Robots....................................

Robot is a machine that can perform a complicated series of tasks automatically. It is a machine that is made to look like a human and that can do something’s that a human can do. In other words it is a computer controlled machine programmed to move, do work as per instruction and interact with environment. Robots were introduced to do tasks more easily and repeatedly without any harm to human body. They can perform many tasks that man cannot perform easily. ‘Robot’ was originated from Czech word ‘robota’ that stands for ‘compulsory labor’. It was first used in Czech and named robot since to define a machine that performs and reduce human difficulties.

In the earliest robots there were not so many functions but were perfect at that time. There was feedback or self correcting control mechanisms that still are in use. For example- In coffee machine, while pouring the coffee it pours up to the top and does not stop till it gets full. When it’s full the machine stops pouring the coffee.
The Scottish engineer James Watt first invented the feedback controller named as Watt governor in 1788. It contains two metal balls connected to drive shaft of a steam engine and was coupled to valve that regulated the flow of steam. As the speed was increased, due to centrifugal force the balls swung out closing the valve. The flow of steam was decreased to reduce the speed.
In 18th century, the machines were not so developed. They were only used in big factories. As the development of technology increased, the machines and their design and function were also slowly developed. The development of the multijointed artificial arm, or manipulator, led to the modern robot. A primitive arm that could be programmed to perform specific tasks was developed by the American inventor George Devol, Jr., in 1954. In 1975 the American mechanical engineer Victor Scheinman, while a graduate student at Stanford University in California, developed a truly flexible multipurpose manipulator known as the Programmable Universal Manipulation Arm (PUMA). PUMA was capable of moving an object and placing it with any orientation in a desired location within its reach. The basic multijointed concept of the PUMA is the template for most contemporary robots.
Robots were designed visualizing the human. Their body shapes and functions all were as humans but with higher stability and no defect and some differences. The inspiration for the design of a robot manipulator is the human arm, but with some differences. For example, a robot arm can extend by telescoping—that is, by sliding cylindrical sections one over another to lengthen the arm. Robot arms also can be constructed so that they bend like an elephant trunk. Grippers, or end effectors, are designed to mimic the function and structure of the human hand. Many robots are equipped with special purpose grippers to grasp particular devices such as a rack of test tubes or an arc-welder.
The joints of arms of robot are usually driven by electric motors. In most robots, the gripper is moved from one position to another, changing its orientation. A computer calculates the joint angles needed to move the gripper to the desired position in a process known as inverse kinematics.
Robots are designed in such a way that they can interact easily with children’s, workers and known environment. For a robot to interact with unknown environment they require multiple sensors and controls to avoid obstacles. Robots require a powerful sensors and chips to process the complex information that allows them to interact easily. Safety must be integral to design of human service robots.
Millions of robots are working in the industrialized world. They are functioned to perform dangerous or unpleasant tasks to humans. We can see some robots working on hospitals laboratory for medical tests. Robots can perform repetitive work 24 hours a day without any rest, which is far better than human work. A major user of robots is the automobile industry. General Motors Corporation uses approximately 16,000 robots for tasks such as spot welding, painting, machine loading, parts transfer, and assembly. These robots are design and programmed in such a way that they perform there tasks repeatedly in automobile industry. Robots are used in electronic assembly where they mount microchips on circuit boards. Nowadays we can see many robots competition in highly develpoed cities.
Today we can many robots that play with children and entertain them. Robots that automatic clean houses twice a day, cooks food, wash clothes, dishes, etc. We can say that robots are the coworkers that help us in every field of our life... So enjoy your life in this robotic world……………………….