ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF ROBOTICS

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Robotics in Industry

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Robotics in Industry

Introduction

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.

Hypothesis

There is a severe problem with robotics which is caused by business and the further advancement of robots. Business is the major cause for the competition of jobs between robots and humans as some companies feel robots complete their tasks much more efficiently than humans. For example, in some factories choose robots over other automatic machines since robots can be re-programmed to fulfill other tasks. This intern takes away possible job opportunities for other humans as they control the automatic machines.

The business of mining is also looking into using robots to complete certain jobs. (Lehrer, 2004) Many countries have researched into possible applications of robotics within this industry, furthering the advancements of robotics. Through the means of a remote control and sensory communication techniques, the controller of the robot will be able to instruct the robot to perform all the important duties in the comfort and safety of a cabin or control room. Therefore, this would also detract job opportunities from men who needed to work in the mine.

Milestones

There are many important milestones in the history of robotics. In 1515, Leonardo Da Vinci built a mechanical lion for King Francis I. The lion would move forward and open its chest to show the lilies of France. It was later followed by another milestone when in 1738, Jacques de Vaucanson created a mechanical duck which was capable of eating, walking and quacking. In 1962, General Motors installed the first industrial robot in one of their factories. 14 years later, in 1976, robot arms were placed and used on the Viking 1 and 2 space probes. In the year 1990, a robot arm (Canadarm) on the space shuttle Columbia catches a large malfunctioning satellite and brings it aboard for repair. Finally, on December the 3rd, 1999, the Mars Lander touched down on the red planet.

The Origins of Robotics

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 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 ...