Robotics

Introduction Robotics has revolutionized the way industries operate, the way items are built, and the way society lives. Robotics is a fairly new technological advance that has made lives easier, and has provided a breakthrough for many operations and businesses. In a way, robotics is the future for businesses as well as the future of mankind. Like any other type of technology, robotics can be used in various industries, has advantages and disadvantages, and has a long history of how it came about.There are many aspects of robotics to be considered which include educational fields that one can choose, and the types of applications and industries robotics is found in. Safety is an important concept and part of robotics, especially because of its complexity. Being well educated in the field of robotics can play an important role on safety as well. This field can greatly reduce the workload and can increase the productivity in many companies, no matter how big or small. Robotics is the future, and embracing it will help in the future success of businesses.History of Robotics The actual word robot was made popular by an author in his 1921 play. This author claims that his brother was the inventor of the word, which comes from the Czech word â€Å"robota† meaning servitude. Robots were first used in factories such as industrial companies, where these would fix machines in order to handle manufacturing tasks that facilitated the production and assisted humans in their everyday tasks. Robots such as industrial robots that used artificial intelligence have actually been around since the 60’s.After the 1950’s computers along with robotics started to increase in popularity as well as complexity and numbers as technology also began to advance. In 1961, the first industrial robot was built to work on the General Motors assembly line, and this machine was conceived in 1954 by George Devol and was called Unimate. The name was given because the robot was manufactured by a company called Unimation. Unimate is to this day remembered as the first industrial robot ever built. After the first robot was built, many others started to come around, and in 1971 the first icroprocessor called 4004 was created by Ted Hoff at Intel. Many other creations began to follow such as programming language called Prolog, which became the basic language in the field of artificial intelligence, then came the first industrial robot with six electromechanic axes, then the silver arm, capable of replicating human hands. Currently, robots are used to monitor outer space. In April of 2001, the Canadarm2, which was attached to the space station, was launched into orbit. This robot was a much larger and more capable version of a previously used arm.Another break though in the robotics field made it to stores in 2002. The Roomba, a robotic vacuum cleaner manufactured by the company iRobot became quite popular during this time. The most recent robotic creation was the Robonaut 2, which is the latest generation of astronaut helpers that was launched into the space station on the STS-133 mission. This is the first humanoid robot in space. Some of its features included showing engineers how robots actually behave in space so they could work on upgrades and possible advances that would assist spacewalkers perform their scientific work.Google also came out with robotic vehicles, called Google driveless cars, which became famous in 2010. These robotic vehicles had drivers behind the wheels in case of an emergency, and drove to various places while taking pictures of their surroundings. Unimate Google Images4004 Google Images Canadarm2 Google ImagesThe Roomba Google Images Robonaut 2 – Google ImagesGoogle’s Driveless Car Google Images Advantages Robotics as any other industry and profession has advantages and disadvantages. Business decisions usually come with pros and cons especially when it coms to automating the rocess of production by using industrial robots. Companies need to first take time and consider all the facts before deciding to add robots to their departments, especially when these can bring advantages and disadvantages in the process. Some of the advantages that robots can bring to companies is the fact that the quality of work is excellent. Industrial robots have the capabilities to improve the quality of production. Some of the applications performed by robots are more precise than those performed by humans and are more consistent in their quality as well. This igh level of quality and consistency is harder to obtain in any other way besides using robots. In production of products by using robots the speed of their outputs has a dramatic impact in the overall production of products. Robots are built to work at constant speeds without needing sleep, vacations, breaks, and they even produce more than any human worker. Safety is one of the other advantages found in the use of robots. Robots increase the safety in the workplace as these can perform in dangerous environments and hazardous settings, giving the opportunity to umans to move the supervisory roles and away from hazardous environments. Robots also have the advantage of proving savings for companies. Being able to provide a safe workplace, robots can bring financial savings to companies as these will incur less worker compensation fees, no healthcare or insurance payments, and robots also perform at higher levels with a fraction of the effort. Disadvantages Robots also have disadvantages that need to be considered. Investing in a robot can be costly, especially if the business owner has a budget to work with. The cost of automating the roduction by using robots needs to be calculated into the business’ financial budget. The maintenance of the robot should also be calculated to avoid future surprises or bills. When it comes to robots, programming and interaction are required, as with new employees hiring and trai ning is also a requirement. This programming and interaction can become costly depending on the time invested. Robots can also provide a safe work setting for employees, as they take the place of them in hazardous settings, but they can also bring safety problems. Their only presence can be the cause of hazard for workers as well. Advantages |Disadvantages | |You can send them to very dangerous places |You need to get people trained to fix them if anything wrong | | |happens | |You can make them do you're job for you |Need a very intelligent crew | |They are more accurate than humans Eg no shaking when in a |They can ruin peoples lives Eg Take their job away from them | |very important surgery, puts every screw in fabricating a car| | |etc. | |Can do jobs 24/7 |They are very expensive to make | |Can guard without being tired just keep doing the same thing |You need the right materials to make them, that could be very| |24/7 |rare | |No need of nutrients |If you make a very amazi ng robot with amazing quality and it | | |brakes, it might be very hard to fix | |You can program them to make them do exactly what you want |They can be very hard to program | |them to do | | |They can not harm you unless they are programmed to |They can reproduce but it could cost money for the materials | |Can work with out doubts Eg when you think â€Å"what do i do |They can reproduce but it could cost money for the materials | |now†? | |They can lift very heavy things |You need highly trained people to make them | | |They can not recharge themselves | (â€Å"Advantages and disadvantages,† ). Industries Robotics falls into three major industries including manufacturing, service and defense. These industries will also generate jobs such as technical engineering, software, testing and many others. Because robotics is such a complex field, and no one person can manage knowing every aspect of it, this is known to be a collaborative field. Basically, robotics requi res a lot of team work and discipline to achieve all the required tasks in providing a successful product. This is a great advantage as segments of robotics seem to be growing fast. One industry in particular as been the service industry, which has seen tremendous growth over the last decade. Robots are being used more frequently in manufacturing, where these help create jobs. Robots also help control quality of products and maintain that quality high. Currently, the highest percentage of robotics is seen in the United States, where about 60 percent of the service industry and 80 percent of the military industry are located. The largest manufacturers of robotics, however, are still in Germany and Japan. Service Industry Google ImagesMilitary Industry Google Images Robotics and Education Currently the robotics industry is growing rapidly, and if people do not already own a robot, they will very soon.This industry is growing in various ways such as size and sales, as well as creating growth around itself. It has been found in recent research that the robotics industry is expected to generate over one million new jobs over the next five years. One great way to get involved in the field of robotics is to sign up for the First Robotics Competition. This is a good first step, especially for those under 18 years of age. By getting involved in the competition, you can learn every aspect of robotics, the different product life cycles, and also gain experience in the field. College is another great way to learn about robotics, as many institutions offer classes and degrees in robotics.Robotics is a very complex field, and it as multiple industries that it’s a part of. The robotics industry can offer employment to a wide range of people, even if their specialties do not include a degree in this field. Many people who have science degrees, physics, or even electronics degrees are employed in the field of robotics. Software is a part of robots that is not usually vi sible, yet engineers that design these software are very important and there are many jobs available for them. The future will be driven by software designers, and those who specialize in computer science. If one is passionate about robotics, it is recommended to take a course in a robotics elated field to learn more, and to find the different paths you can take in this field. By doing so, one can meet other people interested in robotics and share ideas and interests. Some universities do not offer specific robotics courses, but you can learn about robotics by taking engineering classes as well. Some of the subjects that will allow you to learn more about robotics include computer science, mechanical engineering, and electronics engineering. It is always a good idea to spend time taking small courses to see if this field is the right career path, instead of diving into a three to four year degree without being sure it’s the right choice. Careers in Robotics | |Robot Service Engineer | |As a service engineer you would be responsible for installing, maintaining and fixing any faults with the robots. | |Qualifications: Often offered as a modern apprenticeship (Requiring GCSEs), a BTEC in electronics or an A-level in an engineering related | |subject. | |Product Consultant / Demonstrator | |If you are confident in presenting in front of a group then this job may be perfect for you. You would be required to learn everything | |about a companies and demonstrate it to a group of potential customers. | |Qualifications: This would depend on the specific company. If presenting is the primary role, an A-level in English would be beneficial. | | |Research Assistant | |If you are passionate about developing new robot technology and can demonstrate good analytical and practical skills you may be ideal for | |research. | |Qualifications: A-level, Higher education certificate, Degree or Masters in an engineering related subject. | Safety Working with robots will bec ome more and more common, whether at home or in the workplace. With new developments in the robotics field, one of the problems that engineers are facing is safety. Safety is a concern that every industry has with their employees, and is now becoming a concern with robotics as well. One of the solutions that have arise regarding safety has been to prevent the user from coming into contact with the robot by using physical barriers to do so.While studying robot-human interaction, which is known as HRI, it has been found that removing these barriers will allow people to and robots to work together and cooperate in order to perform the required tasks. Robot systems that are able to perform HRI tasks will be considered as being safety-critical complex systems because of their size, behavior, functionality, and can even cause damage to their surroundings and to their operators. One of the objective when it comes to designing robots is to have the engineers work to achieve safety. Even if engineers design a safe robot, it an be hard to prove its safety by merely testing it. The Future of RoboticsOne aspect in which robotics has revolutionized the way we live has been the invention of the mobil phone. This invention changed the communication industry when it was introduced in the early 90’s. This simple device has sparked demand for wireless communication as well as portability in other devices. Knowing how robotics has changed the way we communicate, it can be predicted that robotics will have a great impact on the future as way especially in the areas of battery life and weight, artificial intelligence, and swarm robotics. Battery life is essential for mobil devices, and it can be seen as it is the largest part of the device, and the heaviest. In the uture, power sources will be reduced to allow a smaller device with longer battery life. The second area in which robotics will impact is artificial intelligence, or AI. So far many advances have been made in thi s field, but there is still much to be done. Currently, AI systems have been created to generate logic routines at basic levels. In the future, AI software may be able to think or even act like humans. Swarm robotics is the last important area, and it refers to controlling multiple cooperating robots. This basically means that multiple robots will be able to do various tasks and at the same time be cooperating directly or indirectly to complete that task.This will help in employee a large amount of robots to complete one major task. Mobil Devices Google Images Artificial Intelligence Google Images Swarm Robotics Google Images Robots vs. Humans Robots are known to have skills that cannot be matched by humans. In some cases, robots perform one function, but in others robots can take on various tasks that will take the place of several employees. One good example is how electric shavers used to be assembled in the old days, by using hundreds of factory workers who perform this task by using only their hands. Now, these same tasks are performed by robot hands. These robots can perform the work at igher speeds than humans can, three sifts a day, 365 days a year, and without vacation, breaks, or sick days. The future of business is in robotics. Companies are now wanting to work with the robotics systems that electronics giants such as Apple are currently using. Because robots are coming down in price, and at the same time growing in sophistication, it is believed that jobs will be lost. The success of robotics has jeopardized many jobs as so many tasks can be performed at a fraction of the time, higher quality, and at a fraction of the price. Even robot manufacturers have stated that in several applications robots are already more cost-effective than people. One ay to show this was seen in a company where a $250,000 robot replaced two machine operators, making $50,000 per year, and over the 15-year life of the system, the machines yielded $3. 5 million in labor and productivity savings. Robots are known for being a faster assembly line, and this is one of the main reasons they have been replacing so many factory workers, and giving companies more of a competitive advantage and savings. Conclusion Robotics has become a great part of society’s lives, and has even become essential in developing specialized tasks that need the constancy and preciseness of robots. Handling certain tasks could take excess amount of money and time that if performed by humans alone could ruin ompanies as they would not be competitive in the market. Robots provide us with the assistance needed to get the job done faster, and in a more productive way. This is the future and being a part of it makes it definitely better. References Wikipedia. (n. d. ). History of robots. Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/History_of_robots Robotics careers and education. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. razorrobotics. com/careers-and-education/ Future of robotics. ( n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. razorrobotics. com/future-of-robotics/ Robot safety. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. razorrobotics. com/safety/ PLATT , J. R. (n. d. ).The real steel: Robotics careers ready to boom. Retrieved from http://www. todaysengineer. org/2012/Feb/career-focus. asp Advantages and disadvantages of robotics. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http:// 14wo. qataracademy. wikispaces. net/Advantages and disadvantages of robotics Advantages and disadvantages of automating with industrial robots. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. robots. com/blog/viewing/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-automating-with- industrial-robots MARKOFF, J. (n. d. ). Skilled work, without the worker. Retrieved from http://www. nytimes. com/ 2012/08/19/business/new-wave-of-adept-robots-is-changing-global-industry. html? pagewanted=all=0