Robotics

=**Robotics Components**=
 * By: Kalvin Low and Clinton Ho**
 * Video**
 * []**
 * []**

Power source
At present; robotic power sources come from (lead-acid) batteries, but potential alternative power sources could be:
 * pneumatics (compressed gases)
 * hydraulics (liquids)
 * flywheel energy storage
 * organic garbage (through anaerobic digestion)
 * faeces (human, animal)
 * still unproven energy sources: for example Nuclear fusion, as yet not used in nuclear reactors whereas Nuclear fission is proven (although there are not many robots using it as a power source apart from the Chinese rover tests).
 * radioactive sources

Electric motors are what majority of robots use to provide their movement. DC motors are often use in portable robots, and AC motors are often use in industrial robots.
 * Electric motors**

Muscle wire sends out the signal to different part of the robot to move or do certain command. It can also carry power from the motors to the rest of the robot, so it can move accordingly. It doesn’t only carry information out; it can also return information such as what the robot see or what the robot hear.
 * Muscle wire**

Elastic nanotubes are an artificial muscle technology currently still in early-stage experimental development. The absence of defects in these carbon nanotubes allows these filaments to deform elastically by several percent. Human biceps could be replaced with an 8mm diameter wire of this material. Such compact “muscle” could allow future robots to drastically outmaneuver and outperform humans.
 * Elastic nanotubes**

Piezo motors or ultrasonic motors are new alternatives to current DC motors. These Piezo motors work on a fundamentally different principle, whereby tiny piezoceramic elements vibrating many thousands of times per second, cause linear or rotary motion. There are various applications for this. One uses the vibration of piezo elemnts to move the motor in a circle or a straight line. The second application of the piezo elements is to cause a nut to vibrate and drive in a screw. The advantages of these motors are nanometer resolution, speed and available force for their size.
 * Piezo motors**

EAPs or EPAMs are a new plastic material that can contract substantially from electricity, and have been used in facial muscles and arms of humanoid robots and to allow new robots to float, fly, swim or walk.
 * Electroactive polymers**

Air muscles are pneumatic artificial muscles which are composed of special tubes that contract when air is forced inside them.
 * Air muscles**

A spring can be designed as part of the motor actuator, to allow improved force control.
 * Series elastic actuators**

Various types of linear actuators move in and out instead of by spinning, particularly when very large forces are needed such as with industrial robotics. They are typically powered by compressed air (pneumatic actuator) or an oil (hydraulic actuator).
 * Linear actuators**

=__**Applications of Robots**__=

__**Military**__
Many robots have been made for the use of armed forces around the world. The most prominent user of robots in it's military is the [|United States of America]. There are two main types of robots in use with the military: the Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV), and the Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV).

Unmanned Ground Vehicles, commonly known as UGVs, tend to go to places that are not fit for humans. There are three different types of UGVs: Light, Medium, and Heavy. Light UGVs are mostly used for reconnaissance, and are relatively agile. They are also used to look for bombs and other Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Medium UGVs are used for transport, and for warfare. Medium UGVs are able to bring supplies and weaponry to troops in remote places, and are also able to transport wounded soldiers out of danger zones. Some medium UGVs are equipped with weapons, allowing them to be used in combat against the enemy, in order to minimize losses. Heavy UGVs are used for extraction and treatment. Heavy UGVs are able to safely transport civilians and wounded troops out of battle zones, and treat the wounded as needed.

Unmanned Air Vehicles, commonly known as UAVs or drones, are used mostly for reconnaissance and combat. Drones are very effective in reconnaissance, obtaining aerial shots of enemy territory. In warfare, drones are used to carry bombs and other explosives, and can be controlled miles away, leaving the o perator safe, while the drone deploys the explosives.

**__Industrial__**
There are also countless usages of robots in the industrial world. Manufacturers use robots to do dangerous assembly work, at a much more efficient pace, and much more safer than if done by a human. Robots are also used to perform extremely repetitive tasks, which frees out more manpower to do other tasks. These robots are typically controlled remotely, and have a set path that they follow. However, workers must be careful to stay out of the work envelope (the path), as the robot could cause bodily harm if the worker is inside the work envelope.

**__Domestic__**
Domestic robots have recently been brought to public attention with the release of vacuum robots, and other cleaning

robots. They have also been popularized by movies, such as [|C-3PO] from [|Star Wars]. These robots tend to do chores for humans, such as cleaning. As such, these robots are very nimble, and able to navigate through tight spaces as required for cleaning. They usually contain sensors to aid in navigation. These robots are also pre-programmed, so that the user does not need to program the robot, and only needs to turn it on for the robot to work.

=__**Robotics Control**__= =By Arthur Jiang=

There are virtually unlimited ways to control robots but there are a few fundamental methods that are frequently used today. Most robots are controlled by three basic phrases: perception (sensing the environment), analyse (figuring out what should be done), and action (sending commands to move the robot). The actions of robots are controlled by the Artificial Intelligence, which can be programmed with various programming languages. The sections below are some components of the AI of a robot.

**Sensors (perception)**
Sensors are an essential part of a robot's AI. They detect various factors for the robot, including distance, light, and temperature. They are integrated with conditional loops to send commands according to what the sensor detects. However, sensors are vulnerable to extraneous factors, which would affect the sensor's reading or performance. Sensors need to be regularly calibrated to make sure they function properly. Even after calibration, sensors can give inaccurate or corrupted data.

**Task-Oriented Control (analyse)**
This method is probably the most widely used form of robotic control. Almost all robots are created to complete a task, and task-oriented control enables input values, collision detection, task conditions, and exit conditions. These functions allow the programmer to program the task of the robot with efficiency and effectiveness. Task-oriented control cannot function without the presence of sensors (unless the robot does not need to detect its surroundings). The sensors communicate with the program and return values for the program to analyse and make suitable actions.

-- //The image on right shows proximity sensors, which detect an object's distance from the sensor//

**Loops and If Statements (action)**
Robot makers make use of loops and if statements to analyse the values received from sensors. The basic function for if statements is to check whether or not the robot is too close to an object. Of course, if statements are not only used to check the robot's position but also other factors such as temperature, speed, and its tasks. Loops are especially useful for negotiating turns as loops are often associated with sensors and they can send commands to turn when the sensor senses an obstacle. After analysing data from sensors, the loops and if statements run to search for the best available solution and returns this solution to the AI to be put into action.

[[image:gr12computers/img179.gif]]
//-- The above image shows how a robot car makes a turn with implemented sensors//

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