Functional Robots

Functional Robots

• Many robots made in labs are intended mostly to prove that a concept, such as a means of locomotion (wheels, legs, hovering, etc) or a control method (AI, Bluetooth, for example), actually works. However, there is a considerable amount of potential for robots with an actual application, such as the iRobot Roombas, which are automated vacuum cleaners, or robots designed for medical purposes. Try to design a robot which meets someone's needs using modern robotics techniques.

Controlled Robots

Controlled Robots

• A robotic arm is a type of robot which can be set up to follow instructions based on a human's input. There are a huge number of ways to control a robot, and a number of different robots you could build to experiment with them. For example, make a robot you can control with an application on your cell phone, or by speech, or by some other method. One of the frontiers of robotics is human-robot interaction.

Autonomous Robots

Autonomous Robots

• Not all robots are build to follow direct commands. There are a number of robots which have been programmed to think for themselves--to an extent. This is a field called artificial intelligence (AI). For example, the flying robots on the video under Resources have been programmed to communicate with each other for the most efficient way to build a structure. An autonomous robot is set a task, and a lot of research goes into how these machines "think" about problems.

INTRODUCTION TO ROBOTICS

Robotics is an exciting science, with a seemingly constant stream of new discoveries coming out all the time. These machines are already turning up in people's homes performing such mundane tasks as floor cleaning. 


TYPES OF ROBOTS

Controlled Robots

Autonomous Robots

Functional Robots