What is Robotics?????????

          As all of us might have heard this word ROBOTICS, but many of us doesn’t know the actual meaning of it. So, in order to explain about What ROBOTICS is all about, I’ve written this blog. I hope this blog will be helpful for you to understand the Real Robotics.

Robotics is simply the branch of technological science which deals all about the ROBOTS and their mechanism. But the question arising here is “What is ROBOT??” then...

Many of us think that Robot is machine like Human(due to movies impact like Terminator, Transformers, Robot, RA-One etc) but it is not true.. ROBOTS  are simply the machines that can perform certain tasks.  But in technical terms , a Robot may be defined as a device which has a movable mechanism, influenced by sensing, planning, actuation and control components. Nowadays Robots are getting huge popularity in world. Various types of Robots have been designed for different tasks. Especially, Robots are getting this popularity due to its high consistency and operating ability in extreme environment.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word robotics was first used in print by Isaac Asimov, in his science fiction short story "Liar!", published in May 1941 in Astounding Science Fiction. Robotics is based on the word "robot" coined by science fiction author and Nobel Prize winner Karel Čapek in his 1920 theater play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots, in Czech Rossumovi univerzální roboti). The word robot comes from the word robota meaning "self labor", and, figuratively, "drudgery" or "hard work" in Czech and Slovak. The origin of the word is the Old Church Slavonic rabota "servitude" ("work" in contemporary Russian). Asimov was unaware that he was coining the term for a new field -- as the design of electrical devices is called electronics, so the design of robots could be appropriately called robotics.^[3] Before the coining of the term, however, there was interest in ideas similar to robotics (namely automata and androids) dating as far back as the 8th or 7th century BC. In the Iliad, the god Hephaestus made talking handmaidens out of gold.^[4] Archytas of Tarentum is credited with creating a mechanical Pigeon in 400 BC.^[5]

 

Robotics requires a great combination of Electronics, Mechanics and Software. That is why, Robotics Club are established in the various Engineering Colleges. In colleges a wide range of talented people from Mechanical, Electronic and Software field. Although the appearance and capabilities of robots vary vastly, all robots share the features of a mechanical, movable structure under some form of autonomous control. The structure of a robot is usually mostly mechanical and can be called a kinematic chain (its functionality being similar to the skeleton of the human body). The control system of a Robot are prepared by  Electronics components. And finally automatic control of Robots are programmed in a processor(may be combinational circuits or micro-controllers) of Robot. This programming is complete software part but the programming must be performed based upon the Hardware configuration.

Application of Robotics:

               Outer Space - Manipulative arms that are controlled by a human are used to unload the docking bay of space shuttles to launch satellites or to construct a space station. Robots may also be sent to space for research.

·         Exploration - Robots can visit environments that are harmful to humans. An example is monitoring the environment inside a volcano or exploring our deepest oceans. NASA has used robotic probes for planetary exploration since the early sixties.

·         Military Robots - Airborne robot drones are used for surveillance in today's modern army. In the future automated aircraft and vehicles could be used to carry fuel and ammunition or clear minefields. 

·         Farms - Automated harvesters can cut and gather crops. Robotic dairies are available allowing operators to feed and milk their cows remotely.

·         The Vehicle Industry - Robotic arms that are able to perform multiple tasks are used in the vehicle manufacturing process. They perform tasks such as welding, cutting, lifting, sorting and bending.

·         Medical field – Robots are now being used in various surgery where precision is vital. Also Robots are used in diagnosing

·         Disaster Areas - Surveillance robots fitted with advanced sensing and imaging equipment can operate in hazardous environments such as urban setting damaged by earthquakes by scanning walls, floors and ceilings for structural integrity.

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           Entertinment - Interactive robots that exhibit definite behaviour    and learning ability. SONY has one such robot which moves freely,   plays with a ball and can respond to verbal instructions.

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             Education - Nowadays Robots are used to teach students in remote areas.

Sources:
http://www.google.com
http://www.wikipedia.com
http://www.nasa.gov
http://www.melbpc.org.au/pcupdate/2205/2205article10.htm