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What is a robot?

ROBOTICS

The Robotic Industries Association (RIA) defines robot as follows:

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"A robot is a reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move material, parts, tools or specialized devices through variable programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks."

A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically.[2] A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within.

Actuators:

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Actuators move the different members of the robots by the specified amount and the specified point of time, angle or the linear translation, as per the commands received from the controllers.

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Along with the motion actuators also provide the requisite force to the members.

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Actuators can be electrical like permanent magnet D.C. motors, stepper motors, solenoids, printed armature motors or hydraulic like linear cylinders, hydraulic motors and actuators in robots can also be pneumatic.

Sensors:

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• What makes a robot special and advanced than a machine? It is the proper use of sensors, at right places, in a robot.
• Sensors as the name suggest can sense the surroundings and the different objects with which it is interacting.
• Sensors provide feedback to the controlling system about the motion of actuators and other members, how much they have moved, what is the speed, acceleration and also sensors can provide information about pressures and forces which are acting upon.

• Some advanced sensors such as optical sensor, thermal sensors and vision sensors which can create more vivid image of the surroundings and provide more detailed information to the controlling system.

Processors and Controllers:

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• To give the starting command to the actuators, receive and process the feedback information from the sensors and then provide the corrected signal to the actuators,
• Processing and Controlling system is required. Controllers are programmed as per the function to the robot.
• certain software and programmers are used for this purpose. The feed back information received from the sensors is passed through the signal convertors where is made usable and passed on to the processors which in turn disseminate the modified signals.

End-Effectors

• Another quality that most robots have in common is end-effectors. The terms “effector” and “end-effector” are sometimes used interchangeably. Both terms refer to the tools aboard the robot — the parts that perform the actual work and interact with the environment or a workpiece. Here are a few examples:

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• Factory robots may feature end-effectors such as welding torches, screwdrivers, rivet guns and paint sprayers.
• Mobile robots usually have manipulators and grippers for lifting objects or disposing of dangerous ordinance.

Robots like those dispatched to other planets may carry shovels, drills, hammers, cameras, lights and other analytical implements.

advantages?

• In many situations robots can increase productivity, efficiency, quality and consistency of products:
• Unlike humans, robots don’t get bored
• Until they wear out, they can do the same thing again and again
• They can be very accurate – to fractions of an inch (as is needed for example in manufacturing of microelectronics)
• Robots can work in environments which are unsafe for humans – in the nuclear or chemical industries for example
• Robots don’t have the same environmental requirements that humans do – such as lighting, air conditioning or noise protection
• Robots have some sensors/actuators which are more capable than humans.

Disadvantages?

• The use of robots can create economic problems if they replace human jobs
• Robots can only do what they are told to do – they can’t improvise.
• This means that safety procedures are needed to protect humans and other robots
• Although robots can be superior to humans in some ways, they are less dextrous than humans, they don’t have such powerful brains, and cannot compete with a human’s ability to understand what they can see.
• Often robots are very costly – in terms of the initial cost, maintenance, the need for extra components and the need to be programmed to do the task.