CHAPTER 01

THE NATURE OF TECHNOLOGY

RObOTS
Slides by
Ms. Abeera Sikandar
lecturer
bahria college anchorage
computer sciences
What is a robot?
A robot is a machine built by people to do a job.
A robot must be programmed by a human to do a job.
Robots does their job automatically. No human control
Human vs Robot
A robot does not get bored doing its job.
It doesn't make mistakes.
What does a robot look like?
3 different forms exist
• Humanoid Robots
• Robotic Arm
• Non-Humanoid Robots
`

 Humanoid Robot  Non- Humanoid Robot

 Humanoid means looks like a human.  Non-Humanoid means which donot look
 Humanoid robots carryout day to day task like people, but do tasks that people do.
just like people would do that task.  Like:
 Like: Vacuum Cleaner
Climbing a flight of stairs Robotic car
Carrying drinks without spilling them
Robotic Arm
Arm that do tasks that human do with his
hand and arms.
Features of Robotic arm:
1. Has joints to bend and twists.
2. Has a hand to grip things with.
What jobs can robot do?
Three types of jobs robots are developed for:
1. Repetitive tasks
2. Detailed work
3. Dangerous Work
What jobs can robot do?

Repetitive Tasks Detailed Work Dangerous work

Robots do tasks that are Robots do detailed job Robots work in places
repetitive, means needs that require more where it is dangerous for
to be done again and accuracy in them, humans to work.
again. without mistakes.
Like: Like Like
bolting wheels on cars in microprocessor chips in space missions or
car factory. making is done by robots. under the sea.
Robots in car industry
Robots do variety of tasks in car industry
Like:
Painting,
Assembling parts (build engine, put on doors)
Welding etc.
Robots in car industry
Robots do variety of tasks in car industry
Like:
Painting,
Assembling parts (build engine, put on doors)
Welding etc.
Separate robots for all these tasks are used in industry.
Robots in car industry
Collaborative Robots
Robots work together to make sure all tasks are
performed in right order.
These teams are called Collaborative Robots

Paints in cars: Robots are good in that as paints

of cars are dangerous for human health.
What makes a robot work?
To make a robot work, three important components are there:

Sensors : Tells robots what is happening in the world around it

Controller : brain of the robot
Actuator : are muscles of robot. They make it move.
Sensor
Works like eyes and ears of robot

Video Cameras : give the robot a sight.

Proximity Sensors : tells a robot how close an object is
Bumpers : tells the robot it has collided with something.
Pressure Sensors: let a robot know that it touches something.
Controller
It is brain of robot. So it tells the robot what to do. It is
programmed to do a job.

Actuator
Robot uses mechanical parts to lift and move objects. These
mechanical parts (muscles) are called actuators.
How the robot Vacuum Cleaner works?
Function of Vacuum Cleaner: To move around the house,
cleans the dirt, detect any object on its way.

To move: it uses motors with wheels

To clean: it has a cleaner with vibration sensor
To detect: it has sensors
How the robot Vacuum Cleaner works?
Sensors in Vacuum Cleaner:

Proximity Sensors : measures the distance from any object with light.
Bumpers : detects if the cleaner hits wall or piece of furniture.
Vibration Sensors: it tells the cleaner if there is more dirt and more
cleaning is required.
What is a control loop?
Control loop is used to control certain conditions in any application or
system for example heating system in home.
How does Heating controller works in house?
Suppose your ideal temperature is 20 degrees Celsius.
• When the heating is switched ON, the controller sends a message to turn on radiators.
• The message passes through a temperature sensor.
• The sensor sends a message back to the controller telling it the temperature in house.
• When temperature is 20 degrees, controller turns OFF the radiators.
• Temperature sensor keeps sending messages to controller.
• When temperature falls below 20 degrees, control will again turn ON raditors.
How does heating controller make a control loop/feedback loop?
Heating controller make a control loop or sometimes called a feedback loop as the sensor
feeds back information to the controller.
Control system in homes
Variety of systems can be controlled by control system inside the house. For example,
1. Lights can be turn On/Off automatically detecting the presence/absence of any
person.
2. Heater can be turned On automatically when people are in it.
3. Ovens can be turned On so food can be cooked when people arrive.
4. Message to the owner can be sent if any intruder is detected.
Control system in homes
What kind of sensors be used in home for controlling following applications:
Controlling application Sensor Name
Heating system Temperature sensor
Alarm Systems Proximity sensors +
pressure pads
Security systems Video cameras
Lighting systems Proximity sensors
What is a smart home?
A house with control system is called smart home.

How does control system make life easier?

Control systems make life easier, more secure and reduce energy use. The controller is
connected to the Internet. So that house owner can control systems from anywhere.
Robots in other industries
Other than robots being used in homes, they are widely sharing variety of tasks in other
industries too, like
• In farming
• Shopping
Robots in Farming
Different robots forms are used in farming industry to perform tasks like harvesting,
ploughing, picking fruits/vegetables, and spray pesticides etc.
1. Robots drive harvesters, ploughs and other farm machines using satellite navigation to
find their way around farms.
2. Drones robots are used to spray pesticides or fertilizers where ever needed.
3. Robot arms are used to harvest and pick produce.
 They use sensors to decide which fruit is ripe.
 They use pressure sensor to that can pick delicate fruits without damaging them.
Robots in Shopping

• Robots helps in shopping in finding and packing items when purchased.

• Drones robots are now used to deliver good with online shopping stores.
• Robots shop assistants move around the shop and answer any questions
that customers have.
Robots and Jobs

What kind of jobs robots are replacing?

Robots are good in repetitive tasks that needs to be done quickly and accurately. Many of
the jobs robots are replacing are low skilled where people find stressful and boring.
Robots and Jobs

What kind of jobs robots are offering?

The new jobs are often high skilled and interesting like
1. Inventing and building new robots.
2. Building new factories for robot-controlled machines.
3. Technicians are needed to maintain and repair robots.
Artificial Intelligence

Robots are being developed that can act more like humans. This is artificial intelligence.

What is benefit of AI in future?

It allows robots to recognize pictures and speech
It allows robots to learn better ways of doing things
It allows robots to decide the best way to deal with situations.
Robot Vehicles (Autonomous Cars)
Features:
1. Autonomous cars work automatically without any human control or help.
2. It does not need a driver.
3. It has sensors to detect pedestrians, other cars and road signs.
4. The controller uses information from sensors to operate accelerator, breaks and
steering.
5. It does not need a steering, wheel or pedals.
6. Seats in autonomous cars do not all need to face forward.
Robot in Health Care
1. Robots can help doctors carry out delicate surgery they could not do without robots
help.
2. Robots nursing assistants carry basic health checks on patients..
3. Robear Robots: can lift patients in and out of their bed or wheelchairs. It is more
comfortable for the patient and prevents nurses from being injured.
4. Nanobots: It is a microscopic robot that may be able to work inside a patient
bloodstream to fight infections or carryout delicate surgery.