Robotics

Robotics is the combination of science, engineering and technology to design and manufacture machines, that have the ability to replicate some human
tasks/actions. 

Major Fields

1. Operator interface, the human to robot communications
2. Mobility or locomotion is the smooth movement of the robot that also stabilizes the frame of the robot
3. Manipulators & Effectors are used to perform repetitive tasks such as lifting and moving materials at a set speed
4. Programming the instructions installed onto the robot to process input for a desired output
5. Sensing & Perception are algorithms used to extract information such as environmental factors and conditions

Main Components of a Robot

1. 
   Body/frame of the robot ensures that the robot remains in one piece and protects it from injury
2. Control system provides the movement and motion commands for the robot
   to carry out
3. Manipulators are the aspect of the robot that acts on an object/material without human involvement
4. Drivetrain facilitates movement of the robot, contains gearboxes, belt or chains

Robot Types

• Pre-programmed Robots must be told what to do in advanced in order to execute a desired function and an can complete the task repetitively an example of pre-programmed robots would be mechanical arm on an automotive assembly line used to build automobiles
• Humanoid Robots are robots that physically appear to be human and are used for experimental purposes like the humanoid bi-pedal robots, which are robot feet with sensors, that are due to be used by Tesla
• Autonomous Robots operate independently of human control and are used to detect changes in the environment and adapt to them, they are often used by the Air Force and Navy
• Teleoperated Robots are robots that are controlled by humans using a remote control via WIFI, Internet Signal or Satellite Signal examples of this include remote controlled cars, airplanes, as well as, by NASA to control space stations
• Augmenting Robots are designed to replace or enhance a humans abilities that are lost, examples of this would be prosthetic limbs created to function as a human limb

Major Types of Industrial Robots

• Articulated robots are robots that have joints that enable range of motion and mobility, as the robot has several axes in which they can rotate thereby increasing flexibility for movement
• Cartesian robots move in a linear fashion, with no rotation as its 3 axes are perpendicular which enables back-and-forth & up-and-down movements
• SCARA robots also known as Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm, which can have up to 4 axes with 3 used for rotation and 1 for linear movement which makes them perfect for areas in which high speed and high accuracy are required

• 
  Delta robots is a robot with 3 arms that are connected to a joint at the base, the arms use parallelograms which located in the arms making them great for picking up and packaging in factories
• Polar robots are also known as spherical robots, were the first industrial robot, they possess a linear joint and two rotary joints; the arm is connected to the
  base with a twisting joint making them really good at lifting base with a twisting joint making them really good at lifting loads
• Cylindrical robots are built for specific tasks, they have two cylinders with no edges between them with a robot arm, their axes form a cylindrical coordinate system assembly operations, making them great for: handling at machine tools, spot welding, and handling at die casting machines