Robots Today Robots are being used today to do the jobs that are too dirty, dangerous or boring for humans. Dangerous Environments They can be found disposing of toxic waste, collecting data from volcanoes and carrying out bomb disposal and space exploration to name but a few jobs. Industrial Robots Modern industrial robots are very important. They can carry very heavy loads and do not get bored doing the same job over and over again, 24 hours a day. They can do this for years on end with little or no failure and have been proven to increase productivity. They are usually programmed once and then can repeat the same task for many years. A typical industrial robot is a robot arm with several independent joints and you will see them welding, painting and handling heavy materials. Some more sophisticated „pick and place‟ robots can move products from a conveyor belt to package them at very quick speeds. Robots are very useful in food processing for hygiene reasons too, as food has to be processed in a germ-free environment. Entertainment Robots Some entertainment robots are not much more than rolling, remote-controlled speakers with video camera eyes. They can walk around and play pre-recoded music or sayings or display scrolling messages to promote a company‟s products. Some have the ability to talk with visitors. Disney is a specialist in entertainment robots of all kinds. Other robots on a smaller scale, which have been on the market in recent years, are the „Furby‟ or the more expensive Sony „Aibo‟. Space Robots NASA is constantly developing and producing robots which can perform maintenance in space – especially on its International Space Station. These are basically large robot arms with many joints which give it lots of freedom to twist and turn to perform the intricate tasks required outside the station in space. Research Robots Honda is the company that is spending a great deal of money developing research robots. ASIMO is just over a metre high, and moves like we do. The engineers have concentrated on making it move in our world so it could be useful to help the elderly or people in wheelchairs. ASIMO could answer the door, pick up the phone or get a cup of tea. Underwater Robots Working underwater is both dangerous and difficult for humans. Underwater robots are often remote controlled vehicles with thrusters for manoeuvring and robot arms for grabbing. They are particularly useful in the oil industry for welding and valve maintenance on oilrigs. Some are now being developed to walk on the seabed to discover what creatures lurk in the depths of the ocean. Medical Robots Recently, great progress has been made in medical robotics. They can be used in minimal invasive surgical procedures that reduce trauma in surgery. In 2001 surgeons in New York operated on a patient in Paris using robotic arms and in the future scientists believe that tiny robots (called “nanorobots”) will be developed which will be used in patients‟ bloodstreams to cure illness. Robotic limbs can help amputees in their recovery. In laboratories, robots are used to transport biological or chemical samples between instruments such as incubators and liquid handlers. Q. What is a robot? A. A true robot is any machine that can move about and can perform different tasks without human help. Remote-controlled machines are not true robots because they need people to guide them. Automatic machines are not true robots because they can‟t move. Computers are not true robots because they can‟t move. However, all 3 types of machine help to develop the basic abilities of true robots: - movement, senses and intelligence. Q. What does a robot look like? A. Unlike fictitious robots, the shape of a robot is not usually like a person at all! Usually the shape depends on what the robot has to do and where it has to move. The robot is made in the best shape for that job. Q. There are 7 broad areas in which robots are often used. Can you name them? A. Robots are used under the broad headings of: 1. Dangerous environment 2. Industrial 3. Entertainment 4. Space 5. Research 6. Underwater 7. Medical Q. How many examples can you think of under each heading? A. Refer to “Robots Today” section.