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Robotics
Article by: William A. Gruver, School of Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
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A field of engineering concerned with the development and ap-
plication of robots, and computer systems for their control, sensory
feedback, and information processing. There are many types of
robotic systems, including robotic manipulators, robotic hands, mobile
robots, walking robots, aids for disabled persons, humanoid robots,
telerobots, and micro-electro-mechanical systems (Fig. 1).
The term "robotics" has been broadly interpreted. It includes research
and engineering activities involving the design and development of
robotic systems. Planning for the use of industrial robots in manufac-
turing or evaluation of the economic impact of robotic automation can
also be viewed as robotics. This breadth of usage arises from the inter-
disciplinary nature of robotics, a field involving mechanisms, comput-
ers, control systems, actuators, and software.
Mechanisms
Robots are programmable devices or systems that produce mechanical
motion that, in most cases, results in manipulation or locomotion. For
example, industrial robots (Fig. 2) manipulate parts or tools to perform
manufacturing tasks such as material handling, welding, spray paint-
ing, or assembly; automated guided vehicles are used for transport-
ing materials in factories and warehouses. Telerobotic mechanisms
provide astronauts with large manipulators for remotely performing
spacecraft maintenance. Walking machines explore active volcanoes.
Mechanical characteristics for robotic mechanisms include degrees of
freedom of movement, size and shape of the operating space, stiffness
and strength of the structure, lifting capacity, velocity, and acceleration
under load. Performance measures include repeatability and accuracy
of positioning, speed, and freedom from vibration.
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Key Concepts
• Robotics is a branch of engineering concerned with the development and application of automated machines.
• Robots are widely used in manufacturing, prosthetic mechanisms, and space exploration.
• Many robots are equipped with sensory systems to gather information from the environment.
• As a field, robotics advocates the use of intelligent systems that can learn, reason, and modify components
of a configuration.
Fig. 1: A dexterous humanoid robot, called a robonaut, built at the NASA
Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, to work alongside humans in
space. (Credit: NASA)
