Robotics

Robotics is the design, construction, and application of machines (robots) to perform tasks traditionally
performed by humans.
 Robots are widely used in industries such as automobile manufacturing to perform simple repetitive
tasks and in industries where work must be performed in environments hazardous to humans.
 Many aspects of robotics involve artificial intelligence; robots may be equipped with human-like senses,
such as vision, touch, and temperature sensing.

Components of Robotics
Robotics typically involve various components that come together to create a functioning system. Key
components of robots include:
 Actuators: They are like a robot's muscles, converting energy into motion. They're powered by
electricity, hydraulics, or pneumatics, moving the robot's limbs, wheels, or other parts.
 Sensors: Sensors are the robot's eyes and ears, giving information about its surroundings. They come in
types like light, proximity, and force sensors.
 Power supply: Robots need a power source, like batteries or electricity, to work, depending on the robot
type and its tasks.
 Controller: The controller is the robot's brain, getting input from sensors and sending commands to
actuators. It interprets data, makes decisions, and controls movements.
 Structure: The structure gives physical support and protection to the robot's components. It can be
metal, plastic, or composite materials.
 Programming: The brain of the robot includes algorithms, AI, and software for decision-making,
movement, and interactions.
 End effectors: These are tools like grippers, welding arms, or sensors, that allow the robot to interact
with its environment.

Applications of Robotics
Robotics finds applications in various fields, and its versatility allows it to be used in numerous industries.
 Manufacturing and assembly: Robots are widely used in automotive assembly lines for welding,
painting, pick-and-place tasks, and quality control.
 Healthcare: Robots aid surgeons in surgeries, ensuring faster recovery. Robotic exoskeletons assist
rehabilitation and help patients regain mobility post-injury. Telemedicine robots enable remote
consultations, crucial in areas with limited medical access.
 For example: Toyota's healthcare assistants are an example of robots aiding in walking
rehabilitation.

 Logistics: Warehouse robots manage inventory, sorting, and packaging, optimizing

efficiency. Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) navigate warehouses, enhancing productivity.
 Agriculture: Agricultural robots assist in planting, harvesting, and monitoring crops, promoting
precision farming. Autonomous tractors aid in planting and harvesting, while agricultural drones survey
fields for crop health assessment.
  Retail and hospitality: Robotics enhance customer experience by automating inventory processes,
providing wayfinding services, and assisting with baggage or parking valet services in the retail and
hospitality sectors.
 Education: Robots facilitate hands-on learning experiences and engage students in STEM subjects.
 For example: Softbank Robotics developed the Nao model for the L2TOR European research
project, teaching young children a second language.
 Space exploration: Robotics technology is essential to space exploration because it allows for
the exploration of asteroids, moons, and other planets.
 Rovers like NASA's Curiosity explore planetary surfaces, collecting data and samples.
 Defence and security: Military and security applications feature bomb disposal robots, surveillance
drones, and unmanned vehicles for reconnaissance in hazardous zones.
 Smart cities: Robotics enhance urban safety and efficiency.
 Humanoid robots offer navigation and information services.
 AMRs deliver goods and conduct routine security patrols.
 Robotics expedite building construction by conducting site surveys and collecting building
modelling data.

Make-in-India Robots

 DAKSHA: An automated mobile platform for multi-purpose payloads.

 It has stair-climbing capabilities and can be deployed for handling IEDs (Improvised Explosive
Devices).
 Vyommitra: A spacefaring humanoid robot is being developed by the ISRO to function onboard the
Gaganyaan.
 MANAV: India’s first 3D-printed humanoid robot with inbuilt vision and sound processing
capability which allows it to walk, talk and dance just in response to human commands.

Reasons for implementation of automated systems in manufacture industries:-

The reasons for the implementation of automated systems in manufacturing industries are as follows,
(i) To Increase the Productivity Rate of Labour

(ii) To Decrease the Cost of Labour

(iii) To Minimize the Effect of Shortage of Labour

(iv) To Obtain High Quality of Products

(v) A Non-automation nigh Cost is Avoided

(vi) To Decrease the Manufacturing Lead Time

(vii) To upgrade the Safety of Workers.

Asimov's laws of robotics

The Three Laws of Robotics or Asimov's Laws are a set of rules devised by the science fiction author Isaac
Asimov
First Law - A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

Second Law - A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict
with the First Law.

Third Law - A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or
Second Laws.

Origin of a Robot

The origin of industrial robots lies way back in 1700's and have grown tremendously over decades [Link]
vaucanson
Built several human sized mechanical dolls that plays music

1805 – [Link] – mechanical doll capable of drawing pictures

1946 – GC devol – controller device – records electrical signals magnetically and play them back to operate
mechanical machine

1954 – cw kenward – robot design

1959 – first commercial robot introduced by planet corporation controlled by switches

1960 – first unimate robot introduced for manipulator control

1966 – Trallfa, built and installed spray painting robot

1968 – mobile robot named “shakey”

1971 – stanford arm, a small electrically powered robot arm

1973 – first computer type robot programming language developed. (AL ,WAVE)

1974 – invention of all electric drive robot Followed by industrial implementations for
manufacturing works

1979 – development of SCARA type robot

 1982 – IBM introduced Robots for assembly using robotic arm

1990’s – invention of walking robots and rehabilitation robots, space robots, defense applications
2000’s – Micro and Nano robots using smart materials, underwater and ariel vehicle.

Various Generations of Robots

First-generation

• A first-generation robot is a simple mechanical arm.

• These machines have the ability to make precise motions at high speed, many times, for a long time.
Second generation

• A second-generation robot has rudimentary machine intelligence.

• Such a robot is equipped with sensors that tell it things about the outside world.

• These devices include pressure sensors, proximity sensors, tactile sensors, radar, sonar, ladar, and vision
systems.

• A controller processes the data from these sensors and adjusts the operation of the robot accordingly.

Third generation

• The concept of a third-generation robot encompasses two major avenues of evolving smart robot
technology –

• An autonomous robot can work on its own. It contains a controller, and it can do things largely without
supervision, either by an outside computer or by a human being – Insect robot

• There are some situations in which autonomous robots do not perform efficiently. In these cases, a fleet
of simple insect robots, all under the control of one central computer, can be used.

• These machines work like ants in an anthill, or like bees in a hive.

Fourth generation
Cognitive Robotics
• Any robot of a sort yet to be seriously put into operation is a fourth generation robot.

Examples of these might be robots that reproduce and evolve, or that incorporate biological as well
as mechanical components.
Fifth Generation
Artificial Intelligence Robotics
• Robot controller will involve complete artificial intelligence (AI), miniature sensors, and decision making
capabilities.

Classification of Robots (or) Classification by co-ordinate system and control system:-

Co-ordinate systems:-

Industrial robots are available in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and physical configurations. The vast majority
of today’s commercially available robots possess one of the basic configurations:

1. Polar configuration

2. Cylindrical configuration

3. Cartesian coordinate configurable

4. Jointed-arm configuration

1. Polar configuration:-
The polar configuration is pictured in part (a) of Fig. It uses a telescoping arm that can be raised or lowered
about a horizontal pivot The pivot is mounted on a mta6ng base These various joints provide the robot with the
capability to move its arm within a spherical space, and hence the name “spherical coordinate” robot is
sometimes applied to this type. A number of commercial robots possess the polar configuration.

2. Cylindrical configuration:-
The cylindrical configurable, as shown in fig, uses a vertical column and a slide that can be moved up or down
along the column. The robot arm is attached to the slide so that it cm he moved radially with respect to the
column. By routing the column, the robot is capable of achieving a work space that approximation a cylinder.

3. Cartesian coordinate configurable:-

The cartesian coordinate robot, illustrated in part Cc) of Fig, uses three perpendicular slides to construct the x, y,
and z axes. Other names are sometimes applied W this configuration, including xyz robot and rectilinear robot,
By moving the three slides relative to one another, the robot is capable of operating within a rectangular work
envelope.

4. Jointed-arm configuration:-

The jointed-arm robot is pictured in Fig. Its configuration is similar to that of the human arm. It consists of two
straight components. Corresponding to the human forearm and upper arm, mounted on a vertical pedestal.
These components are connected by two rotary joints corresponding to the shoulder and elbow.
Degrees of freedom

Industrial robots are designed to perform productive work such as pick and place, welding, assembly, etc., the
work is accomplished by enabling the robot to move its body, arm and wrist through a series of motion and
positions. The individual joint motions associated with the performance of a task are referred to by the term
Degrees of Freedom (DOF) "Degrees of freedom, in a mechanics context, are specific, defined modes in which
a mechanical device or system can move. The number of degrees of freedom is equal to the total number of
independent displacements or aspects of motion."

Working envelope– an envelope is the region of space a robot can reach during its normal range of motion.
Degrees of Freedom associated with wrist of robot

• Wrist Roll: Also called as wrist swivel, this involves rotation of the wrist mechanism about the arm axis

• Wrist Pitch: Given that the wrist roll is in the center position, the pitch would involve the up and down rotation
of the wrist. This is also sometimes called as wrist bend

• Wrist Yaw: Given that the wrist roll is the center position, the Yaw would involve the right or left rotation of
the wrist.

Degrees of Freedom Associated with Arm and Body of the Robot

Vertical Traverse: This is the capability to move the wrist up or down to provide the desired vertical
attitude.

Radial Traverse: This is the capability to move the wrist front and back which provides the extension
and retraction movement.

Rotational Traverse: This is the capability to rotate the arm in vertical axis.

Joints and its types

• The robot's motion are accomplished by means of powered joints.

• Three joints are associated with the action of body and arm.

• Another three joints are generally used to actuate the wrist

• Joints used in the industrial robotics are of two types,

– Prismatic Joints - Used for Linear Motions

– Revolute Joints - Used for Rotational Motions

prismatic joint

• A prismatic joint provides a linear sliding movement between two bodies, and is often called a slider, as in the
slider-crank linkage. A prismatic pair is also called as sliding pair. A prismatic joint can be formed with a
polygonal cross-section to resist rotation.

Revolute joint
• A revolute joint (also called pin joint or hinge joint) is a one-degree-of-freedom kinematic pair used in
mechanisms.

• Revolute joints provide single-axis rotation function used in many places such as door hinges, folding
mechanisms, and other uni-axial rotation devices

Control systems:-

With respect to robotics, the motion control system used to control the movement of the end-effector or tool.

[Link] sequence robots (Non-servo)

2. Playback robots with point to point (servo)

3. Play back robots with continuous path control,

4. Intelligent robots.
Limited sequence robots (Non-servo):-

Limited sequence robots do not give servo controlled to inclined relative positions of the joints; instead they are
controlled by setting limit switches & are mechanical stops. There is generally no feedback associated with a
limited sequence robot to indicate that the desired position, has been achieved generally thin type of robots
involves simple motion as pick & place operations.

Point to point motion:-

These type robots are capable of controlling velocity acceleration & path of motion, from the beginning to the
end of the path. It uses complex control programs, PLC’s (programmable logic controller’s) computers to
control the motion.

The point to point control motion robots are capable of performing motion cycle that consists of a series
of desired point location. The robot is tough & recorded, unit.

Continuous path motion:-

In this robots are capable of performing motion cycle in which the path followed by the robot in controlled. The
robot move through a series of closely space point which describe the desired path. Ex:- Spray painting, arc
welding & complicate assembly operations.

Intelligent robots:-

This type of robots not only programmable motion cycle but also interact with its environment in a way
that years intelligent. It taken make logical decisions based on sensor data receive from the operation.

There robots are usually programmed using an English like symbolic language not like a computer
programming language.

Precision of movement (or) parameters of robot:-

The preceding discussion of response speed and stability is concerned with the dynamic performance of
the robot. Another measure of performance is precision of the robot's movement. We will define precision
as a function of three features:

[Link] resolution

2. Accuracy
3. Repeatability

These terms will be defined with the following assumptions.

1) The definitions will apply at the robot’s wrist end with no hand attached to the wrist.
2) The terms apply to the worst case conditions, the conditions under which the robot's precision will be at
its wont. This generally means that the robot’s arm is fully extended in the case of a jointed arm or polar
configurable.
3) Third, our definitions will he developed in the context of a point-to-point robot.
1. Spatial resolution:-

The spatial resolution of a robot is the smallest increment of movement into which the robot can divide its work
volume. Spatial resolution depends on two factors: the system's control resolution and the robot's mechanical
inaccuracies. It is easiest to conceptualize these factors in terms of a robot with 1 degree of freedom.

2. Accuracy:-
Accuracy refers to a robot's ability to position its wrist end at a desired target point within the work volume.
The accuracy of a robot can be denned in terms of spatial resolution because the ability to achieve a given target
point depends on how closely the robot can define the control increments for each of its joint motions.

3. Repeatability:-
Repeatability is concerned with the robot's ability to position its wrist or an end effector attached to its wrist at a
point in space is known as repeatability. Repeatability and accuracy refer to two different aspects of the robot’s
precision. Accuracy relates to the robot's capacity to be programmed to achieve a given target point. The actual
programmed point will probably be different from the target point due to limitations of control resolution
Repeatability refers to the robot’s ability to return to the programmed point when commanded to do so.
End Effectors

End effectors are devices attached to the end of a robot’s arm to help it interact with the surrounding
environment. End effectors are essential to robotic systems as they handle, manipulate, and sense objects.
These devices are the primary means by which robots interact with their environment and perform useful
work. End effectors can be customized to suit specific applications and can be designed to perform a wide
range of tasks, including gripping, cutting, welding, painting, and more.

End effectors can be broadly classified into three categories based on their design, construction, and
application.

Grippers

Grippers are used to grasp and hold objects securely. They are one of the most commonly used types of
end effectors in robotics and are an essential component of many automated systems. The primary
function of grippers is to provide robots with the ability to pick up, move, and manipulate objects in a
controlled and repeatable manner.

Here is a list of some different grippers used as a robot’s end effectors:

Mechanical Grippers: Mechanical grippers are the most basic type of grippers and work by using jaws
or fingers to grab an object. They are simple, robust, and reliable and are often used in applications that
require a firm and stable grasp, such as pick-and-place operations or assembly tasks. Mechanical grippers
can be further classified based on the type of jaws or fingers used, such as parallel grippers, angular
grippers, or three-finger grippers.

Vacuum Grippers: Vacuum grippers use suction cups to grab and hold things. They are primarily used in
applications that require handling flat, smooth, or porous objects, such as glass panels or printed circuit
boards. Vacuum cups are easy to use, have a fast cycle time, and are highly reliable. However, they may
not be suitable for handling irregularly shaped or heavy payloads.

Magnetic Grippers: Magnetic grippers use magnetic fields to hold ferromagnetic items such as steel
plates. They are used in applications that require handling heavy or irregularly shaped objects that cannot
be easily managed with mechanical or vacuum grippers. Magnetic grippers are highly reliable, require
minimal maintenance, and have a fast cycle time. However, they may not be suitable for handling non-
ferromagnetic materials.
Servo Grippers: Servo grippers use motors and gearboxes to control the gripping force and positioning
of the robot precisely. They are used in applications that require high precision and flexibility, such as
quality control or inspection tasks. Servo grippers can be programmed to adjust their gripping force and
position based on the size and shape of the object being handled, making them highly versatile.

Service Robot and its application

Robotics technology is used by businesses and organizations of all sizes in a variety of ways. Service
robots are most commonly used to assist human employees in their daily tasks so they can focus on the
most valuable customer- and patient-centric work.

Retail

In retail organizations, service robots help enhance and personalize the customer experience as well as
improve in-store operations.

For example, several global retailers in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia are using
the Simbe Tally autonomous service robot (AMR) to automate in-store retail operations. Using Intel
computer vision technology, Tally audits around 10,000 items in 30 minutes to provide near-real-time
inventory information and insights to store associates, ultimately optimizing store execution and
improving customer satisfaction.

Many retail companies seek out service robots to simplify and enhance their customers’ experiences. SM
Supermalls, a chain of shopping malls in the Philippines, turned to New Era AI Robotic (New Era) to
streamline and improve their visitor experience by deploying a fleet of voice-interactive, smart service
robots. Guests can ask the AI-enabled robots engaging questions, get simple directions to a desired store
location, or upcoming showtimes for the on-site movie theater.
Hotels
In hotels across the globe, service robots are being used to enhance and personalize the customer
experience. Interactive, AI-powered kiosks greet guests when they arrive, while service robots take guest
luggage straight to their room to make the check-in process seamless and efficient. AMRs bring them
room service, and humanoid robots act as their personal concierge.
Restaurants and Food Services
The food service industry is also taking advantage of service robots. In Singapore, the Crown Coffee bar
recently onboarded its newest barista—Ella—who happens to be a fully autonomous, six-axis robot. From
taking orders via an online app to making and serving coffee to finalizing the bill and charging credit
cards, everything Ella does is powered through Intel® technologies: an Intel® Movidius™ VPU,
the Intel® Distribution of OpenVINO™ toolkit, and Intel® Xeon® and Intel® Core™ processors.
The use of service robots in restaurants doesn’t stop in Singapore. Ghost kitchens, also known as
delivery-only kitchens with no dine-in services, are leveraging autonomous service robots to deliver food
orders to customers. Until recently, ghost kitchens were typically used by pizza restaurants or other
delivery-only businesses. However, the challenges that have emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic—
including the need for contactless delivery, increased costs, and labor shortages—have helped ghost
kitchens proliferate and become more of a standard restaurant business model.
Healthcare
Service robots in healthcare settings are used for a range of tasks that aim to create a safer environment
for workers and patients, relieve some physical demands on human workers, and ultimately provide
patients with a high level of care.
For example, service robots are often assigned to handle routine logistical tasks to improve operational
efficiencies and ensure processes happen in a more consistent manner.
Common duties assigned to service robots include setting up patient rooms, tracking inventory and
placing orders, and transporting supplies, medication, and linens. Cleaning and disinfection robots can
also help create a safe and sanitized facility for everyone.
One autonomous service robot developed by Irish start-up Akara is being used to help hospitals sanitize
rooms and equipment, aiding in the fight against COVID-19.
Logistics
As e-commerce sales continue to surge, logistics businesses are using service robots to help overcome
current labor shortages, assist current workers to avoid workforce burnout, and enable warehouse
automation.
Robotic arms are often assigned tasks like picking, placing, and sorting objects, and because AMRs can
navigate warehouses independently, they are used to deliver materials to human workers for accurate and
efficient order fulfillment. Both types of service robots can be empowered with vision sensors
and artificial intelligence technologies to allow them to “see,” which enables them to more accurately
detect, classify, sort, pick, and package objects.
Robotics and Artificial Intelligence
Robotics is a separate entity in Artificial Intelligence that helps study the creation of intelligent
robots or machines. Robotics combines electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and computer
science & engineering as they have mechanical construction, electrical component and programmed with
programming language. Although, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence both have different objectives and
applications, but most people treat robotics as a subset of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Robot machines
look very similar to humans, and also, they can perform like humans, if enabled with AI.
AI technology used in Robotics
Computer Vision
Robots can also see, and this is possible by one of the popular Artificial Intelligence technologies named
Computer vision. Computer Vision plays a crucial role in all industries like health, entertainment,
medical, military, mining, etc.
Computer Vision is an important domain of Artificial Intelligence that helps in extracting meaningful
information from images, videos and visual inputs and take action accordingly.
Natural Language Processing
NLP (Natural Languages Processing) can be used to give voice commands to AI robots. It creates a strong
human-robot interaction. NLP is a specific area of Artificial Intelligence that enables the communication
between humans and robots. Through the NLP technique, the robot can understand and reproduce human
language. Some robots are equipped with NLP so that we can't differentiate between humans and robots.
Similarly, in the health care sector, robots powered by Natural Language Processing may help physicians
to observe the decease details and automatically fill in EHR. Besides recognizing human language, it can
learn common uses, such as learn the accent, and predict how humans speak.
Edge Computing
Edge computing in robots is defined as a service provider of robot integration, testing, design and
simulation. Edge computing in robotics provides better data management, lower connectivity cost, better
security practices, more reliable and uninterrupted connection.
Complex Event Process
Complex event processing (CEP) is a concept that helps us to understand the processing of multiple
events in real time. An event is described as a Change of State, and one or more events combine to define
a Complex event. The complex event process is most widely used term in various industries such as
healthcare, finance, security, marketing, etc. It is primarily used in credit card fraud detection and also in
stock marketing field.
For example, the deployment of an airbag in a car is a complex event based on the data from multiple
sensors in real-time. This idea is used in Robotics, for example, Event-Processing in Autonomous Robot
Programming.
Transfer Learning and AI
This is the technique used to solve a problem with the help of another problem that is already solved. In
Transfer learning technique, knowledge gained from solving one problem can be implement to solve
related problem. We can understand it with an example such as the model used for identifying a circle
shape can also be used to identify a square shape.
Transfer learning reuses the pre-trained model for a related problem, and only the last layer of the model
is trained, which is relatively less time consuming and cheaper. In robotics, transfer learning can be used
to train one machine with the help of other machines.
Reinforcement Learning
Reinforcement learning is a feedback-based learning method in machine learning that enables an AI agent
to learn and explore the environment, perform actions and learn automatically from experience or
feedback for each action. Further, it is also having feature of autonomously learn to behave optimally
through hit-and-trail action while interacting with the environment. It is primarily used to develop the
sequence of decisions and achieve the goals in uncertain and potentially complex environment. In
robotics, robots explore the environment and learn about it through hit and trial. For each action, he gets
rewarded (positive or negative).
Affective computing
Affective computing is a field of study that deals with developing systems that can identify, interpret,
process, and simulate human emotions. Affective computing aims to endow robots with emotional
intelligence to hope that robots can be endowed with human-like capabilities of observation,
interpretation, and emotion expression.
Mixed Reality
Mixed Reality is also an emerging domain. It is mainly used in the field of programming by
demonstration (PbD). PbD creates a prototyping mechanism for algorithms using a combination of
physical and virtual objects.
What are Artificially Intelligent Robots?
Artificial intelligent robots connect AI with robotics. AI robots are controlled by AI programs and use
different AI technologies, such as Machine learning, computer vision, RL learning, etc. Usually, most
robots are not AI robots, these robots are programmed to perform repetitive series of movements, and
they don't need any AI to perform their task. However, these robots are limited in functionality.
AI algorithms are necessary when you want to allow the robot to perform more complex tasks.
A warehousing robot might use a path-finding algorithm to navigate around the warehouse. A drone might
use autonomous navigation to return home when it is about to run out of battery. A self-driving car might
use a combination of AI algorithms to detect and avoid potential hazards on the road. All these are the
examples of artificially intelligent robots.
What are the advantages of integrating Artificial Intelligence into robotics?
o The major advantages of artificially intelligent robots are social care. They can guide people,
especially come to aid for older people, with chatbot like social skills and advanced processors.
o Robotics also helps in Agricultural industry with the help of developing AI based robots. These
robots reduce the farmer's workload.
o In Military industry, Military bots can spy through speech and vision detectors, along with saving
lives by replacing infantry
o Robotics also employed in volcanoes, deep oceans, extremely cold places, or even in space where
normally humans can't survive.
o Robotics is also used in medical and healthcare industry as it can also perform complex surgeries
that have a higher risk of a mistake by humans, but with a pre-set of instructions and added
Intelligence. AI integrated robotics could reduce the number of casualties greatly.
Difference in Robot System and AI Programs
Here is the difference between Artificial Intelligence and Robots:
1. AI Programs
Usually, we use to operate them in computer-simulated worlds.
Generally, input is given in the form of symbols and rules.
To operate this, we need general-purpose/Special-purpose computers.
2. Robots
Generally, we use robots to operate in the real physical world.
Inputs are given in the form of the analogue signal or in the form of the speech waveform.