ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATED TECHNOLOGY

Robotics and Automated Technology

Robotics and Automated Technology

Introduction

The image usually thought of by the word robot is that of a mechanical being, somewhat human in shape. Common in science fiction, robots are generally depicted as working in the service of people, but often escaping the control of the people and doing them harm. The word robot comes from the Czech writer Karel Capek's 1921 play "R.U.R." (which stands for 'Rossum's Universal Robots'), in which mechanical beings made to be slaves for humanity rebel and kill their creators. From this, the fictional image of robots is sometimes troubling, expressing the fears that people may have of a robotized world over which they cannot keep control. The history of real robots is rarely as dramatic, but where developments in robotics may lead is beyond our imagination. The science of robotics is a very interesting topic and has a bright future ahead of itself. Many subjects within robotics are very interesting, and could be used as a great tool for any conversationalist. Such subjects include, the competition between robots and man for jobs caused by business, milestones in robotics, the origins of robotics, what robots are used for, the basic structure of an arm robot, types of arm robots in existence, the sensors on some robots, the recent history of robots, the research taking place for robot development, and the possible solutions to the problem of the competition for jobs between man and machine.

Discussion

Robotics is the marriage of computers and machines. The word “Robot” was originally used in the 1920's, by the Czechoslovak writer Karel Capek in a play entitled “Rossum's Universal Robots”, a play which he created. In Capek's play, a man named Rossum and his son created a mechanical automaton which went out of control, instead of working for Mankind.

The very first patent for an industrial robot came in 1957 to an English inventor, Cyril Walter Kenward. In North America, Joseph Engelberger is largely considered the father of robotics. In the late 50's and early 60's, Engelberger and a man named George Devol developed the first industrial robots; called Unimates. Although the first patents were given to George Devol for parts of the transfer machines, Joseph Engelberger first formed unimation and marketed the robots; giving him the title, the father of robotics.

Robots exist today. They are used in a relatively small number of factories located in highly industrialized countries such as the United States, Germany, and Japan. Robots are also being used for scientific research, in military programs, and as educational tools, and they are being developed to aid people who have lost the use of their limbs. These devices, however, are for the most part quite different from the androids, or humanlike robots, and other robots of fiction. They rarely take human form, they perform only a limited number of set tasks, and they do not have minds of their own. In fact, it is often hard to distinguish between devices called robots and other modern automated ...