LEARN ELECTRONIC

Robots have been with us for less than 50 years, but the idea of inanimate creations to do our bidding is much, much older. The ancient Greek poet Homer described maidens of gold, metallic helpers for the Hephaistos, the Greek god of the forge. The golems of medieval Jewish legend were robot-like servants made of clay, brought to life by a spoken charm. Leonardo da Vinci drew plans for a mechanical man in 1495.

But real robots wouldn’t become possible until the 1950’s and 60’s, with the invention of transistors and integrated circuits. Compact, reliable electronics and a growing computer industry added brains to the brawn of already existing machines. In 1959, researchers demonstrated the possibility of robotic manufacturing when they unveiled a computer-controlled milling machine. Its first product: ashtrays.

Public fascination with robotics peaked in the early 1980’s, spurred in part by movies like Star Wars, which featured robots C3-PO and R2-D2 as helpful sidekicks to the their human masters. But interest sagged in a few short years as people discovered that getting robots to do things that we think of as easy–like moving across a cluttered room–is surprisingly difficult.

Today, robots are enjoying a resurgence. As computer processors are getting faster and cheaper, robots can afford to get smarter. Meanwhile, researchers are working on ways to help robots move and "think" more efficiently. Although most robots in use today are designed for specific tasks, the goal is to someday make universal robots, robots that are flexible enough to do just about anything a human does–and more.

Just name a boring or dangerous job; somewhere, a robot is probably doing it.  As mechanical workers, robots are ideal for jobs requiring repetitive, precise movements. Human workers need a comfortable working environment, salaries, coffee breaks, sleep, and vacations. Robots don’t. Human workers get bored doing the same thing over and over, boredom that leads to fatigue and costly mistakes. Robots don’t get bored.

Ninety percent of robots work in factories, and more than half are at work making automobiles. Car factories are so highly automated that most of the human workers are there mainly to supervise or maintain the robots and other machines. Robots assemble car body panels and weld them together, finish and paint the car bodies, and stack and move partially completed cars. 

Another example of a factory job done by robots is arranging chocolates in boxed assortments. Guided by a computer vision system, a robotic arm can locate a piece of chocolate on a moving conveyer belt, gently pick it up and turn it to the proper orientation, then deposit it in a specific location within a box on another moving conveyer belt. Sure, it’s a task that almost anyone could do. . .but could you do it 20,000 times over the course of an eight-hour shift?

 Robots are being put to a wider variety of manufacturing uses each day. In the computer industry, robots solder tiny wires to semiconductor chips. "Pick and place" robots insert integrated circuits onto printed circuit boards; these are used in all kinds of electronics, from radios to microwaves. Robots are also at work making and packaging drugs, textiles, and foods.

Certain dangerous jobs are best done by robots. Bomb disposal is one of these. Guided remotely using video cameras, robots like the Mini-Andros can be sent to investigate–and defuse–possible bombs. (See sidebar.)