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A robot is a machine that performs a task or a variety of tasks automatically following a program

A program is a list of orders

Robots perform their tasks by following that list

Robot simple = automatism

"Programmable robots" are those for which we can change the program so that they perform different tasks, they have microprocessor or they are controlledby an external computer

The software is stored in a memory an run by a processor

The commands are written in a programming language

Control is the part of the robot which is dedicated to regulating and governing the actions of the robot according to real-life situations

If the ship has deviated a lot, it moves the rudder a lot

If the ship has only deviated a little, it moves the rudder only a little

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Actuator (arm)

Most robots are "robotic arms" which work in production lines

The actuator has a "manipulator" and a system of articulations

The manipulator acts on the product which passes along the production line

They could be a paint gun that paints cars in a car factory, a screwdriver that tightens the screw of toasters on a toaster assembly line, etc

The system of articulations move the manipulator to the correct place

Power system

Generates the power necessary to move the arm and the manipulator of the robot

There are 3 types of power system: electric, pneumatic and hydraulic

1. Electric power system

Are the most common way to power robots

There are 3 types: AC motor, DC motor and step-by-step motor

AC motor and DC motor requiere constant control

Step-by-step motor don't requiere sensors for position control, they move a number of steps forward and the controller has a memory to remember how many steps they have to move

2. Pneumatic power system

Use compressed air as energy

A compressor compressed the air into a tank

The compressed air travels from the tank through a system of pipes and valves to the cylindres

The compressed air moves a piston inside the cylindres, which moves an acuator

3. Hydraulic power system

Use the pressure in oil as energy

An oil pump adds pressure to the oil from a tank

The oil travels through a system of pipes

The oil moves the actuators and then returns to the tank

Sensors

Detect position, temperature, acceleration, etc

Sensors pass the data to the processor as an electric signal

There are different types

1. Position sensors

Are linear or angular

We use them to measure the position of an object, it's size or it's shape

Can be limit, switches, LDRs...

"Inductive sensors" detect metallic object without touching them

"Limit switches" are the simplest type of position sensors

LDRs are resistances made of a semiconductor material that varies it's resistivity with variations of light

2. Force sensors

Different kinds of force sensors detect different forces

3. Temperature sensors

Are very common

Are also used as safety devices in machines which have a risk of overheating

Computer also have this sensor

The controller

Is the microprocessor that receives the signals from the sensors, "decides" what the actuators must do, and then "tells" the actuator and the articulations of the arm when to move or stop

The controller also have a memory to store

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We can classify robots in various ways:

Depending on the coordinate system:

Cartesian coordinates (robot moves in a line along the X,Y and Z axis)

Polar coordinates (robot rotates around X,Y and Z axis and robot needs to know how many degrees to rotate)

Depending on the degrees of freedom

Freedom are the number of axis along which the robotic arm cam move

The minimum is one and the maximum is 6

Depending on the energy used

Hydraulic

Pneumatic

Electric

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Most robots "work" on production lines, especially where the activity is repetitive, dangerous or tiring

There are many different examples in production lines: metal, welding, sticking labels, etc

Robots are generally used if they have one or more of the following advantages:

More economical than a person

Faster than a person

Can work 24 hours a day

Producer better quality

Can work in dangerous places

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It's hard to say exactly when robotics began

Some historians date the beggining of robotics to the middle ages, when machines were first used without direct human control

In the first half of the 20th century

Robots worked with relays were first used

Automatisms were simple but funcional

Modern robotics started with the development of microchips in the second half of the 10th century

Thanks to the microchips:

Logic can be more complex

Robots are programmable

Microchips are cheaper and more durable

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Artificial Intelligence

Is the capacity of the microprocessor to "learn from experience"

Nano robots

Nano means "one million times smaller than the unit"

The name "nano robots" refers to their very small size

These robots have many potencial applications

They could also travel through the blood stream to a particular are of the body, and release a medicine there