Robots

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Robots

• Dr. Hardy Pottinger
• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• University of Missouri - Rolla

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How did Robots get started?

• 1700s Clockwork automatons
• 1800 Jacquard Loom
• 1900 Player piano
• 1920 Karel Capeks R.U.R. stage play
• 1940s Issac Asimov coined robotics
• 1946 ENIAC was developed

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The RUR robot which appeared in an adaption of
Czech author Karel Capek's Rossum's Universal
Robots. Circa 1930s.
Fromwww.thetech.org/
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The first computer (ENIAC) and computer
programmers
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Types of Robots

• Fixed or Mobile?
• Guided or unguided?
• Can it adapt to surroundings or not?
• Does it have wheels or legs? Tracks? Wings?
• Can it change direction? How?
• What kind of power does it use?
• What kind of sensors does it have?

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Stiquitto
http//www.stiquito.com/
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(No Transcript)
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Khepera robot

• Commercial robot (swiss)
• Robot soccer
• About half the size of a drink can
• Cost about 1500 USD

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What can I do?

• Science Olympiad
• FIRST robotics contests
• Micromouse contest (March 10-14, Dallas)
• Mindstorm (LEGO)
• The St. Louis Science Center

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More information

• www.mindstorm.com
• www.usfirst.org (FIRST robotics)
• www.firstlegoleague.org
• library.thinkquest.org/
• www.motionnet.com/
• www.thetech.org/robotics/
• www.soinc.org/events.htm

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Some videos

• Son of Simon (maze racer)
• Khepera fire fighting robot
• Polybot riding a tricycle