Robotics
Definition: according to the NASA robotics is the study of robots.
Robots: are machines that can be used to do jobs. Some robots can do work by themselves. Other robots must always have a person telling them what to do (NASA). Another definition of robot is a reprogrammable, multifuntional, manipulator designed to do different tasks such as moving materials parts, tools or specialized devices through motion.
What are the components of a robot?
1) Sensors: allow the robot to gather information about it´s environment.
- Camera: they allow the robot to construct a visual representation of it´s environment.
- Microphone and buttons: microphones allow the robot to detect sound, and buttons are sensors integrated or embedded in bumpers that allow the robot to determine it collides with an object or a wall.
-Thermometers and barometers: thermometers allows the detection of temperature and the barometers senses the preassure.
-LIDAR (light detention ranging): sensers that use laser to construct 3D maps of it´s surroundings.
-Acelerators and magnemeters: acelerator are sensors that allows the sense of movement and magnetometers are sensors that allow the sense of the magnetic fields.
2) EFFECTORS: part of the robot that actually does the work. For example: the arm of an hydraulic machine.
- End effectors: are tools used at the end of an arm of leg such as spikes lights, hammers, screw-drivers.
- Motors: are used for many of the moving parts such as the wheels, flaps and propellors.
- Speakers: allow the robot to generate sound.
3) CONTROL SYSTEMS ("The brain"): it controls the robot.
- Pre- programmed: are simple machines re-programmed to repeat the same operations over and over.
- Autonomous: are robots able to respond to the environment and change their behavior.
