What do robots do with information? Robotics: history and modernity. The first robot. The use of robots in various fields of activity. The concept of robotics and its laws

Since antiquity, people began to think about creating mechanical people capable of performing heavy and routine work. In myths there are references to the creation by Hephaestus of mechanical slaves who do work for humans. But various mechanisms were also created from scientific interest, For example, the mechanical pigeon of the Greek mathematician Archytas from Tarentum, built by him around 400 AD, is known. Possibly propelled by steam, the pigeon was capable of flight.

And some robots were created more for entertainment or for the purpose of making commercial profit, and many of them were fakes, such as the famous Turk chess machine.

First drawing humanoid robot was made by Leonardo da Vinci around 1495. His notes were only found in the 1950s and contained detailed drawings of a knight capable of moving his arms and head.

Although, it is not known whether this robot was built. There is also an opinion that NASA specialists used Leonardo’s findings to create a manipulator in preparation for expeditions to the Moon.

The first functioning humanoid robot was created by French inventor Jacques de Vaucanson in 1737. The android was a life-size human capable of playing the flute. Flutist Vaucanson had 12 works in his repertoire!

But the most famous invention of Jacques de Vaucanson is the digestive ducks he created in 1739. These robots consisted of about 400 parts, and were able to flap their wings and drink water. The ducks also pecked the grains and defecated a second later. But, in fact, the duck did not digest the food: the grains eaten were placed in a special container, and the “output product” was stored in another.

By the end of the 19th century, an engineer from Russia, Chebyshev Pafnutiy, came up with a mechanism - a stop walker, which had high maneuverability. Of course, this invention was not of great benefit to humanity, but the idea itself gave a certain impetus to the development of robotics technologies.

In 1885, Frank Reade's Electric Man was first tested. The car had a fairly powerful spotlight, and opponents were treated to electric discharges that the Man shot directly from his eyes. Apparently, the power source was located in a van covered with a mesh. Nothing is known about the Electric Man's abilities or his speed.

By the way, the word robot did not yet exist. It appeared only in 1920, thanks to Karel Capek and his brother Josef.

In 1893, Professor Archie Campion presented a prototype of the Boilerplate robot at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.
The Boilerplate was conceived as a means of bloodlessly resolving conflicts - in other words, it was a prototype of the mechanical soldier. The robot existed in a single copy, but it had the opportunity to carry out the proposed function - Boilerplate repeatedly participated in hostilities. Although the stories about Boilerplate are interesting, their truth is suspicious, just like the stories about Steem Man and Electric Man.

Seven years later, Louis Philip Perew created Automatic Man in America. “This giant of wood, rubber and metals, who walks, runs, jumps, talks and rolls his eyes - imitates a person in almost everything exactly.” Automatic Man was 7 feet 5 inches (2.25 meters) tall, dressed in a white suit, and wore giant shoes and a matching hat.

The first programmable mechanisms with manipulators appeared in the 1930s in the USA. The impetus for their creation was the work of Henry Ford to create an automated production line or conveyor (1913). The first industrial robot that actually existed in hardware belongs to L.G. Pollard. October 29, 1934, Willard L.G. Pollard submitted an application to the patent office for the invention of a new fully automatic device for painting surfaces. In 1937, the license to manufacture this manipulator somehow went to DeVilbiss. It was DeVilbiss that built the first prototypes of this device in 1941, with the help of Harold Roseland. However, the final Roseland version, patented and released to market in 1944, was a completely different mechanism, borrowing only the idea of ​​a control system from Pollard Jr.

The history of serious robotics begins with the advent of the nuclear industry almost immediately after the end of World War II. The task set - to ensure the safety of personnel working with radioactive drugs - is successfully solved with the help of manipulators that copy the movements of a human operator. These are not yet completely “honest” robots, since they still consist only of mechanical parts: belt and herringbone drives are used. The modern name for such devices is copying manipulators or MSM (master-slave manipulators). One of the first companies producing MSM - "CRL" (Central Research Laboratories) - was founded in 1945, and its first MSM - "Model 1" - was submitted to the US Atomic Energy Commission already in 1949.

The date of birth of the first truly serious robot, which the whole world heard about, can be considered May 18, 1966. On this day, Grigory Nikolaevich Babakin, chief designer of the machine-building plant named after S.A. Lavochkin in Khimki, signed the main volume of the E8 preliminary project. It was Lunokhod-1, the lunar rover 8EL as part of the automatic station E8 No. 203, the first vehicle in history to successfully conquer the lunar surface on November 17, 1970.

In 1968, the Stanford Research Institute (SRI, Stanford Research Institute) created “Shakey,” the first mobile robot with artificial vision and the rudiments of intelligence. A device on wheels solves the problem of detour possible obstacles- various cubes. Exclusively on a flat surface, because the robot is very unstable. The most remarkable thing is that the robot’s “brain” occupies an entire room next door, communicating with the “body” via radio.

Stability research is leading to work on the dynamic balance of robots, resulting in horse robots and even several robots on one leg - they have to constantly run and jump to avoid falling. The era of stability and cross-country ability research begins. At this time, many robots appear to explore other planets and, of course, conduct combat operations in the desert. All robotics in the United States to this day is very often sponsored by DARPA.

Japan ranks first in the world in the production and use of robots. In 1928, under the leadership of Dr. Nishimuro Makoto, a robot called “Natural Scientist” was created, 3.2 meters high. Equipped with motors, he could change the position of his head and arms. And on November 21, 2000, at the first ever ROBODEX exhibition in Yokohama, Japan, Tokyo Sony Corporation introduced its first humanoid robot, the SDR-3X.

No human creation evokes such a mixture of admiration and fear: we want robots to make our lives easier and safer, but we cannot completely trust them. We create them in our image, but we are afraid that they will replace us. The Wired publication has collected all the information about robots: the history of their development, the basic principles of operation and the future.

History of robots

The meaning of the word "robot" was unclear from the very beginning. The term first appeared in 1921 in Czech playwright Karel Capek's play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots). The word "robot" comes from the Czech word meaning "hard work" or "hard labor." True, Capek’s robots were not made of metal, but of artificial fabrics. They looked like people and were much more effective ordinary person. As a result, they rebelled against their creators.

Thanks to this play, the popular image of the “machine that cannot be trusted” appeared, which is still used in literature and cinema (for example, in “The Terminator”, “Blade Runner” and other works). But there are also good robots in pop culture - for example, the robot housekeeper Rosie from the animated series "The Jetsons" and main character film "Bicentennial Man" performed by Robin Williams.

"Rossum's Universal Robots." Photo: Alamy

The real definition of the word "robot" is ambiguous, as are all these fictional images. Every robotics engineer will give you their own meaning of this term. But all experts agree on one thing: a robot is a smart machine that can independently perform tasks and interact with its environment.

A controlled drone is not a robot. But if he knows how to take off, rise and avoid obstacles, then he becomes closer to robots. The main thing in robots is their autonomy and ability to navigate in space.

The first robots that met these principles appeared only in the 1960s. SRI International developed the first mobile robot, Shakey, which could analyze its environment. The robot was slow and clumsy, but thanks to its camera and collision sensors it could navigate in complex spaces. The machine looked rather insecure, but marked a revolution in the field of robotics.

This is what Shakey looked like. Photo: Ralph Crane/Getty Images

Around the same time, robotic hands began to change the field of production. One of the first was the Unimate robotic arm, which assembled cars. Her descendants now work in automobile factories, performing boring and dangerous tasks faster and more accurately than humans. Even though they stand still, they still fall under the definition of a robot because they are intelligent machines that can analyze and interact with their environment.

Basically, robots continued to remain in laboratories and factories, where they either rolled back and forth or lifted heavy objects. Honda then launched a humanoid robot development program in the mid-1980s. The company made the P3 robot, which could walk quite well on two legs, as well as wave and shake hands. Then came the famous bipedal robot Asimo, who once... played football with former US President Barack Obama.

Asimo. Photo: Redux

How robots work

Most robots are based on three technologies: sensors, actuators and .

First, let's talk about sensors. Food delivery robots can navigate the streets thanks in large part to the Darpa Grand Challenge 2004 self-driving car race. Like cars, these robots use lidar technology, which builds a 3D map of their surroundings using lasers. Private companies are trying to outpace each other in developing self-driving cars, causing the cost of such technology to drop to such a level that it now costs relatively little to create a robot that can navigate in space.

LiDAR technology is often used in conjunction with machine vision, which is enabled by 2D and 3D cameras. Think about how Facebook automatically recognizes users' faces in photos. Computer vision in robots works in exactly the same way. Complex algorithms allow them to recognize certain objects and don't crash into people.

Rovers have been roaming Mars since 1997. Of course, they have become more advanced since then. Now, for example, the Curiosity rover (on the right in the photo) can split rocks with a laser. Photo: NASA

Inside every robot there is another secret ingredient - a drive. This word refers to the combination of an electric motor and gearbox. The drive determines the strength of the robot and the smoothness of its movements. It is found in both small Roomba cleaning robots and powerful robotic robots and self-driving cars.

In some robots - namely in - the drive works completely differently. Soft robots move due to the movement of air or oil pumped into them. This technology creates smoother and more natural movements.

Photo: Roomba

Speaking of robots, one cannot fail to mention the work of a startup Boston Dynamics. One of their works was a humanoid robot, developed as part of the Darpa Robotics Challenge in 2013. At first, scientists were able to teach him to perform only very primitive tasks, for example, turning valves or opening doors. Over the years, Atlas has evolved into an engineering marvel that can do somersaults better than the average person. Boston Dynamics is also working on a robot that can stand up on all fours after being kicked by a human with frightening dexterity. And all thanks to a good drive.

Robots are not only becoming more confident on their feet, but they are also becoming smarter. Intelligence is as important to robots as it is to humans. If you see an apple and can't tell if it's real or fake until you put it in your mouth, then you're not very smart. Roboticists are trying to teach robots a sense of touch, for example, the company SynTouch has developed mechanical fingers that can detect a variety of tactile sensations - from temperature to roughness.

Sensors are becoming cheaper, as are the processors needed to run AI. Thanks to the development of the gaming industry and GPUs help robots perform complex calculations not in the cloud, but locally. Thanks to them, robots like Kuri can use machine vision and recognize your face. Of course, to help you, not to track you down.

Glossary of robotics terms

• Human-machine interaction- a branch of robotics that studies the interactions between people and machines. If a self-driving car sees a stop sign and slams on the brakes at the last moment, it will scare both pedestrians and passengers. The study of human-machine interaction helps engineers create a world where people and machines live in harmony and do not interfere with each other.

• Singularity- the hypothesis that one day machines will become so smarter than people that an existential crisis will occur.

• Multiplicativity- the idea that artificial intelligence will not replace people, but will complement them.

• Drive unit- usually a combination electric motor and gearboxes. Most robots are powered by a drive.

• Soft robots- a type of robot made not from traditional, but softer materials. Such robots move by pumping air or oil.

• Lidar - special system, which creates a 3D map of the environment using lasers and allows the robot to navigate in space. Extremely important for both self-driving cars and worker robots.

• Humanoid robot- a classic science fiction robot. Making such a robot is perhaps the most difficult thing, due to the fact that such a design is difficult to walk and balance on two legs. However, humanoid robots can be useful when performing rescue operations in areas that are dangerous for people, such as inside a nuclear reactor.

The future of robots

There are more and more advanced machines in our world, but in reality, for robots to be truly useful, they need to become more self-sufficient. It is impossible to teach a domestic robot to correctly handle any object that it might encounter. To do this, the robot needs to be able to learn everything on its own, which means developing its artificial intelligence.

Take, for example, a robot named Brett. Scientists from the laboratory of the University of California at Berkeley taught him to solve children's puzzles where you need to select objects of the desired shape. No one explained to him that a square piece fits only in a square hole. The robot learned to perform this task through trial and error. Yes, this method is very slow, but it allows robots to acquire new skills and adapt to changing conditions.

Photo: Boston Dynamics

So far, people have to keep an eye on robots so that they, for example, do not drown in a fountain. Perhaps robots need to be taught to call people for help. By the way, some already know how to do this, for example, the medical robot Tug, which makes rounds in hospitals at night. He can tell the operator that there is an obstacle in his way that he cannot get around.

The rapidly evolving relationship between humans and robots has given rise to its own branch of robotics, dedicated to human-machine interaction. It is possible to teach robots to live with people, but it is more difficult to teach them to get along with machines.

Humanity has actually brought the new kind and begins to regret it a little. What if robots take our jobs? This is especially true for office workers, who cannot compete with superintelligent artificial intelligence.

Many people fear the singularity - a hypothetical moment when machines will surpass humans and humanity will become obsolete. For now, this problem seems far-fetched, but now is the time to think about it. So far, robots have disabilities, but it’s worth considering how much power you should give them. In San Francisco, for example, they are already discussing the idea of ​​a tax on robots, which will have to be paid by companies where robots have replaced human workers.

Robots have the potential to change literally every aspect of human life, from healthcare to transportation to work. Should robots help us drive? Definitely. Should they replace nurses and police officers? It’s unlikely - some professions are better left to people.

One thing is absolutely clear - machines are already among us. It remains to figure out what to do with the responsibility for creating a new type of creature.

There are many ways to determine various types and types of robots. As we can see, possible disagreements vary greatly. The main reason for these differences is that different scientists and teachers often have different views on what should be taught within the framework of "robotics".

For example, some teachers who teach robotics tend to focus mainly on industrial robotics, completely ignoring service robots. Therefore, when talking about the types and types of robots, they usually talk about the types of industrial robots. There's a good reason for this: the vast majority of robotics engineers will work primarily with industrial robots in their careers.

However, industrial robots are not the only ones. Therefore, as we see, when dividing robots into types, this division must be wide enough to include everything that can be understood as a robot.

There are two possible ways this can be done. Firstly, you can divide robots into types by their application, and secondly by the way they move (or not). We acknowledge that there are other possible ways to classify robots into types, but in our opinion these two are the best. Moreover, we prefer to use both of these classifications together. Thus, two questions about the robot will already be answered: “What does it do?” and “How does this happen?”

Types of Robots in the World

Currently, robots perform many tasks various tasks in many fields, and the number of tasks entrusted to robots is growing steadily. This is why, in our opinion, one of the the best ways The division of robots into types is the division by their application.

What types of robots are there:

Industrial robots.

Industrial robots are robots used in industrial production environments. These are typically articulated arms specifically designed for applications such as welding, material processing, painting, and others. If we are judging purely by demand, this type may also include some automated managed vehicles and other robots.

Household robots.

Household robots are robots used in the home. This type of robot includes many completely different devices, such as robotic vacuum cleaners, robotic pool cleaners, sweepers, gutter cleaners and other robots that can perform various duties. Additionally, some surveillance and telepresence robots may be considered household robots if they are used in this environment.

Medical robots.

Medical robots are robots used in medicine and medical institutions. First of all, surgical robots. In addition, some automated guided vehicles and possibly lifting assistants.

Service robots.

Service robots are robots that do not fall into other types of use. These could be different data collection robots, robots created to demonstrate technology, robots used for research, etc.

Military robots.

Military robots are robots used in the army. This type of robots includes bomb destroying robots, various transport robots, and reconnaissance drones. Often robots originally created for military purposes can be used in law enforcement agencies, search and rescue and other related fields.

Entertaining robots.

Entertainment robots are robots used for entertainment. This is a very broad category. It starts with toy robots like the robosapien or a working alarm clock, and ends with real heavyweights like articulated robot arms used as motion simulators.

Space robots.

We would like to distinguish robots used in space as a separate type. This type would include robots used on the International Space Station, the Canadarm, which was used on the Shuttle, as well as Mars rovers and other robots used in space.

Now, as you can see, there are examples that fit into more than one of these types. For example, there may be deep sea research robot, which can collect valuable information, which can be used for military purposes.

Kinematics of robots and their types

As you can imagine, the robot app does not provide enough information when we're talking about O specific robot. For example, an industrial robot - usually when we talk about industrial robots, we think about stationary robots in work cell that perform a specific task. That's okay, but what if the factory has an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle)? It is also a robotic device that operates in an industrial environment. Therefore, we propose to use both of these classifications together.

So there is:

1. Stationary robots (including robotic arms with a global axis of motion)
1.1 Cartesian/gantry robots
1.2 Cylindrical robots
1.3 Spherical robots
1.4 SCARA robots
1.5 Articulated robots (robotic arms)
1.6 Parallel robots

2. Wheeled robots
2.1 Single-wheeled (ball) robots
2.2 Two-wheeled robots
2.3 Three or more wheeled robots

3. Light robots
3.1. Bipedal robots (humanoid robots)
3.2 Robot robots
3.3 four-legged robots
3.4 hexalike robots
3.5 different number of legs

4. Swimming robots

5. Flying robots

6. Mobile spherical robots (robotic balls)

7. Swarm robots

8. Others...

Want to know about others? Yes, there are others. For example, snake-like robots. There are many areas of research that are dealing with different innovative types of robots. They will be very useful someday. However, we will now use them under the "other" type.

Of course, none of this is carved in stone, especially in robotics, where things change almost monthly these days. However, in our opinion, these types of classifications do their job quite well.

The word robot comes from the Czech word "robota", which means "hard labor" or "work". Today we use the word "robot" to mean any artificial machine that can perform work or other actions normally performed by humans, either automatically or by remote control.

What do robots do?

Imagine if your job was to tighten one screw on a toaster. And you do it again and again, day after day, for weeks, months or years. This type of work is better suited to robots than to humans. Most robots today are used to perform repetitive tasks or jobs that are considered too dangerous for humans. For example, the robot is ideal for defusing bombs. Robots are also used in factories to make things like cars, candy and electronics. Robots are currently used in medicine, in military technology, for detecting objects under water, or for exploring other planets, etc. Robotic technology has helped people who have lost arms or legs. Robots are excellent assistants of all humanity.

Why use robots?

The reason for using robots is quite simple and clear. The fact is that robots are often cheaper to use than people. It is easier to equip workplaces for robots, and sometimes the introduction of robots is the only possible way solving some problems. Robots can explore the inside of fuel tanks, volcanoes, travel on the surface of Mars, or other places too dangerous for humans. Robots can do the same thing over and over again without getting bored. They can drill walls, weld pipes, paint cars, and handle toxic substances. And in some situations, robots are much more accurate and can reduce production costs due to human error. Robots never get sick, they don't need to sleep, they don't need food, they go without days off and, best of all, they never complain!

What are robots made of?

Robots can be made from various materials: metal, plastic and much more. Most robots consist of 3 main parts:

1. The controller or "brain" of the robot, working with computer program. Algorithms with which the robot performs various manipulations are stored here.
2. Mechanical parts: motors, pistons, gripping mechanisms, wheels and gears, thanks to which the robot is able to move, move objects, turn, etc.
3. Sensors convert the received information into a convenient form for further transmission. Sensors allow the robot to navigate the terrain, determine the size, shape, distance between objects, direction and other characteristics and properties of substances. Robots are often equipped with pressure sensors that can determine the amount of pressure required to grasp an object without damaging it.

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence was originally developed with the goal of recreating the human mind, but currently a large number of research is focused on the so-called. The principles of swarm intelligence can be used, for example, in creating nanorobots.

Initially, artificial intelligence was developed with the goal of recreating the human mind, but currently a large amount of research is focused on the so-called swarm intelligence - a special type of intelligence that manifests itself in joint activities insects or at work large number simple robotic mechanisms. The principles of swarm intelligence can be used, for example, in creating nanorobots.

Robot Limitations

Unfortunately, robots cannot think or make decisions like in the movies. Robots are machines with programmed movements that allow them to move in certain directions in a given sequence of actions. AI allows robots to process received information and even learn. But they still have significant restrictions, since they are able to understand only certain types of information, and perform only limited set functions incorporated into them during creation.

Conversation with older children preschool age"Who are the robots"

Goal: to introduce children to the world of robots. Develop speech, thinking, imagination.

Source: website ru.wikipedia.org

Slide 1. Hello guys! Today I want to tell you about robots. Do you know who robots are? (Children's answers).

Robot - automatic device created on the principle of a living organism. The robot independently carries out various operations, usually performed by humans (or animals). In this case, the robot can either communicate with the operator, i.e. receive commands from him and act independently.He acts according to a predetermined program and receives information about outside world from sensors. Where does a person receive information about the outside world from? (Children's answers). It receives it from the senses such as sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste.

Modern robots, created on the basis of the latest achievements of science and technology, are used in all spheres of human activity. People received a faithful assistant, capable of not only performing life-threatening work, but also freeing humanity from monotonous routine operations.

Appearance and design modern robots can be quite varied. Currently widely used in industrial production various robots, appearance which (for technical and economic reasons) are far from “human”.

Humanoid automata (automatons) are often called “robots”.

Guys, how long ago do you think the idea of ​​creating robots appeared? (Children's answers).

Slide 2. The idea of ​​artificial creatures was first mentioned in the ancient Greek myth of Cadmus, who, having killed a dragon, scattered its teeth on the ground and plowed them, soldiers grew from the teeth.

And in another ancient Greek myth about Pygmalion, who breathed life into the statue he created - Galatea.

The myth about Hephaestus also tells how he created various servants for himself.

Information about the first practical application prototypes of modern robots - mechanical people with automatic control- belong to the Hellenistic era.

Slide 3. Then, four gilded female figures were installed on the lighthouse built on the island of Pharos. During the day they glowed in the rays of the sun, and at night they were brightly illuminated, so that they were always clearly visible from afar. These statues, turning at certain intervals, beat off the bottles; at night, they made trumpet sounds, warning sailors about the proximity of the shore.

Slide 4. The prototypes of robots were also mechanical figures created by the Arab scientist and inventor Al-Jazari. So, he created a boat with four mechanical musicians who played tambourines, a harp and a flute.

And today there are a large number of robots in our lives. Despite their high cost, the number of industrial robots in countries with developed manufacturing is growing rapidly. The main reason for mass robotization is this: “Robots perform complex production operations 24 hours a day. The manufactured products have high quality. They... don’t get sick, don’t need a lunch break or rest, don’t go on strike, don’t demand higher wages or pensions. Robots are not affected by temperature environment or exposure to gases or emissions of aggressive substances dangerous to human life.” Guys, let's see what kind of robots there are?

Slide 5. Android is humanoid. IN modern meaning usually means a robot.

Slides 6. Robotic cleaners are becoming increasingly popular, capable of cleaning an apartment on their own and returning to the place to recharge without human intervention.

Slide 7. A combat robot is an automatic device that replaces a person in combat situations or when working in conditions incompatible with human capabilities, for military purposes: reconnaissance, fighting, mine clearance, etc.

Slide 8. For operational intelligence agency emergency situations and the police use "flying robots".

Slide 9. When conducting underwater inspections of potentially dangerous objects and search and rescue operations, the Russian Emergency Situations Service uses underwater robots.

Slides 10,11. IN last years robots are increasingly used in medicine; in particular, are being developed various models surgical robots.

Slide 12. And many other robots. For example, microrobots.

Slide 13. Robots are musicians and robots are artists.

Slide 14. Robot - waiter, robot - porter, robot - gardener, etc.

Slides 15,16. And, of course, robots are toys.

Guys, maybe you can also tell me about some robots? Let's listen to your stories.