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

The robots perform their tasks by following a list of orders

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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

The system of articulations moves the manipulator to the correct place

There are many different kinds, some allow for rotation, others allow for linear displacement

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The power system generates the power necessary to move the arm and the manipulator of a robot.

ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEM

Most common way to power robots

3 TYPES

AC motor

DC motor

Step by step motor

AC AND DC MOTORS

Require constant control. The sensor must constantly give information, and the controller must constantly tell the motor if it should move or not

STEP-BY-STEP MOTORS

Don't requiere sensors for positional control, they move a number of steps forward or backwards

Don't have a lot of force, and they aren't energy efficient

ADVANTAGES

The motors are small

The transmission system is simpler

They are easily controlled by the processor

Electricity is distributed cheaply almost everywhere

They have more force than pneumatic systems

They are faster than hydraulic systems

Are very precise

DISAVANTAGES

The actuator is heavier, because motors are heavy

They don't have as much force as hydraulic systems

AC and DC motors are less pecise

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Pneumatic power systems use compressed air as energy

A compressor compresses the air into a tank

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

The compressed air moves a piston inside the cylinder which moves an actuator

ADVANTAGES

Fast movements

Lightweight, simple actuators

DISAVANTAGES

The movements aren't precise

The force is small

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Hydraulic power systems use the pressure in oil as energy

An oil pump adds pressure to the oil from a tank

ADVANTAGES

Large force

Precise movements

DISADVANTAGES

Slow

Heavy

Expensive

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Sensors detect position, temperature, acceleration...

Sensors pass the data to the processor as an electric signal

POSITION SENSORS:

Are linear or angular. We use them to measure te position of an object

Can be inductive sensors, limit switches, LDRs, etc

Inductive sensors detect metallic objects

Are a small electromagnet

Limit switches are the simplest type of position sensors

LDRs are resistances made of a semiconductor material

If an opaque object blocks the light, the LDR's resistance increases and no electricity flows

If nothing blocks the light, the LDR's resistance decreases and electricity flows

We use LDRs as part of photo-electric cells in automatic doors

Photo-electric cells consist of a laser light on one side of a door focused on an LDR on the other side of the door

FORCE SENSORS:

Different kinds of force sensors detect different forces, when we want to tighten a bolt the manipulator of the robot is a spanner with a sensor that detects the tightening force

TEMPERATURE SENSORS

Are very common

In the heating systems of a house

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

The engine oil temperature in a car rises above a certain value

Computers also have a temperature sensor

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Is the microprocessor that receives that signals from the sensors "decides" what the actuators must do

These "decisions" follow the program which was written by the programer

The controller also has a memory:

The software

Data, such as parameters for the program or information about the product

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Depending on the coordinate system

Cartesian coordinates

The robot moves in line along the X, Y and Z

The robot needs to know the distance to move from the origin of coordinates

Polar coordinates

The robot rotates around the X, Y and Z axis

The robot needs to know how many degrees to rotate

Depending on the degrees of freedom

The degrees of freedom are the number of axis along which the robotic arm can 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

Applications of robots in production lines: metal, welding, sticking labels, etc

ADVANTAGES

More economical

Faster

Can work 24 hours a day

Produce better quality

Can work in dangerous places

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It's hard to say exactly when robotics began

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

In the first half of the 20th century, robots that worked with relays were first used.

Modern robotics started with the development of microchips in the second half of the 20th. Thanks to the microchips:

Logic can be more complex

Robots are programable: a programmer can change the logic or the parameters

Michrochips are cheaper and more durable

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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Artificial intelligence is a capacity of the microprocessor to learn

The microprocessor can decide that:

In the morning the lift will "wait" on the ground floor

In the afternoon, the lift will "wait" on the 5th floor

NANO ROBOTS

Nano means "one million times smaller than the unit

The name Nano refers to their very small size

The could travel through the blood stream to a particular area of the body