Research work "classification of robots". The use of robots in the modern world - the latest developments

Robotics - an applied science that deals with the development of automated technical systems.

The word "robotics" (in its English version "robotics") was first used in print by Isaac Asimov in the science fiction story "Liar", published in 1941.

Robot (Czech robot, from robota — forced labor or rob — slave) — an automatic device created on the principle of a living organism.

Acting according to a pre-programmed program and receiving information about the outside world from sensors (analogues of the sensory organs of living organisms), the robot independently carries out production and other operations usually performed by humans (or animals). In this case, the robot can both communicate with the operator (receive commands from him) and act autonomously.

“Modern robots, created on the basis of the latest achievements of science and technology, are used in all spheres of human activity. People have received a faithful assistant, capable of not only performing life-threatening work, but also freeing humanity from monotonous routine operations.” I. M. Makarov, Yu. I. Topcheev. “Robotics: History and Prospects”

The appearance and design of modern robots can be very diverse. Currently, various robots are widely used in industrial production, the appearance of which (for technical and economic reasons) is far from “human”.

Story

Information about the first practical use of the prototypes of modern robots — mechanical people with automatic control — belongs to the Hellenistic era.

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.

The prototypes of robots were also mechanical figures created by the Arab scientist and inventor Al-Jazari (1136-1206). So, he created a boat with four mechanical musicians who played tambourines, a harp and a flute.

Drawings by Leonardo da Vinci

A drawing of a humanoid robot was made by Leonardo da Vinci around 1495. Leonardo's notes, found in the 1950s, contained detailed drawings of a mechanical knight capable of sitting, extending his arms, moving his head and opening his visor. The design was most likely based on anatomical studies recorded in Vitruvian Man. It is unknown whether Leonardo tried to build a robot.

From the beginning of the 18th century, reports began to appear in the press about machines with “signs of intelligence,” but in most cases it turned out that this was a fraud. Living people or trained animals were hidden inside the mechanisms.

French mechanic and inventor Jacques de Vaucanson created the first working humanoid device (android) in 1738 that played the flute. He also made mechanical ducks that were said to be able to peck food and "defecate."

Types of robots

Industrial robots
The advent of numerically controlled machine tools has led to the creation of programmable manipulators for a variety of machine loading and unloading operations.

Appearance in the 70s. microprocessor control systems and the replacement of specialized control devices with programmable controllers made it possible to reduce the cost of robots by three times, making their mass implementation in industry profitable. This was facilitated by the objective prerequisites for the development of industrial production.

Despite their high cost, the number of industrial robots in countries with developed manufacturing is growing rapidly. The main reason for mass robotization is:

“Robots perform complex production operations 24 hours a day. The products produced are of 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 ambient temperature or the effects of gases or emissions of aggressive substances that are dangerous to human life.”

Medical robots
In recent years, robots have been increasingly used in medicine; in particular, various models of surgical robots are being developed.

As early as 1985, the Unimation Puma 200 robot was used to position a surgical needle during computer-controlled brain biopsies.

In 1992, the ProBot robot developed at Imperial College London performed the first prostate surgery, marking the beginning of practical robotic surgery.

Da Vinci robot

Since 2000, Intuitive Surgical has commercially produced the Da Vinci robot, designed for laparoscopic surgeries and installed in several hundred clinics around the world.

Household robots

One of the first examples of successful mass industrial implementation of household robots was the AIBO mechanical dog from Sony Corporation.

iRobot robot vacuum cleaner

In September 2005, the first humanoid robots, Wakamaru, produced by Mitsubishi, went on sale for the first time. The robot, worth $15 thousand, is capable of recognizing faces, understanding certain phrases, giving information, performing some secretarial functions, and monitoring the premises.

Robotic cleaners (in essence, automatic vacuum cleaners) are becoming increasingly popular, capable of cleaning an apartment independently and returning to their place to recharge without human intervention.

Combat robots

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, combat operations, mine clearance, etc.

Drone

Combat robots are not only automatic devices with anthropomorphic action that partially or completely replace a person, but also operating in the air and water environment that is not a human habitat (remotely controlled unmanned aircraft, underwater vehicles and surface ships).

Currently, most combat robots are telepresence devices, and only a very few models have the ability to perform some tasks autonomously, without operator intervention.

At the Georgia Institute of Technology, under the leadership of Professor Henrik Christensen, insectomorphic robots resembling ants have been developed that are capable of inspecting a building for the presence of enemies and booby traps (delivered to the building by a “main robot” - a mobile robot on a caterpillar track).

Flying robots have also become widespread among the troops. At the beginning of 2012, about 10 thousand ground and 5 thousand flying robots were used by the military around the world; 45 countries around the world were developing or purchasing military robots.

Robot scientists

The first robot scientists Adam and Eve were created as part of the Robot Scientist project at Aberystwyth University and in 2009 one of them made the first scientific discovery.

Robot scientists certainly include the robots with which they explored the ventilation shafts of the Great Pyramid of Cheops. With their help, the so-called “Gantenbrink doors”, etc. "Cheops niches". Research continues.

Travel system

To move around open areas, a wheeled or tracked propulsion device is most often used (Warrior and PackBot are examples of such robots).

Walking systems are used less frequently (BigDog and Asimo are examples of such robots).

BigDog robots

For uneven surfaces, hybrid structures are created that combine wheeled or tracked travel with complex kinematics of wheel movement. This design was used in the lunar rover.

Indoors, at industrial facilities, robots move along monorails, along floor tracks, etc. To move along inclined or vertical planes, through pipes, systems similar to “walking” structures, but with vacuum suction cups, are used.

Robots are also known that use the principles of movement of living organisms - snakes, worms, fish, birds, insects and other types of robots of bionic origin.

Robot Tuna

Pattern recognition system

Recognition systems are already capable of identifying simple three-dimensional objects, their orientation and composition in space, and can also complete missing parts using information from their database (for example, assembling a Lego constructor).

Engines

Currently, DC motors, stepper motors and servos are commonly used as drives.

There are developments of engines that do not use motors in their design: for example, the technology of reducing material under the influence of an electric current (or field), which makes it possible to achieve a more accurate correspondence of the robot’s movement to the natural smooth movements of living beings.

Mathematical basis

Aibo robot

In addition to the already widely used neural network technologies, there are self-learning algorithms for the interaction of the robot with surrounding objects in the real three-dimensional world: the robot dog Aibo, under the control of such algorithms, went through the same stages of learning as a newborn baby, independently learning to coordinate the movements of its limbs and interact with surrounding objects (with rattles in the playpen). This provides another example of a mathematical understanding of the algorithms of the work of higher nervous activity in humans.

Navigation

Systems for constructing a model of the surrounding space using ultrasound or scanning with a laser beam are widely used in racing robotic cars (which already successfully and independently pass real city routes and roads on rough terrain, taking into account unexpected obstacles).

Appearance

In Japan, the development of robots that have an appearance that at first glance is indistinguishable from a human does not stop. The technique of simulating emotions and facial expressions of robots is being developed.

In June 2009, scientists at the University of Tokyo introduced the humanoid robot “KOBIAN”, capable of expressing its emotions — happiness, fear, surprise, sadness, anger, disgust — through gestures and facial expressions.

Robot KOBIAN

The robot is able to open and close its eyes, move its lips and eyebrows, and use its arms and legs.

Robot manufacturers

There are companies specializing in the production of robots (among the largest are iRobot Corporation). Robots are also produced by some companies working in the field of high technology: ABB, Honda, Mitsubishi, Sony, World Demanded Electronic, Gostai, KUKA.

Robot exhibitions are held, e.g. the world's largest International robot exhibition (iRex) (held in early November every two years in Tokyo, Japan).

Robots are often associated with the future, with the highest level of development and advanced technologies.

However, there is an opinion that the first known design of a robot capable of performing human functions was developed by Leonardo da Vinci. In his sketches were found drawings of a robot capable of reproducing human movements, namely: moving its arms, legs, moving its head, squatting, and jumping. Such a device made it possible to simulate the presence of a person in knightly armor.

And in our time, even at the household level, many people use robots for a wide variety of purposes: from a robot that vacuums, to a robot that paints pictures. For example, the website http://roboroom.ru widely presents robotic vacuum cleaners and window cleaners iRobot pool robots and lawn mowers. Thus, now almost anyone can make their life easier by purchasing a robotic assistant for their home or garden.

The predominant direction in the manufacture of robotics is the production of household robots that help with housework. In principle, a robot is a mechanism with human-like behavior. The very word “robot” was mentioned for the first time in science fiction writer Karel Capek’s production “R. U.R.” , and comes from a word of Czech origin "robota", this word means - forced labor. It turns out that serving people is their main task. For example, a Korean-made robot can clean the house, do laundry, cook food and deliver it to the owner.

Naturally, all mechanisms are created primarily to facilitate human work and life. Developers and scientists from all countries are paying a lot of attention to creating microrobots for medicine that are capable of examining and treating the human body, various mechanized limbs, etc. For example, in Japan, scientists have designed a model of a completely independent chair for the disabled, which is capable of moving independently. In this, the chair is helped by multiple laser sensors, which assess the landscape at a distance of up to twenty centimeters and create a route according to the information received.

Japanese clinics have had robot nurses and robot nurses for several years now, and in the future it is planned that they will be able to carry patients in their arms. A robot weighing one hundred and eighty kilograms, coated with soft materials, will pick up the patient, and based on the data received from the sensors, will take the patient to the right place. This mechanism also has facial and voice recognition functions.

One cannot do without robots in studying the animal world. For example, a Japanese robot fish is capable of observing schools of fish completely unnoticed by other sea inhabitants. The robotic fish has a silicone shell that exactly replicates the appearance of any type of fish. Hidden under this shell is a complex mechanism, similar to the ballast mechanism used on submarines. These ballasts are needed to perform ascent and dive. Well, the movement of the “miracle fish” itself is carried out using the tail section.

To help environmental services, small robots of the API type (autonomous underwater explorers) will be created. Their task will be to gather in flocks of five or six cars no larger than a football, to patrol the depths of the seas and oceans, rivers and lakes, collecting information about the flow, pollution, pressure and generally the state of water in general.

Robotic cockroaches will be able to destroy entire populations of household harmful insects from the inside. Scientists in countries such as France and Switzerland have built a prototype robot that moves, smells and looks like a cockroach, and is equipped with cameras and special infrared sensors that influence the consciousness of other cockroaches, bringing them into the light. In the near future, researchers are going to create more serious models, for example, for managing animal herds.

by the company Honda An amazing humanoid android robot has been in development for many years now. Asimo(abbr. Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility), created to help people with disabilities.

Another of the wonders of robotics is the da Vinci robot surgeon. This device for surgical operations is installed in hundreds of clinics around the world.
The video below shows how a robot surgeon sews up a grape in a bottle.

Every day robots are becoming more and more advanced, and in the near future people will not be able to imagine their life without robots.

What are the most amazing robots today? And what can they do without human help? This is what we will tell our readers today.

1. Robot rover Curiosity

Many people know about this “baby”. The robot rover Curiosity is NASA's most expensive development to date. It cost more than $2 billion and took about ten years to create the smart machine. Curiosity's specialty is collecting soil samples and various rocks from Mars and conducting experiments right on the spot, sending the research results to scientists on Earth. In addition, the robot can take high-resolution photographs.

2. Geminoid DK

Hiroshi Ishiguro and his team from Japan’s Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International have created a unique robot that cannot be distinguished from a human. The prototype of the appearance was Professor Henrik Scharfe. The Geminoid DK robot is controlled remotely using special motion copying technology. From the first time it is difficult to even determine that it is not a person in front of you.

The robotic arm is capable of drawing unique portraits based on facial scans. After this, Paul begins to draw. The robot is a mechanical arm into which a pencil or pen is inserted. The uniqueness of the creation is that even if you sit the same person in front of Paul twice, the portraits will turn out completely different. The robot manages to accurately convey the facial expression and emotions of the person sitting in front of it.

4. WildCat

The creation of Boston Dynamics is a robot that is designed to serve as a scout. In our opinion, the robot is too big for a scout and is too noticeable. Among the advantages of WildCat, it is worth noting its ability to move over rough terrain, accelerate to 26 kilometers per hour and run. If necessary, the robot stops and turns around. The design of the robot is very stable; you will have to try hard to make it fall.

5. S-One

Created by the Japanese company Schaft, this robot can work in dangerous and hard-to-reach places. S-One is a bit like a person, only smaller in size. He is stable and strong, can lift heavy objects, open windows and doors, and use a drill. Schaft employees excelled in the field of robotics, so the S-One was a great success. The functionality and scope of possible work of the robot open up many possibilities for people.

6. Row-bot

Today, Row-bot is not a robot, but only a prototype. However, the idea deserves public attention. The vocation of the future robot is to clean the bottom of reservoirs and destroy dangerous microbes. But the most interesting thing is that these same microbes become a source of energy for Row-bot. It's such an endless process.

7. Atlas

A new generation robot with a beautiful name was created by Boston Dynamisc employees. Atlas was created in the likeness of a person, and its functionality is amazing. This robot is capable of moving through forests with the most difficult terrain. He does not fall and maintains balance where a person would have fallen and given up long ago. Even if Atlas ends up in a winter forest, it will keep going.

Robots have not yet entered our lives, as shown in many science-fiction blockbusters, but such a time is not far off. Technologies are developing at a rapid pace; a robot can be molded into both a combat unit and a machine with a human appearance and thinking. What inventions can be considered the most advanced?

Robot girl HRP 4C

Yes, the robot looks like a cute Japanese girl on the outside, but what's inside? The height of this model is only 159 cm, and the weight including the battery is 43 kg. The robot moves using 30 electric motors, and another 8 of these are responsible for facial expressions. The girl is often called simply Miim, she can dance and can sing thanks to a software vocal synthesizer. Miim can also recognize words addressed to her and interpret sounds. The first version of the robot was demonstrated by the Japanese back in 2009, and it is most often used in the entertainment industry, where realistic human analogues are needed.

Atlas robot

The model is 188 cm tall and weighs almost 150 kg. The robot is driven by 28 mechanical, hydraulic and thermal drives. The most interesting thing is that there is no battery inside this machine, like any other energy sources. The robot is powered by a special 15 kW energy converter, which operates through a standard 480 Volt electrical network. Initially, the robot was created to eliminate emergency situations and even man-made disasters. Atlas moves easily over rough terrain and can walk over boulders and use its arms to climb vertical obstacles.

Humanoid robot ASIMO

A small robot that easily imitates a human gait was invented by Honda. Baby ASIMO is 130 cm tall and weighs 54 kg. In addition to being a perfect replica of a human gait at 6 km per hour, the robot interacts phenomenally with people. Thanks to a video camera built into the head, ASIMO collects all visual information; it recognizes many objects, while estimating their direction and distance. Thus, the robot easily follows a person, and when approaching, can greet him. He can go up and down stairs, and also recognizes any obstacles, for example, without much difficulty avoiding people he meets on the way.

The producers did not forget to work with sound. The robot not only recognizes sounds, but also distinguishes them from the human voice. You can enter 10 human faces into ASIMO’s memory, and the robot will recognize them and address them by name.

Robot assistant HRP-2 Promet

Such a robot, of course, will not be able to replace a nanny, but it will act as a butler without any problems. Such a device will open your refrigerator, move furniture and control your TV. The robot performs all these pleasant things after voice commands. The robot has several cameras in its head, and they create three-dimensional projections for it.

Human double from Denmark Geminoid DK

The author of the development is a scientist from the University of Aalborg in Denmark, Henrik Scharfe. The Dane made the robot in his own image. Henrik Scharfe's double moves confidently, smiles and breathes. Of course, Geminoid DK is still easy to distinguish from a person, but it looks really impressive. The machine perfectly imitates facial expressions and accurately repeats movements. The robot can be controlled remotely.

Who are robots? Today even a child can answer this question, although not so long ago they were only heroes of science fiction novels telling about distant space travel or encounters with extraterrestrial civilizations. And these creatures were presented exclusively as mechanical people.

Expanding the “living space” of robots

A robot in the modern world is not a fairy-tale creature at all. He intervenes more and more actively in a person’s life, capturing new areas of activity and helping in life. Currently, robotics is put at the service of humans in a number of industries, including:

• space and aircraft construction;
• precision instrumentation;
• military-industrial complex;
• medicine;
• provision of security systems;
• Automotive industry
• and other areas of industrial production.

The entertainment industry actively uses robots. Children have long been familiar with robotic toys and transformers that change their configuration and turn the game into an exciting activity. In children's play areas today, robots are often used as hospitable hosts, arousing the interest and delight of children. As a rule, these are radio-controlled flying, running, moving, talking or singing toys.

The use of robots in modern world facilitates human work and expands the horizons of their further use. Although plans for their creation are not new. Researchers found a drawing of a nova in Leonardo da Vinci's documents. Researchers found in Leonardo da Vinci's documents a drawing of a mechanism that, according to the author's descriptions, was supposed to replace a person in heavy work.

Modern civilization has given impetus to the development of new technologies, among which robotics is not the least important.

What do robots do?

Engineering thought aimed at improving technological processes is increasingly introducing robotics into areas of life where precision, accuracy are required or, conversely, in conditions of survival or production organization that are difficult for humans to reach. The functions of robots in the modern world have expanded significantly.

1. In medicine, they are used to study the condition of the body and perform operations in eye clinics, in cases where extreme care and caution are required so as not to harm internal organs. The use of robotics elements in the manufacture of prosthetic limbs has expanded.
2. Since the creation of the space industry, robots have become reliable assistants and allies of people. The exploration of outer space also could not have happened without their participation. Self-propelled modules sent to the Moon and Mars delivered valuable information that expands our understanding of our space neighbors.
3. Robots equipped with security and tracking functions have proven themselves to be effective. They are indispensable in surveillance systems; they are the first to detect fires, preventing emergencies; they are taught to distinguish the smell of smoke and transmit the received information to the fire department control panel.
4. Observer robots are actively used to explore the depths of the sea and monitor marine life. Robotics helps study the life and habits of wild animals and track their migration routes.
5. Equipping enterprises with industrial robots allows you to free up labor and improve the quality of products, while increasing labor productivity.
6. The world's most powerful armies have also deployed robots. These newest devices allow you to adjust the trajectory of missiles and are used to detect enemy equipment and destroy it.

The possibilities for using robots in everyday life are expanding. There are already known robotic nannies invented in Japan that can not only monitor a child and protect from injury, but also entertain by reading fairy tales, singing children's songs, and becoming a participant in a children's game.

The use of robot maids is no less actively promoted. They are endowed with many functions:

• clean with a vacuum cleaner;
• without human intervention they can mow the grass on the lawn;
• wash and iron clothes;
• will ensure the inviolability of the home.

At the same time, constant work is underway to expand the functions of housewife robots. They are taught to cook, serve and clear the table. At the same time, they can answer questions from people in the house.

What the new generation of robotics can do

The areas of application of robots are expanding every day. New areas of their use are emerging, and their appearance is changing. Today, the most advanced robots in the world are produced in Japan, where robotics has been widely developed. It is this country that owes its appearance to robots that facilitate work in various areas of everyday life and industrial production, social and cultural spheres.

1. Japanese engineers have created a robotic fish whose functions include monitoring the number and movement of schools of commercial fish. Its silicone surface and color completely replicate the “appearance” of the abodes of the deep sea and make it invisible among the inhabitants of the seas.
2. There, in Japan, robots—“nurses”—are being introduced to work in medical institutions. They are devices that move silently and instantly respond to voice, and can also recognize the patient's face. Their use makes the work of medical workers easier and helps improve medical care. In the future, they will be able to transfer patients from place to place. Outwardly, these are pleasant, cute mechanical creatures, very similar to humans, tireless, calm, neat. They say that adults are the same as children, only bigger. That is why they create robots that look like toys, the functions of which often cause a smile and, at the same time, admiration.
3. There, in Japan, specialists developed a robotic photo model. This is a mechanical pretty girl, gracefully moving along the catwalk. She takes various poses and knows how to express emotions. Model HRP-4C is 158 cm tall and weighs 43 kg.
4. The American D. Hanson continues to work on the development of mechanical people who can express emotions like people. He is responsible for creating a head with a face similar in appearance to Albert Einstein. He “taught” the head to smile, frown, wink and laugh exactly as the scientist himself did. Camera eyes react to the emotional state of others and “respond” with an appropriate reaction.
5. An entire orchestra of robot musicians has already been developed. They know how to play musical instruments: flute, electric organ, drum, and at the same time they are able to “listen” to the melody and adjust their actions, adapting to the sounding melody.
6. Residents and guests of Switzerland are familiar with the unusual street artist Salvador Dabu with a mustache and a beret on his head. This is a robot that takes a photo and then, using a special algorithm, paints a portrait. At the same time, he is quite talkative.
7. Demonstrative chess battles taking place between grandmasters and the electronic brain have long been known. But today, Russian scientists have developed a mechanical man who can play this wise game, sitting with the master at the same table and moving the pieces with a three-fingered hand.
8. For future parents, Japanese robot builders have prepared a robot simulator that looks like a small child and creates the same problems for mom and dad as a real baby. He requires careful care and gentle treatment, and if his parents do not pay him enough attention, he begins to cry inconsolably, and it is not so easy to calm him down.
9. The smallest human-like robot is also assembled there. The height of this baby is only 15 cm, and the mechanism thanks to which he walks, dances, does push-ups and even demonstrates some tai chi wrestling techniques does not exceed one centimeter. They control it by voice or remote control.

In certain situations, robots can also be used as salespeople. The remote presence robot from the Russian company Ucan copes well with this function. In this case, the person does not have to be nearby: he can watch the picture of what is happening on the monitor and control the actions of the mechanical seller. These devices were among the first to appear on the robotics market and are constantly being improved and expanded their functions.

And its latest developments in this direction make it possible to take customer service to a new level and give this activity dynamism and higher quality.

It’s hard to say what’s more: rationalism or cheerful hooliganism in the invention of a robot, which, according to its creators, should destroy hordes of cockroaches in kitchens. Scientists from France, Belgium and Switzerland worked on this robotic cockroach. Their creation looks and smells like a cockroach, and moves on small wheels. The “fathers-inventors” equipped their brainchild with cameras and infrared sensors. They attract insects to the light, with the help of which they are “led away” from the house.

Guide robots and shepherds are being developed and tested.