ROBOTICS 01PEEQW An Introduction Basilio Bona DAUIN Politecnico di Torino
What is a robot According to the Robot Institute of America (1979) 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 According to Webster Dictionary a robot is: An automatic device that performs functions normally ascribed to humans or a machine in the form of a human Robots (seen as artificial beings) appeared in books and movies long before real applications 2
What is a robot and what is not If a machine appears to be able to control its arms or limbs, and if it appears anthropomorphic or zoomorphic it would be called a robot. However, simply being anthropomorphic is not sufficient to be called a robot. A robot must do something; an inanimate object shaped like ASIMO would not be considered a robot. Having eyes can also make a difference in whether a machine is called a robot, since humans instinctively connect eyes with sentience. Aplayer pianois rarely considered as a robot. Azoomorphic mechanical toy is usually characterized as a robot. Afactory automation arm is almost always called an industrial robot. 3
What is a robot and what is not An autonomous wheeled or tracked device, such as a selfguided rover or self-guided vehicle, is almost always characterized as a mobile robot or service robot. A mechanical humanoid, likeasimo, is almost always characterized as a robot, usually as a service robot. ACNCmilling machine is very occasionally considered as a robot. Even for a 3-axis CNC milling machine using the same control system as a robot arm, it is the arm which is almost always called a robot, while the CNC machine is usually just a machine. 4
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What is a robot? Robots are artificial beings with autonomy. Two types of artificial beings exist: Those that include biological material or parts capable of autoorganization Those that do not contain any biological parts Robots discussed in this course belong to the second type; they do not contain biological parts, but they may be able to Act or move autonomously in a (partially) known environment Interact with humans Cooperate with other robots to execute specific tasks Learn from a teacher or from their experience 6
What is a robot? A mechanical structure, including Manipulation structures (e.g., mechanical arms, artificial hands, grippers, etc.) Locomotion equipment (e.g., wheels, tracks, propellers, etc.) An actuating system, for the movement of the mechanical structure (motors of different types) A sensing systems, including Proprioceptive sensors, to collect internal state information (e.g., position, speed, battery charge, memory usage) Exteroceptive sensors to collect data from the environment (e.g., video cameras, laser scanners, force/torque sensors) 7
What is a robot? 8
What is a robot? 9
What is Robotics? Robotics is the science that studies robots and the technology embedded into them. Robotics started to develop during WWII, within the Manhattan project, with the task of manipulating radioactive materials. Today the number of robotic applications is huge, but they belong to three generic areas Industrial robotics Service robotics Space/exploration robotics 11
What is Robotics? The term robotics was introduced by Isaac Asimov in one of his short stories as the science devoted to the study of robots, based on the three fundamental laws: 1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm 2. A robot must obey the orders given by human beings, except when such orders would conflict with the first law 3. A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the first or the second law 10
Industrial Robotics Objectives: to achieve high-quality and cost-effective flexible manufacturing and logistics in all major industrial branches Gradually, these future robots will become the workers assistants serving them at the workplace. They will carry out the repetitive and strenuous parts of a worker s task and will increasingly safeguard workers from accidents and other relevant health care problems, thus alleviating the concerns of rising health care costs, particularly for small manufacturers. 12
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Service Robotics Objectives: service robots will probably be found in all domains of our future world. They represent not only a hope for a more convenient life, but also a massive new market for high technology industries. Service robotics offers significant opportunities for European industry. It can be conveniently divided into market segments, that handle very different situations. 14
Market segments Cleaning & Housekeeping Edutainment Humanoids Humanitarian Demining Rehabilitation Inspection Agriculture & Harvesting Industry Search & Rescue Lawn Mowers Surveillance Medical Applications Mining Applications Construction Automatic Refilling Guides & Office Fire Fighters Picking & Palletising Food 15
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Space Robotics The application of robotics in space is unique in that it forces the robot to operate without direct human assistance and acts as a platform for the projection of human capabilities to remote and hostile environments. Robotic applications in space fall into two categories: assembly/repair in space and planetary exploration: Assembly & Repair in Space Space-based robotic manipulators provide the basis for on-orbit servicing of satellites, through the replacement of equipment modules. Planetary Exploration Robots will become the personal assistants of astronauts. They will operate on distant planets, using high level directives, responding to and interacting with humans. They will be our agents of planetary surface and deep space exploration, handling the repetitive and time-consuming tasks of data collection and data reduction. Teams of robots will survey vast regions, and will classify geological features and formations and search for evidence of life. 17
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Conclusions... Robotics is a multidisciplinary field, encompassing mechanics (structures, etc.) electronics (sensors, actuators, control boards, etc.) electrical engineering (motors, drives, power sources, etc.) information technologies (algorithms, OS, AI, etc.) advanced control & communication but also material sciences and nanotechnology cognitive sciences, neurosciences human-machine interfaces ergonomy, safety biomimesis, ethology 19