A robot is A machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically
2) Provide an example of a robot and justify your choice.
An example of a robot is ASIMO, as it can move around freely and can carry out a series of complex tasks automatically, and very easy.
The following video highlights the 3 most advanced humanoid robots.
3) Include a picture of your robot.
4) Develop a timeline of the historical development of robots (p. 243 to 244). Use an online timeline tool to create your time line.
| 950 Alan Turing publishes Computing Machinery and Intelligence in which he proposes a test to determine whether or not a machine has gained the power to think for itself (The "Turing Test"). Since then each year a contest is held between various software developers to determine how close they have come to the true Turing Machine. 1952 The first Numerically Controlled (NC) machine is built at MIT by John T. Parsons. It is connected to Whirlwind (See 1946). It was used to make ashtrays for visiting guests. 1954 George Devol and Joe Engleberger design the first programmable robot "arm". This development led to the development of the first industrial robot “UNIMATE” in 1961. 1961 The first industrial robot (UNIMATE) is installed in a General Motors automobile factory in New Jersey. The assembly line robot is controlled step-by-step by commands stored on a magnetic drum; the 4,000-pound arm sequenced and stacked hot pieces of die-cast metal. 1963 The first artificial robotic arm to be controlled by a computer is designed at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital in Downey, California as a tool for the handicapped. The Rancho Arm’s six joints gave it the flexibility of a human arm. 1965 Homogeneous transformations first applied to robot kinematics. |  |
| 1969 Victor Scheinman, a Mechanical Engineering student working in the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab (SAIL) creates the Stanford Arm. It was the first successful electrically powered, computer-controlled robot arm. By 1974, the Stanford Arm could assemble a Ford Model-T water pump, guiding itself with optical and contact sensors. 1970 Shakey created at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI). It is the first mobile robot controlled by artificial intelligence. Equipped with sensing devices driven by a problem-solving program called STRIPS, the robot could find its way around by applying information about its environment to a route. Shakey used a TV camera, laser range finder, and bump sensors to collect data, which it then transmitted to a DEC PDP-10 and PDP-15. The computer radioed back commands to Shakey — who then moved at a speed of 2 meters per hour. 1977 Star Wars is released. George Lucas' movie introduces viewers to R2D2 and C3PO. The movie creates the strongest image of a human future with robots since the 1960's and inspires a generation of researchers. ASEA, a European robot company, offers two sizes of electric powered industrial robots. Both robots use a microcomputer controller for programming and operation. 1980 Seymour Papert publishes Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas where he advocates constructivism, or learning through doing. 1981 Takeo Kanade builds the direct drive arm. It is the first to have motors installed directly into the joints of the arm. This development makes joints faster and much more accurate than previous robotic arms. 1982 Fanuc of Japan and General Motors form a joint venture: GM Fanuc. The new company is going to market robots in North America. 1986 LEGO and the MIT Media Lab collaborate to bring the first LEGO-based educational products to market. Honda begins a robot research program that's starts with the premise that the robot "should coexist and cooperate with human beings, by doing what a person cannot do and by cultivating a new dimension in mobility to ultimately benefit society". They start with the experimental “E-series” between 1986 and 1991. 1989 A walking robot named Genghis is unveiled by the Mobile Robots Group at MIT. It becomes known for the way it walks, popularly referred to as the "Genghis gait". |  |
| 1993 Dante an 8-legged walking robot developed at Carnegie Mellon University descends into Mt. Erebrus, Antarctica. Its mission is to collect data from a harsh environment similar to what we might find on another planet. The mission fails when, after a short decent, Dante's tether snaps dropping it into the crater. Seiko Epson develops a micro robot called Monsieur, the world's smallest micro robot as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. 1994 Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) Robotics Institute's Dante II, a more robust version of its predecessor, descends into the crater of Alaskan (USA) volcano Mt. Spurr to sample volcanic gases. The mission is considered a success. 1995 The Robotics Group is formed in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Auckland, with its first mobile robot platform the Maxifander. 1996 RoboTuna (a robot fish) is designed and built by David Barrett for his doctoral thesis at MIT. It is used to study the way fish swim. Chris Campbell and Dr. Stuart Wilkinson turn a brewing accident into inspiration at the University of South Florida. The result is the Gastrobot, a robot that digests organic mass to produce carbon dioxide that is then used for power. They call their creation the "flatulence engine". Later a more conventional nickname is given: "Chew Chew". 1997 The first RoboCup football tournament is held in Nagoya, Japan. The Pathfinder Mission lands on Mars. Its robotic rover Sojourner, rolls down a ramp and onto Martian soil in early July. It continues to broadcast data from the Martian surface until September. 1998 Scottish hotel owner Campbell Aird is fitted with the world's first bionic arm. LEGO releases their first Robotics Invention System. LEGO names the product line MINDSTORMS after Seymour Papert's seminal work of 1980. Tiger Electronics introduces the Furby for the Christmas toy market. It quickly becomes "the toy" to get for the season. Using a variety of sensors this animatronic pet can react to its environment and communicate using over 800 phrases in English and their own language "Furbish". 1999 Sony builds Aibo. One of the first robots intended for the consumer market. It reacts to sounds and has some sort of preprogrammed behavior. It sells out within 20 minutes of going on sale. |  |
| 2000 The Robotics Group updates its flagship mobile robot to the B21r. Honda debuts a new humanoid robot “ASIMO”, the next generation of its series of humanoid robots. See 1986 and 1991 for the earlier series. October, The UN estimates that there are 742,500 industrial robots in use worldwide. More than half of these are being used in Japan. 2001 Built by MD Robotics of Canada, the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) is successfully launched into orbit and begins operations to complete assembly of International Space Station. The Robotics Group jointly receives a VC's grant to develop a prototype, portable, field DNA processing system. “Sumo Sam”, a 2-servo walking robot used by students at The University of Auckland. Sumo Sam used the world’s cheapest servos. His name comes from his distinctive walking style. 2002 Honda's ASIMO was the first robot that could walk independently with relatively smooth movements and could climb the stairs. Honda's ASIMO robot rings the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Sumo Sam at the University of Auckland was extended to include a vision system. The DARPA Grand Challenge race for autonomous ground vehicles is announced. The first race is scheduled for March 2004. 2003 The Robotics lab at the University of Auckland use their B21r research robot for navigation research. Augmented reality research begins at the University of Auckland, Robotics lab. A UN report predicts vacuuming robots will number 400,000 by 2006. The International Federation of Robotics report the global market for Intelligent Service Robots is valued at $US400 million. 2004 Epson releases the smallest flying robot. Weighing 0.35 ounces (10 grams) and measuring 2.8 inches (70 millimeters) in height, the Micro Flying Robot is unveiled as the world's lightest and smallest robot helicopter. The Robotics lab at the University of Auckland begin using their latest teaching robot—the Shuriken. This 3-wheeled robot can move in any direction and can rotate. Student Luke Gumbley describes the Shuriken as “Cool”. The first DARPA Grand Challenge race is held. This race for autonomous ground vehicles over 143-miles in the desert south-west of the United States is called off after the most successful team made it only 7 miles. Honda’s ASIMO visits Big Boys Toys in Auckland. The UNECE estimates the number of installed robots to be around 800,000 (Not counting small service or entertainment robots.). The millionth Roomba vacuuming robot is shipped – blowing away the 2003 UN prediction of 400,000 by 2006. | |
| 2005 The University of Auckland Robotics Group acquires a new, dedicated laboratory, and seed funding for 7 new Pioneer robots, which complement the B21r and various other research robots, as well as robot visualisation equipment and human-robot interaction equipment. It is generally acknowledged that the Robotics Lab has the best toys in the sandpit. Researchers at Cornell University claim to have built the first self-replicating robot using an array of computerized cubes. The Shuriken robot gets an upgrade at the University of Auckland. It now has optical odometry, a magnetic compass and a second processor. A new Robotics and Intelligent Systems elective is introduced for postgraduate and final year undergraduate students. A New Zealand entry (Grand Challenge New Zealand) is one of 195 teams to enter the DARPA Grand Challenge 2005 race. They achieve a quarter final placing after 4 months of work. In October the second DARPA Grand Challenge was held. Robotic cars travelled autonomously across 140 miles of desert race track. See www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge More than 20 postgraduates have now completed their theses in the Robotics Group. According to the International Federation of Robotics the global market for intelligent service robots is expected to be $US 2.2 billion. 2006 A second robotics paper is introduced in semester 2: Advanced Intelligent Systems. Sony retires the AIBO and QRIO household service robots. 2007… The DARPA Grand Challenge: Urban challenge will see robotic cars compete in various challenges in simulated urban environments. New Zealands entry is the Grand Challenge Nomadz. 2010… Japan's Mitsubishi Research Institute believes household robots will begin to penetrate the market in earnest in 2010. Predictions on the size of the Intelligent Service Robot industry in 2010… $US20billion (Japan Machinery Federation); $US24.3billion (International Federation of Robotics); $US70 billion (Korea's Ministry of Commerce) 2020… The Intelligent Service Robot industry grows to the same size as the IT industry in 2005 (Think of the number of jobs in IT now…. The same number of jobs will be available in Robotics by 2020.) Japan's Mitsubishi Research Institute predicts that each household would own at least one robot by 2020. |
the following webpages list some online timeline tools
i) http://www.edudemic.com/2013/05/timeline-making-appsweb-tools/
i) http://www.edudemic.com/2013/05/timeline-making-appsweb-tools/
5) Who is Isaac Asmiov and what was he famous for?
He made the 3 laws of robotics;
The Three Laws are:
- A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
- A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
- A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
See following for more information on Mr Asmiov
i) http://www.biography.com/people/isaac-asimov-9190737
ii) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov
If you have time, watch the interview with Isaac Asimov in 1988
6) Add the three laws of robotics to the following table. Then complete the remaining two columns.
3 Robotic Laws
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Benefits
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Disadvantages
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1)
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A robot cannot harm a human
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robots cannot be used in war
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2)
A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
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Robots cannot be killing machines
disadvantage- robots cannot be used instead of humans Disadvantage- can sometimes confuse robot | |
3)
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Robots have morals
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Robots can make bad decisions
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Disadvantage to law No.2 (table did not let me input): Robots cannot be used for defence in homes (against robbers for example)
2) Humans, not robots, are responsible agents. Robots should be designed; operated as far as is practicable to comply with existing laws & fundamental rights & freedoms, including privacy.
3) Robots are products. They should be designed using processes which assure their safety and security.
4) Robots are manufactured artefacts. They should not be designed in a deceptive way to exploit vulnerable users; instead their machine nature should be transparent.
5) The person with legal responsibility for a robot should be attributed.
8) Why has EPRSE developed the 5 principles?
So that humans can co-exist with robots without getting the wrong idea about what they are.
Click the EPSRC logo ago to get more information.
9) The EPRSE believe robots have the potential to provide immense positive impact to society. Do you believe this statement is true? Justify your answer.
Yes, this is true, as robots can greatly influence society by making their lives easier.
10) How fare will robotics go? Are we close to making realistic humanoid robots?.... Check out the following two videos..
We are close to making humanoid robots, but they are not smart.
Yes, this is true, as robots can greatly influence society by making their lives easier.
10) How fare will robotics go? Are we close to making realistic humanoid robots?.... Check out the following two videos..
We are close to making humanoid robots, but they are not smart.
Following German video is where they are predicting we will soon be...
So... what do you think. Do you think it is possible a Robot like Eve 2.0 will be made?
11) Probably not in the next few decades, as robots like eve would be incredibly hard to make, and the computers necessary for calculations for eve would have to be very powerful.
