INTRODUCTION TO BASIC ROBOTICS

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INTRODUCTION TO BASIC ROBOTICS
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What is Robotics?

• The word robot was coined by Karel Capek who
  wrote a play entitled R.U.R. or Rossums
  Universal Robots back in 1921.
• The base word comes from the Czech word robota
  or robotnik which means work, forced labor,
  servitude, or drudgery.
• In his play, machines modeled after humans had
  great power but without common human failings.
  In the end these machines were used for war and
  eventually turned against their human creators.

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What do robots do?

• Most of robots today are used in factories to
  build products such as cars and electronics.
  Others are used to explore underwater and even
  other planets.

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What are robotics made of?

• Robots have 3 main components?
• Brain- usually a computer
• Actuators and mechanical parts- motors, pistons,
  grippers, wheels, gears.
• Sensors- vision, sound, temperature, motion,
  light, touch, etc.

• With these three components, robots can interact
  and affect their environment to become useful.

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The Impact of Robotics on Society

• Since robots are used mainly in manufacturing, we
  see their impact in the products we use every
  day.
• Results in a cheaper product
• Can do a better job than a human such as surgery
  where high precision is a benefit.
• Used in exploration in dangerous places such
  as in volcanoes which allows us to learn
  without endangering ourselves.

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Problems with robotics

• As with any machine, robots can break and even
  cause disaster. They are powerful machines that
  we allow to do certain things. When something
  goes wrong, terrible things can happen.
• Luckily, robots are designed with safety features
  that limit the harm they can do.

• There is a problem of evil people using robots
  for evil purposes. True today with other forms
  of technology such as weapon biological
  materials.
• Robots could be used in future wars. This could
  be good or bad. Name some ways.

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Advantages of robotics

• Robotics can do things we humans just dont want
  to do, and usually cheaper.
• Robots can do unsafe jobs like monitoring a
  nuclear power plant or explore a volcano.
• Robots can do things more precise than humans and
  allow progress in medicine and science and other
  useful advances.
• Robots are especially good at boring, repetitive
  tasks such as making circuit boards or dispensing
  parts.

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Job Displacement

• Some people are concerned that robots will reduce
  the number of jobs and kick people out of their
  jobs.
• The net affect of advanced technology such as
  robots is that humans become more productive.

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Three laws of robotics

• Popular science fiction writer Isaac Asimov
  created the Three Laws of Robotics

• A robot must not injure a human being or, through
  inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
• A robot must always obey orders given to it by a
  human being, except where it would conflict with
  the first law.
• A robot must protect its own existence, except
  where it would conflict with the first or second
  law.

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The future of robotics

• The population of robots is growing rapidly.
• This growth is lead by Japan that has almost
  twice as many robots as the USA.
• All estimates suggest that robots will play an
  ever-increasing role in modern society.
• Robotics will continue to be used in tasks where
  danger, repetition, and precision prevents humans
  from performing.

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Lets continue to learn more about robotics.

• The end