User:Carson27/sandbox

Adaptable Robotics

Adaptable robotics are robots that can alter their responses and functions to any changing environment. The integration of responsive attributes opposed to pre-programmed attributes allows the technology to carry out various functionalities determined by the environment. This means that an adaptable robot can break a component of its developer kit and continue to serve useful functions. These multi-purpose developer kits combined with a responsive integrated software make the technology a significant contributor to today's technological industry as these robots can serve a far more significant purpose than pre-set factory robots. In fact, adaptable robotics is unique in its purpose. The responsive software is not designed for typical factory protocol, rather the technology is best used for aiding the elderly, assisting in medical centers, and other settings with a dynamic environment.

History

For over 50 years now the first industrial robot has been working to handle repetitive, dangerous, and physically tasking jobs. From welding cars to manufacturing precise, technical data chips, over 1.5 million factory robots have contributed a helping hand by following their programmed software. Although these robots are useful and in some cases even behave like humans to an extent, they still had yet to attain any genuine intelligence. Beginning in the 1950s, scientists and mathematicians started researching artificial intelligence. However, this intelligence had not been integrated into machine robots until the late 1900s. Since then, prototypes of adaptable robots have been produced by various robotic corporations. One of the first completed adaptable robots was completed in the 2000s in the form of the T800 Terminator. This robot was created to carry out standard functions like an industrial robot but with the inherited senses of a human. Adaptable robots are now equipped with integrated systems to locate different objects and the surroundings of their environment. These robots are equipped with singular cameras, laser triangulation (distance measurement by angle calculation), and stereo systems to allow the robots a sense of sight in order to perceive and react to their environment accordingly. From the very first industrial robot to the T800 Terminator, scientists are researching more technology to give adaptable robots intelligence and human-like senses.

Purpose

Mathematicians and scientists have been fascinated with the idea of giving robots human-like qualities. Incorporating adaptability in modern machinery adds efficiency and affordability as these robots can handle a variety of tasks with a fewer quantity of needed components. Adaptable robots can be used in various settings; Their ability to perceive their environment allows them to interact with humans unlike any traditional industrial robot. This allows them to work as responsive technology in hospitals, assist the elderly, and carry out unique tasks in a factory. Their features of vision and dexterity allow them to operate more independently from human control, allowing for non-expert users to enjoy the capabilities of adaptable robots versus a complex industrial robot needing an educated expert user. In adaptable robotics, efficiency is the primary concern. Their dynamic software interface combined with the vision systems allows them to work at higher rates than traditional robots as they can predict and prepare for future functions. Another aspect of adaptable robots' purpose is the affordability they add. Adaptable robots have the ability to alter their function path to carry out tasks when a component breaks or fails. For instance, assume a robot has a broken joint bracket that connect two of the robot's parts. Instead of shutting down the machinery and waiting weeks for a new joint bracket, the adaptable robot can recognize the complication and program itself to carry out its task using a different function path, saving time and money. Moreover, these adaptable robots can define their own software to distinguish the most efficient function path to handle any situation.

Components

Software

The most significant component of adaptable robotics that differs it from pre-defined factory robots is the software interface. In a typical factory robot, the ports that are used to run the functions within the software are already defined at the compile time. On the other hand, adaptable robotics utilize their ports on a request by request basis. This means that the output ports in an adaptable interface are not pre-defined at compile time. As a result, adaptable robotics developer primarily use Python for its dynamic programming language functionalities. This programming language allows the software to modify the data type that is inputed by the user at run-time, allowing the robot to register and run various inputs upon request. This attribute of Python is called reflection. This reflection function allows the adaptable robot to predict the names and namespaces provided in the program and modify the run-time types of various classes. Because python allows the robot to modify the data types, the software can then use a programmable loop to find a port suited for the requested function. Once a location for the port has been discovered, the flexible port is then initialized, creating a completely customized interface for the robot. The customizable interface does two things that are essential for adaptable robotics: provide unique functionality and the ability to reuse that functionality. Customizable interfaces requires some pre-defined parameters, but is later calibrated by the calls to its functions based on the environment. In other words, the interfaces of adaptable robots are developed over the life of its requests.

Hardware

Depending on the robot's purpose, the hardware it possesses varies so it could carry out its specific functions. The primary components within an adaptable robot and a traditional modern robot contain numerous similarities. Each have a controller that manipulates and regulates the components of the robot as well as networking to other robots or technology to uniformly carry out tasks. Both traditional robots and adaptable robots also have an arm component that gives the technology one degree of freedom (each additional arm adds another degree of freedom). These robots also have various drives (power source that moves the components in the desired position) and end-effectors (the primary tool on the end of the arm that allows the robot to carry out its instructed task) depending on the robot's job. Despite these similarities, the difference-maker in the hardware of adaptable robots is the flexibility of the framework. Adaptable robots are made flexible and unique from the modules equipped on them. A module is the technological system and interface that is suited for the robot. These modules come in all sorts of functionalities as some have infrared sensors, embedded PC controls, and multiple motors that allow the robot to move in all three dimensions. Adaptable robots use controller area networks (CAN) to communicate in an independent manner. These communication systems allow the robots to communicate to each other and the internet by utilizing stand-alone controller circuits. This also makes external add-on interfaces simple by being able to send and download information to the controller circuits. Last, adaptable robots are made more flexible by their unique power sources. Low-voltage accumulators are used to power adaptable robots, allowing a long-live time and the ability to program the robots to operate during a defined period of time. The advanced hardware components incorporated into the framework of adaptable robots allow the robots to increase their efficiency, mobility, and adaptability to their dynamic surroundings.

Outlook

Looking forward into the twenty-first century, adaptable robotics is the future of modern manufacturing and human assistance. The amount of research grows every day as scientists and mathematicians discover methods of giving these robots human-like senses. More specifically, functions such as self-inspections and regulation are being researched and incorporated into adaptable robots to allow them to further alter their function paths and programmed software in order to become increasingly efficient and cost-reductive. Additionally, research in robotic dexterity is growing in order to find the most adequate method of handling various tasks. The development of pressurized grippers and self-learning will allow the machinery to operate in an independent manner with less oversight. These added functions will make modern technology capable of carrying out tasks that would have seemed unimaginable years ago.