Robots: Types And History

A very short history of robots

Robots of inventions are changing the world at the drop of a hat. There is no surprise that they made their way to people’s lives. Humankind has been fascinated by the idea of artificial intelligence for ages.

A robot is a machine that is capable of doing complex actions. Robots can move independently, although they are programmed by a computer.

The history of robots is very long and it has started ages ago. For this reason, we are going to mention only a few highlights of their remarkable past.

The word “robot” came from the Slavic word “работа” which means “work”. It appeared for the first time in a Czech play, called “Rossum’s Universal Robots” by Karel Capak (1920). In this play robots are evil and they destroy humankind.

The word “robotics” was first used by the American writer Isaac Asimov in his short story “Runabout”. In his work robots were helping people. He also invented the three “Laws Of Robotics”.

The first robot (as we know them now) was created by George C. Devol in the early 1950s. He called it “Unimate”. His plan to sell it did not succeed. Almost 20 years later, Joseph Engelberger obtained the patent of “Unimate” and modified it into an industrial robot. Shortly after, he launched the company “Unimation”.

What is “Robotics”?

Robotics is the part of science which deals with the production of robots. In other words, Robotics is the study of robots.

Robots can help us understand and improve the world. It is important to say that nowadays they are more and more used in dangerous situations (like bomb detections) or in places where humankind wouldn’t be able to survive (like space). For example, NASA will be launching a new robot in July this year. His mission will be to stay on Mars at least one Mars year (687 Earth days).

All robots have a few consistent characteristics, that make them what they are.

• First of all, they have to be able to sense the surrounding world. Meaning, robots use different sensors. For example, light sensors for eyes or taste sensors for taste.
• Second, a robot should be able to move! The way it will do it does not matter that much. It could do it on wheels or simply by walking with legs. It could move only one part of his body or it can move it all!
• Third, a robot needs energy. In other words, a robot should be able to power itself either by battery or electricity.

And last, but not least – intelligence. A robot should be smart and understanding.

Types of robots

It is hard to categorize robots because of their great diversity. They are all very different – from the function, they perform to their size and weight. They all have different functions. For this reason, they are being used in different branches. Pre-programmed robots

Pre-programmed robots operate in a controlled environment. They do simple and easy tasks. Therefore, they do not require artificial intelligence to work successfully. These robots are mainly being used in the automobile industry. They make subtle parts for cars with great precision and artistry. Manufacturing has improved so much since robots became such a big part of it.

They have made their way to medicine too. Pre-programmed robots can do things very accurately and delicately. For example, they can kill a tumor in cancer patients without harming any healthy issues around it. They are also very good for learning and training situations. Medical students can learn how to diagnose and treat certain diseases.

Humanoid robots

Humanoid robots are made to look like humans or imitate human behavior. They perform human activities like talking and running.

In most cases, they are designed to look like real human beings – with eyes, nose, mouth, with different facial expressions.

Sometimes, the only common thing between these robots and humans is the fact they both walk by legs. They can communicate and are often preprogrammed to do specific actions.

Humanoid robots are highly used in a lot of fields. They can be researching tools in scientific areas (when studying the human body).

In healthcare, they also mark a peak. Leg prostheses are a great example of that.

Humanoids can also be used as personal assistants since they can perform tasks quickly and neatly.

Furthermore, they have entered the entertainment field.

There is a female robot at Universal Studios, named Ursula, who dances and sings.

Autonomous robots

Autonomous robots can operate alone and independently, without humans’ help. The environments they work in are not controlled since the machine can adapt. No special monitoring is required.

They can find their purpose at home as an automatic vacuum cleaner and at the hospitals as an automated delivery medication system! With their help, everyone at home can rest for a while.

The nurses can also have a few calm minutes.

Teleoperated robots are robots that are controlled by human beings (often with some kind of a remoter). They usually work in environments and conditions that are not suitable for humans.

NASA uses teleoperated robots to explore and investigate other planets.

They are probably the most popular ones when it comes to medicine. With their help, doctors can treat patients from long distances, perhaps from different continents.

Plenty of surgeries can be very dangerous. For that reason, these robots are often being used in extreme situations.

Augmenting robots

Augmenting robots are connected in some way to the human body. They can improve capabilities that a person already has or to replace them if they are lost. The user can contact with it in reality or use a controller. The movements that the user’s body makes control a robotic effector. These kinds of robots are used as prostheses or when a person suffers from a neuro-muscle disease.

Disclaimer

We have categorized robots into 5 main groups. It is still important to mention that these are NOT the only robots that exist in the world.

We can divide robots into even smaller groups.

All kinds of robots are somehow complementary. For example, humanoid robots can be considered as a kind of pre-programmed robots. Aerospace and aquatic robots are part of the teleoperated robots. Consumer robots are part of autonomous robots.

Most robots made their way to healthcare and medicine. That is no surprise since robots should be able to help humans!

Last words

Undoubtedly robots are one of the biggest achievements of science. With their help, humankind can become better and more powerful. Thus, this can appear as a problem too. Numerous inventions have been used as a weapon instead of something that can make the world a little bit brighter.

It is up to the human race to think seriously about how we are going to use them – for good or for bad? Are we going to allow them to replace us? After all, we are their creators.