Introduction to Robotics

Robotics is a branch of engineering that deals with the study of design, manufacturing, operation, and applications of machines that can emulate human intelligence and actions. These machines are called Robots. Robots are designed and programmed to perform human activities.

Robotics has a long history, as the first robot was developed in the mid-20^th century. Today, robotics is being used across almost every industry, ranging from IT to healthcare and manufacturing.

This introductory chapter on robotics is meant to provide an overview of robotics, its benefits, challenges, and applications.

What is Robotics?

Robotics is an interdisciplinary engineering branch that deals with the design, construction, working, and use of robots. Being an interdisciplinary branch, it combines several engineering disciplines such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, control engineering, electronics engineering, computer science, communication engineering, material engineering, etc.

In robotics, mechanical engineering contributes in design and construction of physical structure of robots, electrical and electronics engineering provides interconnection between different parts, while computer engineering provides the algorithms and programs for automation and operation of the robots.

Main Objective of Robotics

The primary goal of robotics is to design and construct machines that can be programmed to assist humans. Robotic machines provide capabilities to perform jobs which are dangerous to humans like exploring space, mining, shipwrecks, survivors in unstable ruins, fire-fighting, etc.

Robotics is also employed in several industries to automate mundane, repetitive tasks like monitoring operations, cleaning, assembling, etc.

Laws of Robotics

Isaac Asimov suggested three laws to guide the behavior of robots and autonomous machines, which are given below −

• Robotic machines or robots must never harm humans.
• Robots and autonomous machines must follow instructions provided by humans without violating the first principle.
• Robots and autonomous machines must protect themselves without violating the other laws of robotics.

These three laws of robotics are equally valid in present days.

Benefits of Using Robotics

Robotics is greatly desired in many industries because it can improve accuracy, increase safety, and reduce costs. It offers several benefits across industries, some of them are listed below −

• Robotics increases safety for humans in many dangerous environments such as nuclear industry, space exploration, defense, mines, chemical industries, etc.
• Robotics assists humans to compete their jobs and hence increases productivity.
• Robotics also enhances accuracy by performing tasks consistently and reduces errors.
• Robotics offers flexibility in adapting to changes by programming and re-programming.
• Robotics also reduces operational costs in businesses by automating repetitive tasks.

Challenges in Robotics

Despite the above given advantages, robotics also faces several challenges in design and deployment in real-life environments. Some of the key challenges associated with robotics are highlighted below −

• Robotics cannot not be used to perform all the tasks, especially those require human intelligence, creativity, and cognitive decision-making.
• As we know robotics can perform most jobs with higher accuracy, speed, and precision when compared to human workers. This capability of robotics increases the risk of replacing humans in those jobs.
• The initial cost of robotics is very high. Also, it is costly to repair and maintain the robotic machines.
• Increasing dependency on robotic machines can eventually result in reduced skills and problem-solving abilities of human workers.
• Robotic machines are vulnerable to hacking or cyberthreats, and hence there is always a security risk involved in their operation.
• Robotics require a constant power supply to run, and it consumes a huge amount of energy.

Applications of Robotics

Today, robotics is being used across various industries, from home electronics to biomedical and aerospace, to automate and perform repetitive tasks. Some of the common examples of robotics applications are given below −

• Robotics is used in various home electronic appliances such as vacuum cleaners, toys, lawnmowers, home security system, home energy management system, etc. to perform tasks without any human intervention.
• Robotics is also employed in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) to develop systems that can perform process automation, object recognition, natural language processing, or predictive maintenance.
• Robotics is also an important part of data science industry and it allows to perform tasks like data collection, data cleaning, data analytics, and detecting anomalies.
• Military also makes use of robotics for surveillance, reconnaissance missions, enhance soldier mobility on battlefield, etc.
• Manufacturing industries employes robotics for various purposes like inspecting pipes for corrosion, testing structural strength of buildings, quality assurance, etc.
• Robotics is an integral part of various mechatronics systems such as smart factories, autonomous vehicles, and robotic surgery devices.
• Robotics is also used in aerospace industry for applications like drilling, coating, painting, or inspecting components of aircrafts.

Conclusion

In this chapter, we touched upon some of the fundamental concepts of robotics such as its definition, main goal, advantages, and applications. Lets move to the next chapter in the tutorial and learn about Different Types of Robots.