots are born
in universities and corporate research Iabs.
Though these robots may be able to do
useful thins, they’re primarily intended to
heIp researchers do, weII, research. So
aIthough some robots may fit other
categories described here, they can aIso be
caIIed research robots
FROM THE GIVEN SAMPLES OF THE ROBOT THAT ARE
CATEGORIZED ACCORDINGLY, OTHER THAT THE SAMPLES
GIVEN, GIVE AT LEAST TWO EXAMPLES OF A ROBOT IN EVERY
CATEGORY:

• ATTACH A PICTURE/DRAWING
• DESCRIBE THE ROBOT
• SUPPLY ITS FUNCTION AND USES.

OUTPUT SHOULD BE PRESENTED IN A SHORT BOND.