Transcript What is a Robot? - castlecollegeHE

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Robotics
Introduction to Robots
Dr John Cowell
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Overview
 What is a Robot?
 Static Robots v Mobile Robots
 Environments
 Robots in:
 Industry
 Education/Entertainment
 Exploration
 The future?
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What is a Robot?
 The word ‘robot’ was originated in 1921 by the author Karel
Capek, from the Czech ‘robota’ meaning “forced labour”
 ‘robotics’ appeared in 1942 in a novel by Isaac Asimov
 According to the Japanese Industrial Robot Association
(JIRA), robots are defined as
 class 1: manual handling devices
 device with several degrees of freedom actuated by operator
 class 2: fixed sequence robot
 handling device which performs the successive stages of a task
according to a predetermined, unchanging method, which is
difficult to modify
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More Definitions
 JIRA robot definitions, continued
 class 3: variable sequence robot

as class 2, but the stages can be easily modified
 class 4: playback robot
 the robot can repeat (playback) a sequence of tasks recorded from a
human operator leading or controlling the robot
 class 5: numerical control robot
 human operator supplies the robot with a movement program
 class 6: intelligent robot
 a robot with the means to understand its environment and the
ability to complete tasks despite changes in conditions
 The Robotics Institute of America (RIA) considers only
machines in class 3 and above to be robots
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Why Study Robotics?
 Two main reasons
 applied

to create robots to be used in various environments
 industrial/commercial
 educational/entertainment
 medical
 underwater
 planetary exploration
 nuclear power stations
 bomb disposal
 theoretical
 to investigate intelligent behaviour
 artificial intelligence
 cognitive science
 psychology
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What are Static & Mobile Robots?
 Robots are either
 Static

fixed in place
 eg industrial assembly
 Mobile
 the robot moves!
 Both may have a certain amount of autonomy, but mobile
robots usually require more
 but there can be some difficulty with communication
 eg underwater, in space
 speed
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Static Robots
 Widely used in industry
 generally fixed in place
 usually have a range of
interchangeable tools

welding, placing, fixing,
shaping, etc
 need just enough
programming to do the
specified job

basic are Computer
Numerically Controlled
machines
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Autonomous Mobile Robots
 Dictionary definitions of ‘autonomous’
 undertaken without outside control


carry on-board sensors, controllers and power supplies
for example, automated guided vehicles (AGV’s) that operate in
factories by following tracks to move parts & equipment
 ‘weak autonomy’
 having the power of self-government
 able to adapt to changing environments
 determine its course of action by its own reasoning process
 the ability to build internal representations of the world
 the ability to learn from experience and plan new actions
 ‘strong autonomy’ / ‘intelligent mobile robots’
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What is Intelligence?
 Intelligence is very difficult to define
 The extent to which we regard something as behaving in an
intelligent manner is determined as much by our own state of
mind and training as by the properties of the object under
consideration.
 If we are able to explain and predict its behaviour or if there
seems to be little underlying plan, we have little temptation to
imagine intelligence.
 With the same object, therefore, it is possible that one man
would consider it as intelligent and another would not; the
second man would have found out the rules of its behaviour.

Alan Turing, 1947
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Components of a Robot
 A robot comprises three main component classes
 sensors


a device giving a signal for the detection or measurement of a
physical property to which it responds
 O.E.D.
provides the inputs to the robot
 software
 programmed behaviour(s); data and ‘memory’
 makes decisions for the robot
 actuators
 a thing which moves to mechanical action, communicates motion to,
or impels (an instrument, machine, or agent)
 effects the outputs from the robot
 eg motors, lights, sound, etc
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General Purpose Robots?
 A general purpose robot is not possible
 a general purpose living thing does not exist


humans are the most intelligent (???)
but humans are poor at
 flying (c.f. swallow, swift, Arctic tern, housefly)
 swimming (c.f. tuna, sperm whale)
but humans are
 surviving (c.f. scorpions, ants)
excellent generalisers!
 A robot’s function and operation are defined by its own
behaviour within a specific environment, taking into account a
specific task
 only the simultaneous description of a robot, its task and the
environment describes the robot completely
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Relationships
 A robot, its task and the environment all depend on, and
influence, each other
 e.g.
 a spider in the bath!
 quantum physics
robot
task
environment
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Environment Types
 There are many different types of environment in which a
robot may be required to operate
 Environments are typically categorised by their degree of
structure
 Although there is no solidly accepted definition of
structures, environments can be split into one of the
following categories
 structured
 partially structured
 unstructured
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Structured Environments
 A structured environment has been specially designed for
the robot to operate in

e.g.


an artificial maze
a factory floor with in-built ‘tracks’ to follow
 an exact description of the environment can be supplied to the
robot during its design phase

very little or perhaps no sensor data may be required
 There are usually no unexpected or unplanned dynamic
aspects to the environment
 the environment does not change
 the robot has been ‘told’ in advance of how and when the
environment will change, and how to deal with it
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Unstructured Environments
 Complex environments for which no models or maps exist,
or can even be accurately generated
 robots generally operate purely in response to real-time sensor data
 Such environments usually have significant dynamic
changes
 natural, real-world as opposed to artificially created
 may have unknown attributes

e.g. deep-sea exploration
 or may be almost entirely unknown

e.g. planetary probes
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Partially Structured
 Somewhere between the previous two extremes!
 an environment which may be modelled to a certain extent, but
with insufficient model detail to fully support task completion
 Possibly, the static component of the environment has been
modelled, but the dynamic changes are unpredictable and
must be sensed
 for example, a factory floor with in-built ‘tracks’ to follow, but with
unpredictable (e.g. human) obstacles to avoid
 the second Mars explorer!
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Assembly Line Robots
 Probably the most common
use of robots is on
assembly/production lines
in factories
 Robots don’t get bored or
tired
 or take industrial action
 Most of these industrial
robots are multi-purpose
 they can be used for a variety
of jobs
 assembly, welding, cutting,
milling, etc
Building a 7-series BMW
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Robots in Films
 Many of our present concerns/worries
have been created by the appearance
of robots in films
 Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927)
 Maria (left)
 the first ‘artificial human’ in film
 apparently George Lucas based C3PO on
her
 Forbidden Planet
 Robbie the Robot (right)
 The Day the Earth Stood Still
 Gort
 interstellar policeman
 Terminator (&T2, T3)
 from the future to change history
 I, Robot (movie)
 based on the writings of I Asimov
 the robotic brain broke the ‘3 Laws of
Robotics’
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Fischertechnik
 Make a range of




educational/industrial
simulation kits
Can make a complete
production line from plugtogether components!
The claim is that a company
can test before ordering the
real thing!
Also used for training
Goto
http://www.fischertechnik.com/
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Robot Dogs
 Sony made the AIBO®
Entertainment Robot ($1899)
 In autonomous mode, the ERS-7M2
walks more fluidly, plays soccer with
its Pink Ball, plays with its AIBOne,
sits, lies down, rights itself, and even
self-charges. The ERS-7M2 also uses
its Illume-Face, tail, ears, lights, and
MIDI sounds to express a wide
variety of emotions and instincts to
entertain you. The ERS-7M2 also
now pays special attention to 3
owners and remembers AIBO’s
favorite place thanks to new voice
and visual recognition technology.
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en//USD/SY_DisplayProductInformationStart?ProductSKU=ERS7M2%2fW&Dept=AIBO&CategoryName=aibo_A
IBOs_7%2fWSeries#features
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Lego MindStorm
 RCX – programmable ‘brick’
 3 inputs, 3 outputs
 PC interface and IDE – RoboLab
 Transfer program to RCX via an
InfraRed port
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Inaccessible areas
 There are many areas that are difficult or dangerous for
humans to go
 underwater, planetary exploration, nuclear power stations,
bomb disposal
 Small, inexpensive (!) and easily replaceable robots can be
used instead
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Space Exploration
 Mars landers
 Sojourner (17/7/97)
 Mars Rover (4/1/2004)
Sojourner
 Titan (Saturn’s Moon
 Huygens (with Cassini)
Huygens is the gold
dome on the side of
Cassini.
Note the size of
Cassini
Mars Rover
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Robots Underwater
 Building SubMarine robots is all about water proofing

http://orionrobots.co.uk/tiki-index.php?page=SubMarine
 Radio control is difficult underwater, so a high degree of
autonomous programming is required
 E.g.
 unmanned submarines
 robotic fish
 mine clearance ‘crabs’
 mineral extraction
 exploration/recovery

E.g. Titanic and Bismark
 tourism
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Nano Robots
 A team of New York University researchers has taken a
major step in building a more robust, controllable machine
from DNA, the genetic material of all living organisms
 Constructed from synthetic DNA molecules, the device
improves upon previously developed nano-scale DNA
devices because it allows for better-controlled movement
within larger DNA constructs
 The researchers say that the new device may help build the
foundation for the development of sophisticated machines
at a molecular scale, ultimately evolving to the
development of nano-robots that might some day build
new molecules, computer circuits or fight infectious
diseases.
 http://www.spacedaily.com/news/nanotech-02a.html
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Robots in Medicine
 Nanodevices will be used for the purpose of maintaining and protecting
the human body against pathogens
 They will have a diameter of about 0.5 to 3 microns and will be
constructed out of parts with dimensions in the range of 1 to 100
nanometers
 The main element used will be carbon in the form of diamond/fullerene
nanocomposites because of the strength and chemical inertness of these
forms
 A navigational network may be installed in the body, with stationkeeping
navigational elements providing high positional accuracy to all passing
nanorobots that interrogate them, wanting to know their location
 enables the physician to keep track of the various devices in the body
 When the task of the nanorobots is completed, they can be retrieved by
allowing them to exfuse themselves via the usual human excretory
channels
 they can also be removed by active scavenger systems

http://www.ewh.ieee.org/r10/bombay/news3/page4.html
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Useful Web-sites
 There are many robotics web-sites
 start from, for example


http://ai.about.com/compute/ai/cs/robotics
http://spider.sci.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~parsons/courses/840-fall2004/robots.html
 LEGO Mindstorms
 http://www.legomindstorms.com
 Androids
 http://www.androidworld.com/prod02.htm
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Books
 Mobile Robotics: A Practical Introduction
 Ulrich Nehmzow, Springer, 2000, ISBN: 1-85233-173-9
 very heavily biased towards neural network control
 The Unofficial Guide to LEGO Mindstorms Robots
 J.B. Knudsen, O’Reilly, 1999, ISBN: 1-565-92692-7
 includes a practical example of subsumption architecture
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Summary
 What is a Robot?
 Static Robots v Mobile Robots
 Environments
 Robots in:
 Industry
 Education/Entertainment
 Exploration
 The future?
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