Preface
Robotics is a fast-growing technology that has been playing a prominent role in various industries. In this article, we will look at different types of robots present in multiple industries worldwide.
Contents of this article
Robotics
"Robots
Characteristics
Types of Robots
Benefits of Robots
Conclusion
Robotics
Robotics is an amalgamation of engineering, imagination, and science with technology that produces special kinds of machines known as robots. They have one motto: to assist humans in various tasks across sectors that we never imagined. Robotic engineering integrates computer science technology to design, build, operate and make the best use of robots. The main goal of Robotics is to create efficient robots that accomplish the Herculean tasks for humankind, using the intelligence they are built with to make various jobs effortless, accurate and smooth.
Robots
There is no single definition of what precisely a robot is. These days, various machines perform tasks using voice command, touch and sometimes take automated decisions. From automatic floor-cleaning to cruise control in a car, we come across various applications of robots in our everyday lives.
Because of the diversity
To be precise, the history of robots says that they are the by-products obtained from the field of robotics. Some robots talk to us, some assemble cars, some perform surgeries while some program for us. Some robots make pancakes while others, like Mars Rover, are sent to Mars for space exploration. Some Robots are as small as a coin, while others resemble massive mechanical structures. This diversity in capability, size, and design has led to defining robots in multiple ways. Despite all the differences, we can draw a standard definition:
Robots are machines capable of sensing the surrounding environment, making decisions, or performing desired tasks in the actual world, thereby helping a human focus on those operations requiring manual attention.
Characteristics
With exponential developments taking place all around the world, the applications for robots are constantly increasing. In 2005, robots served majorly (around 90%) in manufacturing industries, performing operations such as assembling cars, fitting screws, welding parts, etc. But today, they are in every possible sector.
The idea of robots dates back to ancient times. After the industrial revolution, humans developed structural engineering capabilities to make devices perform desirable tasks using electricity. But, how did manual operations upgrade to mechanical operations and finally to robotic operations?
George C. Devol patented a reprogrammable manipulator in 1950. The first robot’s name was named ‘Unimate.’ During the 1950s, Unimate did a marvelous job in the Industrial Revolution. Now in the 20th century, we have robotic technology advancing more than we could ever imagine. Let us see the general characteristics of a robot:
- They all have a certain level of mechanical construction involved that helps them accomplish a particular task. For example, in Mars Rovers, every wheel is separately customised and built with titanium tubing. It helps them have a firm grip even on rough terrain.
- They all need electrical components for basic functioning. E.g., a rechargeable battery that serves as the power source of a robot.
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- They all have some level of coding involved. Without the code, it is simply another machine hanging around. The code helps a robot decide and perform a task by evaluating the environment or given commands.
Although robotics is a relatively young domain, this industry has been making constant progress, which is very promising. Sooner or later, we will hardly find any industry left without the intervention of a robot. Currently, we are witnessing robots functioning in the deepest of oceans to miles away in outer space, where human operations are impossible.
Let us understand the types of robots present in the industry that are helping humans with difficult tasks.
Types of Robots
Just like how difficult it was to define a robot, it is also difficult to classify them into types as multiple robots have been helping us in different domains.
Preprogrammed robots are built to operate in controlled surroundings. They are industrial robots that can do simple and repetitive tasks. For instance, in the automotive industry’s assembly line, the mechanical arm is considered a pre-programmed robot. The arm carries out functions like welding doors, inserting a part into another part, or the engine, etc. As a machine, it feels no boredom and never lacks interest in repeatedly doing the same job. It does that more efficiently and faster than any human.
A humanoid robot looks much like any other human. It can talk, run, walk, jump and mimic all human actions. A few humanoid robots are designed to look exactly like a human being, with human-like skin textures and facial features. The most popular robot names in this category are Sophia and Atlas. Hanson Robotics’ design Sophia and the Atlas is a creation of Boston Dynamics. They are perfect in terms of features. Also, it is trained to give presentations, address groups, and deal with Q&A sessions independently and perfectly.
Autonomous robots can work independently without the help of a human operator. They are designed and coded to work in open environments. They learn about their environment with the help of various sensors. Sensors need to be effectively incorporated to make robots. The computations perceived help the robot to gather information and make a decision or accomplish a task accordingly. The best example of an autonomous robot is a vacuum cleaner named Roomba. It uses the sensors built inside it to gather information about the floor and roams freely across the home or building to keep it clean. They are also used for trimming lawns.
Teleoperated robots are used mainly in situations where a human cannot perform a task but guide robots to accomplish it, such as working in extreme weather circumstances like fixing an oil leak underwater using a submarine controlled by a human operator. Drones also fall under this category. They help the militaries take surveillance.
The science fiction we used to see in movies is turning into reality. Augmenting robots are made to improve various human capabilities or replace those that no longer match efficiency. It can help accomplish the heavy weighing jobs, leaving humans to attend other significant duties.
Aerospace robots fall under a broad category and cannot be classified. It is because a large number of robots fall under this segment. Most of the flying robots are tagged as Aerospace robots. The robotic seagull named SmartBird, or the surveillance drone, Raven, the rovers on Mars, the Robonauts of NASA come under this category. These robots are programmed with utmost precision leaving no space for errors.
Consumer robots are those that are specifically designed for regular chores by the general public. Most of these robots are seen in domestic environments, for example, robots helping in doing household chores, trimming lawns, vacuuming houses, arranging things, and more. Recently, many robot manufacturing organisations have launched toy robots for fun. They can engage kids by telling stories, playing rhymes, or giving puzzles. They run on predefined programs that function on voice commands like “Robot! Engage kids with stories”.
In the wake of scenarios, like natural disasters or unforeseen incidents, where a human cannot afford to check, a robot can do the business. This thought has led to the invention of robots with features to deal with and manage disasters. These robots are commanded to search for survivors or carry survivors from the calamity-hit zones to first-aid zones. For instance, when the nuclear power station in Japan was damaged, Packbots helped the authorities inspect the damage by providing them with factual data to plan a recovery. This ensured no human loss due to radiation.
They are the most famous robots but do not perform like a robot. Drones are also called aerial vehicles. They majorly help in taking images, identifying abnormalities on the ground, detecting mines or bombs. They are used in military services and cinematography. Drones have sensors to identify plain surfaces of land and hidden mines. Also, the images or videos captured give officials a quick rundown of what is happening in the surroundings. People can also remotely see the live footage of things captured by a drone camera.
This is another domain in which robots are providing their services. Like humanoid robots, educational robots look like humans, and they can teach a class, solve math problems or give presentations. Simultaneously, there are just plain robots with different shapes and sizes which helo students or kids to play lego, learn science experiments, solve theorems, etc.
Entertainment robots have sensors with an emotional index. In layman language, these robots can feel what a human feels. So they know how to make you laugh, surprise you, or simply put you in awe by playing your favourite music. For instance, RoboThespian has been in the news headlines for being a popular robot comedian; other such robots like Navi Shaman in Disney’s theme park and music-oriented robots like Partner can play fantastic music.
Exoskeleton robots are widely used for helping humans dealing with sudden or congenital disabilities. These robots help rehabilitate a human to stand and walk again from paralysed conditions. The exoskeletons also support disabled people by replacing vital body parts like legs or arms, helping them regain confidence and easily merge it into their daily routines.
As mentioned above, industrial robots are mostly pre-programmed, along with some enhancements. These robots can effortlessly do repetitive jobs without getting bored. Therefore, repetitive tasks are not tedious for them. For example, the godfather of all industrial robots, Unimate, performs multiple functions with its manipulative arm. These robots can not just perform repetitively, But they also can collaborate to make humans’ jobs easy. Collaborative robots can work along with humans by taking some load off their shoulders. The robots in Amazon’s warehouses are collaborative.
The usage of robots in the medical industry is not new, but the progress made is remarkable. Back in 1985, the medical sector planned to use these perfect machines to accomplish the most intricate tasks. What was thought to be a revolutionary idea is now a reality. And they were not wrong.
In 2021, we have robots doing accurate knee replacement surgeries and precise incisions. Robotics in the medical industry has improved immensely, with the Grape surgery incident as a prime example. Various robots are helping healthcare workers do their jobs by providing additional support. Commonly used robots in the medical field include service robots, surgery assistant robots, social robots, modular robots and more.
Military robots are majorly used for scouting and surveillance of border areas. For example, the Endeavour robots are used to detect any explosive hidden under the ground. They continuously patrol the camp areas or war fields. Robots like BigDog are designed to carry heavy gears for the troops from one zone to another, helping them save their energies for the actual battle.
Self-driving vehicles are not unheard of news. This robotic feature has been in the industry for quite a few years now. Many robots drive themselves from one place to another with GPS sensors. But, the exciting fact is, these robots can now drive people from one place to another, without any accident.
The birth of almost all robots takes place in a lab. And so far, they are primarily built to perform multiple tasks. But these days, few robots are manufactured to help researchers in their research projects and experiments. The new robots assisting researchers are equipped with factual data and valuable scientific information. Few of these research robots are mobile; i.e., they can move from one lab to another lab, record the data without errors and track the progress. Soon, we can see robots moving here and there, conducting experiments. Simultaneously, the researchers can observe and come up with significant conclusions.
These robots can function in extreme conditions, such as underwater. Aquanauts are popular underwater robots that are used for deepwater surveillance. These robots can determine any abnormal activity, leakages or provide updated information about the underwaters. They can capture images of the Aqua life too. They are installed with multiple sensors to accomplish the desired tasks. Examples include Snakebot ACM-R5H and Ocean One.
There are more categories and subcategories of robots, but those mentioned above are the ones that are used chiefly to carry out complex tasks in different industries. These have done a great job and are continuing to do so, generating significant revenues across organisations. With a combination of science, engineering, technology, and AI, robotics has dramatically progressed. Let us have a quick look at the benefits of incorporating robots in various fields.
Benefits of Robots
With productivity, accuracy, great functioning, cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and zero error possibility, robots are great machines that can support every possible industry.
- Many manufacturing units have started to produce in huge volumes, more than they ever did. The robots can take care of the heavy operations with utmost precision, eliminating errors. It ultimately results in more revenue returns.
- Healthcare has seen a significant improvement with the involvement of robots. Even though this particular field requires substantial human intervention, robots have proved to be very beneficial. They can save time and energy for the staff by doing regular work, like keeping up with the inventory, cleaning the rooms, maintaining patient records, etc., thereby allowing the staff to be less stressed.
- Robots are highly efficient in all the task they perform. Most domestic robots have saved up the energies of home-makers, helping them relax and have their own time.
- Most automakers worldwide are now trying to ace the self-driven cars in which we can sit and enjoy the ride without any hassle.
Conclusion
Understanding robotics is way easier than designing a robot. With good knowledge in this field, Universal Robots provides different types of robots by understanding the needs of various organisations. Universal Robots aims to give an individual or a company the feasibility of incorporating robotics with convenience and accuracy. One can choose the best type of robot for meeting their needs effortlessly. Some robots need human assistance, whereas some can work independently. It shows that the proper collaboration of humans and robots can help industries achieve great heights.
Frequently Asked Questions :
- What are some examples of robots?
Ans: Automotive robots, welding robots, drug compounding robots are some examples.
- What is the most used robot?
Ans: The most commonly used robot is the cartesian robot, widely used for 3D printing, CNC machines, and packaging automation.
- Which is the most advanced robot in the world?
Ans: Asimo from Honda has been called the world’s most advanced robot. It was created in the year 2000.
