When many people hear the words "robot", they will come up with the words "cool shape", "powerful" and "high-end". They think that the robot is as high-end as the "terminator" in science fiction movies. Cool. In fact, in this article, we will explore the basic concepts of robotics and understand how robots accomplish their tasks.
1 part of the robot
At the most basic level, the human body consists of five main components:
·body structure
· Muscle system, used to move the body structure
· Sensory system for receiving information about the body and the surrounding environment
· Energy source to provide energy to muscles and senses
Brain system for handling sensory information and directing muscle movement
Of course, humans also have some intangible features, such as intelligence and morality, but on a purely physical level, this list is quite complete.
The components of the robot are very similar to humans. A typical robot has a movable body structure, a motor-like device, a sensing system, a power supply, and a computer "brain" that controls all of these elements. In essence, robots are "animals" made by humans. They are machines that mimic the behavior of humans and animals.
Bionic kangaroo robot
The definition of robots ranges from industrial robots that are factory-serviced to small robots. According to the broadest definition at the moment, if something is considered by many to be a robot, then it is a robot. Many robotics experts (people who make robots) use a more precise definition. They stipulate that robots should have a reprogrammable brain (a computer) that can be used to move the body.
According to this definition, robots differ from other mobile machines (such as cars) in their computer elements. Many new cars have an onboard computer, but just use it to make minor adjustments. The driver directly controls most of the components of the vehicle through various mechanical devices. Robots are different in physical properties from ordinary computers, each of which is connected to a body, whereas ordinary computers do not.
Most robots do have some common characteristics
First of all, almost all robots have a body that can move. Some have motorized wheels, while others have a large number of moving parts, which are usually made of metal or plastic. Similar to human bones, these separate components are articulated.
The wheel and shaft of the robot are connected by some kind of transmission. Some robots use motors and solenoids as transmissions; others use hydraulic systems; others use pneumatic systems (systems driven by compressed gas). The robot can use any of the above types of transmissions. Metal processing is really good.
Second, the robot needs an energy source to drive these transmissions. Most robots use a battery or a wall outlet to power. In addition, hydraulic robots require a pump to pressurize the liquid, while pneumatic robots require a gas compressor or a compressed gas cylinder.
All transmissions are connected to a circuit by wires. The circuit directly powers the electric motor and solenoid and operates an electronic valve to activate the hydraulic system. The valve controls the path through which the pressurized fluid flows within the machine. For example, if the robot is to move a hydraulically driven leg, its controller opens a valve that is passed from the hydraulic pump to the cylinder on the leg. The pressurized fluid will push the piston and rotate the leg forward. Typically, robots use a piston that provides two-way thrust to allow components to move in both directions.
The robot's computer can control all the components connected to the circuit. In order for the robot to move, the computer will open all the required motors and valves. Most robots are reprogrammable. If you want to change the behavior of a robot, you only need to write a new program to its computer.
Not all robots have sensing systems. Few robots have visual, auditory, olfactory or gustatory sensations. One of the most common feelings a robot has is the sense of movement, which is its ability to monitor its own movements. In the standard design, the grooved wheel is mounted at the joint of the robot.
On one side of the wheel there is a light-emitting diode that emits a beam of light that passes through the groove and shines on the light sensor on the other side of the wheel. When the robot moves a particular joint, the grooved wheel will rotate. During this process, the groove will block the beam. The optical sensor reads the pattern in which the beam flashes and transmits the data to the computer. Based on this mode, the computer can accurately calculate the distance the joint has rotated. The basic system used in a computer mouse is the same.
These are the basic components of the robot. There are countless ways robot experts can combine these elements to create infinitely complex robots. The robotic arm is one of the most common designs.
2 How does the robot work?
The term "robot" in English comes from the Czech word robota, which is often translated as "compulsory laborer". It is very appropriate to use it to describe most robots. Most of the robots in the world are used for heavy repetitive manufacturing work. They are responsible for tasks that are very difficult, dangerous or boring for humans.
The most common manufacturing robot is the robot arm. A typical robotic arm consists of seven metal parts that are joined by six joints. The computer will rotate a stepper motor that is connected to each joint to control the robot (some large robotic arms use hydraulic or pneumatic systems). Unlike conventional motors, stepper motors move precisely in incremental terms. This allows the computer to move the robot arm precisely so that the robot arm repeats exactly the same motion. The robot uses motion sensors to ensure that you move exactly the right amount.
This industrial robot with six joints is very similar to the human arm and has the equivalent of the shoulders, elbows and wrists. Its "shoulders" are usually mounted on a fixed base structure (rather than a moving body). This type of robot has six degrees of freedom, that is, it can rotate in six different directions. In contrast, a person's arm has seven degrees of freedom.
Joint of a six-axis industrial robot
The role of the human arm is to move the hand to a different position. Similarly, the role of the robotic arm is to move the end effector. You can install a variety of end effectors for your specific application on the robot arm. There is a common end effector that can grip and move different items, which is a simplified version of the human hand. Robots often have built-in pressure sensors that tell the computer the strength of the robot as it grips a particular object. This keeps objects in the robot's hands from falling or being crushed. Other end effectors include blowtorches, drill bits and paint sprayers.
Industrial robots are designed to perform the exact same work repeatedly in a controlled environment. For example, a robot may be responsible for screwing the peanut butter cans that are delivered on the assembly line. To teach robots how to do this, the programmer uses a handheld controller to guide the robot arm through the entire set of actions. The robot accurately stores the sequence of motions in memory, and it will do this repeatedly each time a new canister is delivered over the assembly line.
The robot arm is one of the basic components used in the manufacture of cars.
Most industrial robots work on the assembly line of cars and are responsible for assembling cars. Robots are much more efficient than humans when doing a lot of this type of work because they are very accurate. No matter how many hours they have been working, they can still drill in the same position and screw them with the same force. Manufacturing robots also play an important role in the computer industry. They are extremely precise and can be used to assemble a tiny microchip.
Robot arms are relatively difficult to manufacture and program because they work only in a limited area. If you want to send robots to the vast outside world, things get a bit more complicated.
The first challenge is to provide a viable motion system for the robot. If the robot only needs to move on a flat surface, wheels or tracks are often the best choice. If the wheels and tracks are wide enough, they are also suitable for more rugged terrain. But robot designers often want to use leg structures because they are more adaptable. The creation of legged robots also helps researchers understand the knowledge of natural kinematics, which is a useful practice in the field of biological research.
The legs of the robot are usually moved back and forth under the drive of a hydraulic or pneumatic piston. Each piston is attached to a different leg component, like the muscles attached to different bones. This is undoubtedly a problem for all of these pistons to work together in the right way. In the infant phase, the human brain must figure out which muscles need to contract at the same time so that they do not fall when walking upright.
In the same way, the designer of the robot must figure out the correct combination of piston movements associated with walking and incorporate this information into the robot's computer. Many mobile robots have a built-in balancing system (such as a set of gyroscopes) that tells the computer when it needs to correct the robot's movements.
Boston Power's latest upgraded Atlas humanoid robot
The motion of bipedal walking is inherently unstable, so it is extremely difficult to implement in the manufacture of robots. In order to design a more stable walking robot, designers often turn their eyes to the animal world, especially insects. Insects have six legs, and they tend to have extraordinary balance and can adapt to many different terrains.
Some mobile robots are remotely controlled, and humans can direct them to perform specific tasks at specific times. The remote control can communicate with the robot using a cable, radio or infrared signal. Metal processing is really good. Remote robots, often referred to as scorpion robots, are useful for exploring environments that are dangerous or inaccessible to humans, such as deep seas or volcanoes. Some robots are only partially remotely controlled. For example, an operator might instruct the robot to arrive at a particular location, but would not guide the route, but let it find its way.
NASA develops remotely controlled space robot R2
Automated robots can act autonomously without relying on any control personnel. The basic principle is to program the robot so that it can react to external stimuli in some way. The extremely simple collision response robot is a good illustration of this principle.
This robot has a collision sensor for checking obstacles. When you start the robot, it roughly travels in a straight line. When it hits an obstacle, the impact force acts on its impact sensor. Each time a collision occurs, the robot's program will instruct it to retreat, then turn right, and then move on. According to this method, the robot changes its direction as long as it encounters an obstacle.
Advanced robots use this principle in a more sophisticated way. Robotics experts will develop new programs and sensing systems to create more intelligent and sensible robots. Today's robots can be used in a variety of environments.
Simpler mobile robots use infrared or ultrasonic sensors to sense obstacles. These sensors work in a similar way to an animal's echolocation system: the robot emits an acoustic signal (or a beam of infrared light) and detects the reflection of the signal. The robot calculates the distance between it and the obstacle based on the time it takes for the signal to reflect.
Higher-level robots use stereo vision to observe the world around them. Two cameras provide depth perception for the robot, while image recognition software gives the robot the ability to determine the position of the object and identify the various objects. The robot can also use a microphone and odor sensor to analyze the surrounding environment.
Some automated robots can only work in the limited environment they are familiar with. For example, mowing robots rely on landmarks buried underground to determine the extent of the pasture. The robot used to clean the office requires a map of the building to move between different locations.
Higher-level robots can analyze and adapt to unfamiliar environments and even adapt to rugged terrain. These robots can associate specific terrain patterns with specific actions. For example, a rover robot uses its vision sensor to generate a map of the front ground. If the map shows a bumpy terrain pattern, the robot will know that it should take another route. This system is very useful for exploration robots that work on other planets.
There is an alternative robot design that uses a looser structure and introduces randomization factors. When the robot is stuck, it moves the appendage in all directions until its action produces an effect. It works closely with the force sensor and the transmission to get the job done, rather than being guided by the computer through the program. This is similar to the way ants try to get around obstacles: ants don't seem to be decisive when they need to pass obstacles, but try to keep trying until they get around obstacles.
3 home-made robots
In the final sections of this article, let's look at the most compelling areas of the robotic world: artificial intelligence and research robots. Over the years, experts in these fields have made great advances in robotics, but they are not the only manufacturers of robots. For decades, the hobbyists, despite their small but enthusiasm, have been manufacturing robots in garages and basements around the world.
Home-made robots are a rapidly developing subculture that has considerable influence on the Internet. Amateur robot enthusiasts assemble their own work using a variety of commercial robotic tools, mail-order parts, toys and even vintage video recorders.
Like professional robots, the variety of home-made robots is varied. Some robotic enthusiasts who work on weekends have created very sophisticated walking machines, while others have designed housekeeping robots for themselves, and some enthusiasts are keen to make competitive robots. Among the competitive robots, the most familiar one is the remote robot warrior, as you can see in the BattleBots show. These machines are not really "robots" because they don't have a reprogrammable computer brain. They are just enhanced remote control cars.
More advanced competitive robots are computer controlled. For example, a soccer robot does not require human input information at all when performing a small football game. The standard robot soccer team consists of several separate robots that communicate with a central computer. This computer "observes" the entire stadium through a camera, and distinguishes the football, the goal, and the players of the opponent and the opponent according to the color. The computer is always processing this type of information and deciding how to direct its team.
Adaptability and versatility
The personal computer revolution is marked by its superior adaptability. Standardized hardware and programming languages ​​allow computer engineers and amateur programmers to build computers for their specific purposes. Computer parts are similar to craft supplies, and their use is countless.
Most of the robots to date are more like kitchen utensils. Robotics experts manufacture them for specific uses. But their ability to adapt to completely different application scenarios is not very good.
This situation is changing. A company called EvoluTIon RoboTIcs pioneered the field of adaptive robot software and hardware. The company hopes to open up its niche market with an easy-to-use "robot developer kit."
This toolkit has an open software platform that specializes in a variety of commonly used robotic features. For example, robotics can easily assign their work to track targets, listen to voice commands, and circumvent obstacles. From a technical point of view, these features are not revolutionary, but unusually, they are integrated into a simple software package.
This kit also comes with some common robot hardware that can be easily combined with software. The standard kit provides some infrared sensors, a motor, a microphone and a camera. Robotics experts can assemble all of these components with a reinforced set of components, including some aluminum body parts and durable wheels.
Of course, this toolkit is not for you to create mediocre works. It sells for more than $700 and is by no means a cheap toy. However, it has taken a big step toward new robotics. In the near future, if you want to create a new robot that can clean your room or take care of your pet when you are away, you may be able to do just write a BASIC program, which will save you a lot of money.
4 Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is undoubtedly the most exciting field in robotics, and undoubtedly the most controversial: everyone believes that robots can work on assembly lines, but there are differences as to whether they can be intelligent.
Just like the term "robot" itself, it is equally difficult for you to define "artificial intelligence." The ultimate artificial intelligence is the reproduction of the human mind process, an artificial machine with human intelligence. Artificial intelligence includes the ability to learn any knowledge, reasoning ability, language ability, and the ability to form your own opinions. At present, robotics experts are far from being able to achieve this level of artificial intelligence, but they have made great progress in the field of limited artificial intelligence. Today, machines with artificial intelligence can already mimic certain specific intelligence elements.
Computers already have the ability to solve problems in a limited area. The process of solving problems with artificial intelligence is complicated, but the basic principle is very simple. First, an artificial intelligence robot or computer collects facts about a particular situation through sensors (or manual input). The computer compares this information with the stored information to determine its meaning. The computer calculates various possible actions based on the collected information and then predicts which action works best. Of course, the computer can only solve the problem that its program allows it to solve. It does not have the analytical ability in the general sense. Chess computers are an example of such machines.
Some modern robots also have limited learning capabilities. The learning robot can recognize whether an action (such as moving the leg in some way) achieves the desired result (such as bypassing an obstacle). The robot stores this type of information, and when it encounters the same scenario next time, it tries to make an action that can be successfully handled. Similarly, modern computers can only do this in very limited scenarios. They cannot collect all types of information like humans do. Some robots can learn by mimicking human movements. In Japan, robotics experts demonstrate dance moves to a robot and let it learn to dance.
Some robots have interpersonal skills. Kismet is a robot made by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, which recognizes human body language and speaking tones and reacts accordingly. The authors of Kismet are interested in the way adults and babies interact, and the interaction between them is done by tone and visual information. This low-level interaction can be used as the basis for a human-like learning system.
Kismet robot
Other robots manufactured by Kismet and the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory use an unconventional control structure. These robots do not use a central computer to control all actions, and their low-level actions are controlled by low-level computers. Project director Rodney Brooks believes this is a more accurate model of human intelligence. Most of human actions are made automatically, rather than being determined by the highest level of consciousness.
The real challenge of artificial intelligence is to understand how natural intelligence works. The development of artificial intelligence is different from the manufacture of artificial hearts. There is no simple and specific model for scientists to refer to. We know that there are billions of neurons in the brain, and our thinking and learning is done by establishing electrical connections between different neurons. But we don't know how these connections implement advanced reasoning capabilities, and we don't even know the implementation principles of low-level operations. The neural network of the brain seems complicated and incomprehensible.
Therefore, artificial intelligence is still largely a theory. Scientists put forward hypotheses about the principles of human learning and thinking, and then use robots to experiment with their ideas.
Just as the physical design of robots is a convenient tool for understanding animal and human anatomy, the study of artificial intelligence also helps to understand how natural intelligence works. For some robotics experts, this insight is the ultimate goal of designing robots. Others are imagining a world in which humans and smart machines live together, in which humans use small robots for manual labor, health care, and communication. Many robotics experts predict that the evolution of robots will eventually make us completely semi-robots, humans that fuse with machines. There is reason to believe that future humans will implant their ideas into a strong robot and live for thousands of years!
In any case, robots will play an important role in our future lives. In the coming decades, robots will gradually expand beyond the fields of industry and science into everyday life, similar to the process that computers began to spread to the family in the 1980s.
BLPS laser safety protective device is designed for personal safety used on hydraulic bender.
The dynamic test technology it used has passed the Type 4 functional safety assessment by TUV, and get the national invention patent. The product reaches the advanced technological level of similar products.
BLPS laser safety device provides protection zone near the die tip of the bender to protect fingers and arms of the operator in close to the upper mold die tip. It is the most effective solution so far to preserves the safety and productivity of the bender.
Press Brake Protection,Laser Guarding Device,Press Brake Guarding Systems,Press Brake Guarding
Jining KeLi Photoelectronic Industrial Co.,Ltd , https://www.sdkelien.com