Robotics
Robotics is the scientific study of robots and their uses.
A robot is any mechanical device that is able to be controlled
from a remote source. The word robot comes from the Czech word
'robota' meaning 'a slave', so the connection is pretty clear.
In modern times, robots have become quite sophisticated as electromechanical
devices that can be programmed to do a variety of set routines.
Robotics aids
medical research
Recently Professor Neville Hogan of MIT has engineered a robot
to help people recover use of a limb after stroke paralysis.
His ingenious device assists people to develop appropriate strength
to move objects and 'teach' their brains to use the paralysed
muscles again. In the simplest form, a robotic arm is held by
the patient as that person tries to move towards a target on
a computer screen. While the person is travelling in the right
direction, the mechanical arm follows. As a different direction,
or more strength, is needed the robot detects this and moves
the person's hand and arm appropriately. As an offshoot of this
research scientists are gaining an insight into how we learn
to move.
Robots fly!
The unit Forces
in mechanical flight is concerned with the aerodynamics
of a wing, and the Bernoulli effect. This works well with aircraft,
but how does it apply to insects, such as hawk moth, where the
wings move up and down more than a hundred times every second?
To find out, a robotic hawk moth has been built, ten times larger
than the actual insect. This robot has a smoke trail from the
wing tips and when suspended in a wind tunnel the air flow can
readily be seen. What was the result? The Bernoulli effect does
apply and the moth uses a particularly intricate series of wing
patterns to enable it to fly.
Robotic explorers - potential
life savers
Because robots can be controlled from a remote location, and
because computer technology allows information from the robot
to be read in a variety of ways, they are ideal for exploration.
Sometimes they can be fed down tunnels to find out what's happening
- if there has been an accident in a mine for example. The data
can indicate whether there are noxious gases, where it is safe
or unsafe to go, and the general conditions within the tunnel.
Robots are used to investigate suspected explosive devices by
sensing the characteristic chemicals that are contained in such
devices. They also allow a close up view of the suspect object
without endangering human life.
Factory robots
Many factories are automated and robotic devices carry out tasks
once done by humans. One particular example is on motor car
production lines. Spot welds are able to made quickly and accurately
in confined areas where a human worker could not easily reach.
In the paint shop, the intricate patterns required to paint
a car body are also controlled by robots, not only being faster
and more precise, but also reducing the risk to workers from
paint and solvent inhalation.
Robots integrate science
concepts
The advent of robotics has only been made possible by the development
of modern technology. A typical robot, using the principles
of feedback, can respond to changes in the environment and adapt
its behaviour accordingly. Robots use a variety of sensing devices,
often much more sensitive than those in humans. They also measure
forces to great accuracy and respond with such precision that
picking up a fragile object such as an egg and placing it in
a box can be completed continuously with no tiring or lack of
concentration. Two of the most famous robots are probably the
Sojourner Rover that explored the surface of Mars and the Hubble
space telescope with its magnificent images of the Universe.