Robotics 101 for Robofest May 2005

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Robotics 101for RobofestMay 2005

• CJ Chung
• Lawrence Tech / Computer Science

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What is a Robot?

• A remote-controlled machine is a robot
• True or False?

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What is a Robot?

• A machine whose behavior can be programmed
• Then, is a VCR a robot?

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What is a Robot?

• Is a tethered machine a robot?
• Surprisingly, there is no exact definition of a
  robot
• Today, people use robot for almost any machine
  designed to be clever

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Introducing Roomba!

• Vacuum Cleaner Robot
• www.irobot.com
• Affordable
• Virtual Wall

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Autonomous Robot Mower, Another example of
autonomous robots

• Hitachi H8S/300H (Cf. Lego RCX H8/3292)
• 16 bit micro controller (Cf. Lego RCX 8bit)
• Written in C with Real-time Operating System

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Robota

• The term robot originates from the Czech word,
  robota, meaning compulsory labor (or slave)
• From the play R.U.R. (Rossums Universal Robots)
  by Czech play writer Karel Capek in 1921.

What do we do after we have destroyed all of the
humans?
The play RUR featured robots that nearly took
over the world. They stopped only when they could
not answer the question
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Three Laws of Robotics

• In 1942, Issac Asimov, An American science
  fiction writer, introduced the word
  robotics in his short story
• Law 1 A robot may not injure a human being, or,
  through inaction, allow a human being to come to
  harm
• Law 2 A robot must obey the orders given it by
  human beings except where such orders would
  conflict with the First Law
• Law 3 A robot must protect its own existence as
  long as such protection does not conflict with
  the First or Second Law

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Definition (Autonomous) Robot

• A mobile computer situated in the real world
  interacting with the environment through sensors
  and actuators in order to perform various
  intelligent tasks without constant attention
• Real robots do not need joy stick remote controls!

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Definition Robotics

• The science of building and programming robots

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Robots for 3D Jobs

• Dangerous
• Dull
• Dirty

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G. Walters Robot The first Robot

• 1948, 1953
• A wheeled machine with motors
• Photocells
• Two vacuum tubes
• Moved toward light if moderate intensity
• Avoided bright light

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Lots of Robots after Walters Robot
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Lots of Robots after Walters Robot
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Lots of Robots after Walters Robot
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Lots of Robots after Walters Robot
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Lots of Robots after Walters Robot
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Lots of Robots after Walters Robot
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Lots of Edutainment Robots after Walters Robot
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First Raffle Ticket chosen by a Mobile Autonomous
Robot chung 4-15-00
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First Ribbon Cutting by an Lego Autonomous Mobile
Robot chung 01
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Lawrence Tech AIBO Robot soccer team
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A police robot extends a telephone to a red van
parked on 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
near the White House Tuedsay, Jan. 18, 2005 in
Washington. A man upset over custody of his child
threatened to blow up his van a block from the
White House on Tuesday, prompting a standoff with
police, the FBI
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Weaponized robot, also known as SWORDS, in
Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Friday, Jan. 14, 2005.
Many of the vehicles being developed will have
some autonomy, meaning they'll navigate rough
terrain, avoid obstacles and make decisions about
certain tasks on their own.
The Pentagon's research arm, the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency, also recently awarded
contracts to aid research of robots that one day
could be dropped into combat from airplanes and
others meant to scale walls using electrostatic
energy also known as "static cling."
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Humanoid Robots
Honda's "ASIMO" Rings Opening Bell at the
NYSE February 15, 2002
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More Humanoid Robots SONY QRIO
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Design principles of autonomous agents, Rolf
Pfeifer, 1996

• Autonomous Have to solve tasks without human
  intervention
• Self-sufficient They have to be able to sustain
  themselves over extended period of time
• Embodied must be realized as a physical system
  capable of acting in the real world
• Situated The whole interaction with the
  environment must be controlled by the agent itself

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Fundamental Components of Autonomous Robots

• A brain (or brains)
• Body physical chassis that holds other pieces
• Actuators allows to move. Motors, hydraulic
  pistons, lamps, etc
• Sensors
• Power source
• Communication

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Body Mechanical Design Problems

• Movement Changing location
• Steering Changing direction
• Navigation Determining location (very difficult
  task)

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Steering Mechanisms Pivoting, Turning, and
Walking

• Pivoting see next slide
• Turning
• Todays Cars are excellent example of turning
  steering
• Tricycles use a front wheel drive system
• Bicycles use a rear wheel drive system
• Walking Very difficult to realize
• Four legged
• Biped

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Pivoting

• Also known as Zero-turn radius steering
• Independent left and right wheels
• Examples Bulldozers and Tanks
• Two driving wheels and a rear idle wheel
• E.g.) Lego Roverbot

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Gearing

• Proper Gear Spacing
• Gear Reduction
• 16 tooth 16 tooth 11
• 16 tooth 40 tooth 25
• 16 tooth 8 tooth 21
• Worm Gear n-to-1 reduction. Cannot be
  back-driven!
• Pulley Wheels

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Sensors of Human

• Eyes
• Ears
• Nose
• Skin
• Tongue
• Equilibrium Balance
• 6th sense(?)

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Robot Sensor Types

• Passive Sensors (does not require power supply)
• Touch
• Temperature
• Balance
• Active Sensors (require power supply)
• Light
• Distance
• Rotation
• Sonar

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How to develop Intelligent Robots?

• The most difficult task
• Developing intelligent and adaptive software is
  the key

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Why Robotics in Classes?

• Multi-disciplinary learning all STEM (Science,
  Technology, Engineering, and Math) subjects
• Develops critical thinking
• Provides co-operative learning environment
• Teaches real-life lessons, not virtual fantasy