Robotics History The idea of a robot is not new. For thousands of years people have been imagining intelligent mechanized devices that perform human-like tasks. We have built automatic toys and mechanisms and imagined robots in drawings, books, plays and science fiction movies. 1

Robotics History Where did the word 'robot' come from? The term "robot" was first used in 1920 in a play called R.U.R. or Rossum's Universal Robots by the Czech writer Karel Capek. The word robota is the Czech word for forced labor or serf. The plot of the play was simple: man makes a robot then the robot kills man! Many movies that followed continued to show robots as harmful, menacing machines. 2

The term 'robotics' refers to the study and use of robots. It was first used by the Russian-born American scientist and writer Isaac Asimov ( ). He was best known for his many works of science fiction. He also wrote the three “Laws of Robotics for which he is also famous.” The 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 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. Robotics History 3

"Number Five" in the movie “Short Circuit" and C3PO actually take on a human appearance. These robots, which are made to look like human are called androids.androids. Robotics History More recently, movies like the 1977 Star Wars, portrays robots such as "C3PO" and "R2D2" as man's helpers. 4

However, robots of today are not exactly the walking, talking intelligent machines of of movies, stories and our dreams. Today, we find most robots working for people in factories, warehouses, and laboratories. In the future, robots may show up in other places: our schools, our homes, even our bodies. Robotics History 5

Fully functioning androids are many years away due to the many problems that must be solved. However, real, working, complicated robots are in use today and they are changing the workplace. These robots do not resemble the android concept of robots. They are industrial manipulators and are really computer controlled "arms and hands". Robotics History 6

Robots have the potential to change our economy, our health, our standard of living, our knowledge and the world in which we live. As the technology progresses, we are finding new ways to use robots. Robotics History Each new use brings new hope and possibilities to improve our lives and safety, but they also present potential dangers and risks. 7

Robots offer specific benefits to workers, industries and countries. If introduced correctly, industrial robots can improve the quality of life by freeing workers from dirty, boring, dangerous and heavy labor. Robotics History Benefits of Robots 8

Robotics History Robotics for Agriculture A tomato and cherry tomato harvesting robot, a cucumber harvesting robot, strawberry harvesting robots, a multi-operation robot to work in grapevine yards, and a flower cutting robot are some examples. Robots for farming, called “agrobots”, have been developed in the world and it is predicted that they will be more popular in the 21st century, since some of them have been already sold by some companies in Japan. 9

HAZBOT III is part of an Emergency Response Robotics Project, a project begun in 1991 to apply robotics technology to the safe handling of hazardous materials. Robots such as HAZBOT also hold potential for use in mining and law enforcement. It's almost standard now to have robots on bomb squads in major cities. Robotics History 10

The Mars 2003 Rover Project is designed to had two scientific rovers that went to Mars. Each rover searched for evidence of liquid water that may have been present in Mars’ past. The rovers are identical to each other, but landed at different regions of Mars. Robotics History And Space 11

NASA's Cassini spacecraft was successfully launched on October 15, It’s robotic rover reached Saturn in July 2004 and completed its mission in June Click here to visit the NASA website for details on the Cassini mission.Click here The planet Saturn, with its famous icy rings, and its moon, Titan, are the prime scientific targets of the international Cassini mission, the most ambitious and far-reaching planetary exploration ever mounted. Robotics History And Space 12

Future missions to space will include many robotic vehicles designed to perform specific tasks, both autonomous and telerobotic. autonomous telerobotic. Robotics History And Future 13

NASA Programs: Jet Propulsion Lab's Robotics ProgramRobotics Program Intelligent Mechanisms Group (IMG) Other Careers: Automation -the use of computers and robots to control industrial machinery. Animatronics - the use of electronics and robotics in mechanized puppets to make them appear to be alive. Mechanical Engineering – the design, building, and maintenance of mechanical robotic systems. Robotics History Jobs 14

Articulated - Jointed arm. Robot - Mechanical device that performs human tasks, either by remote control or automatically. Robotics - Study and use of robot technology. Telerobotics - Robots that are operated remotely. Robotics History Robotic Terminology Click here to return to Slide 13 15

Robotics Glossary Au-ton-o-mousadj. 1.Not controlled by others or by outside forces; independent: an autonomous judiciary; an autonomous division of a corporate conglomerate. 2.Independent in mind or judgment; self-directed or self-governing. Click here to return to Slide 13 16

Android: A machine or automaton in the form of a human being. An automaton that is created from biological materials and resembles a human being. Also called humanoid. Robotics Glossary Click here to return to Slide 4 17