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SPOTLIGHT

Asimo

ASIMO is a 4-foot tall, lightweight, two-legged robot that is designed to be helpful to humans. It can perform many of the tasks that we currently carry out ourselves, and can interact with human beings, making it the most advanced robot in the world. It can walk smoothly, run at over 4 miles per hour, climb stairs, recognize voices and faces, carry and hand over to a human user objects such as trays, or push a cart. It can be used as a receptionist or information guide, and is designed to be a helper to people, particularly those who are confined to a bed or wheelchair.

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SPOTLIGHT

How Industrial Robots Influence
Commercial Robot Design

Industrial robots used for manufacturing applications are certainly the most common type of robot, but there are other types of industrial robots and commercial robots perhaps more familiar to us. One industrial robot type many people may have been made aware of thanks to the recent war is the arms industrial robot – the type of robot designed specifically for use in warfare situations.

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Extreme Robots Overview

A few years ago robots were just characters in science fiction novels. Robots were the future. The future is now. Today robots assist in everything from sports to exploration, and from manufacturing to defense. Robots that provide exceptional services or entertainment are often called extreme. What follows are descriptions of some of these incredible creations.


Military Robots

PackBot Tactical Mobile Robot - Approximately 300 of these robots created by iRobot, Inc., were deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan to aid United States troops. The robots are used to open doors in urban combat, lay fiber optic cable, diffuse bombs, and perform other hazardous duties once done by humans. IRobot is also working with Boston University to develop a sniper detection robot that will be able to sense where a bullet came from.

Dragon Runner is a military robot that was built for urban combat. This robot weighs 9 pounds and is 15 inches long, less than 12 inches wide, and 5 inches high. It has 4 wheels that are designed to work whether the robot lands right side up or not after it is thrown. These robots are used for surveillance and other dangerous tasks.


Industrial Robots

The Kawasaki M Series robots are ideal for applications involving engines, auto-bodies, and heavy equipment such as construction and agricultural equipment. They are also beneficial for spot welding and investment casting. M series robots can carry a payload up to 1,200 pounds, and utilize an ultra high-torque wrist to manipulate a payload at high speed.


Exploration

Robots and other forms of artificial intelligence have been used for years to “go where no man has gone before”. What was the Russian satellite Sputnik, if not a large robot? The United States has used robots in the form of rovers, such as the Sojourner from The Mars Pathfinder in 1997.

Robolobster was named one of Time Magazine’s “Coolest inventions of 2003”. This robot is a 7 pound, 2 foot long creation that was designed to crawl along the coast, underwater, and look for hidden mines.


Competition

The development of affordable robots has opened up a new addition to the field of sports. Average people are designing and building extreme robots to do battle in an enclosed arena. Sporting saw blades, hammers, and other vicious weapons their creators dream up, these bots go all out to come out on top.

The robots compete in one of 4 categories: superheavyweights, heavyweights, middleweights, or lightweights. Rules and guidelines are provided, and then construction begins. Competition is fierce and somewhat brutal. Destruction is common.

Poker robots are also used in a different form of competition. They are being used to play and win online and tournament poker games. Poker robots analyze your moves as well as your opponents’ moves, and provide you with the most useful information to win your hand.


Building a Robot

You no longer have to have an advanced degree in robotics to build a robot. Complete kits are available online and in hobby and electronic stores. If you want a little more of a challenge, dozens of useful books are also available.

Some of the parts needed to build a robot are: batteries, controllers, electronics, and sensors. You will also need a motor, maybe some wheels, and a circuit board. Make a list after you have planned your design. The more complex you make your robot, the more it will cost to build.

You will also need tools and equipment. These may include needlenose pliers, a hobby knife, wire cutters, various sizes of screwdrivers, a soldering iron and soldering supplies, Micro-torch or heat gun, superglue, and a ruler. Additional supplies and tools may be needed, depending on your design. Remember to keep it simple in the beginning. 

Once you have successfully completed your first robot, you will better understand the steps necessary to create smoother movement and different functions. You may decide to keep pursuing this exciting pastime and go on to build bigger and better robots. If you are lucky, one day you may have a robot inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame!