1. Robots Mrs. Ghazaal AS Level ICT
Computer Control
Robots
Mrs. Ghazaal
AS Level ICT

2. Computer Control Advantages Disadvantages
Computers can respond instantly to changes
Costs are reduced because fewer staff are required
Systems can work 24 hours per day, every day
Some processes are too dangerous for human operators to control
Changes can be made quickly simply by reprogramming the system
Disadvantages
High initial costs as computer-controlled systems are more expensive to buy and set up
Fewer workers will be employed if computer-controlled systems are introduced, thus leading to a rise in the number of people who are unemployed
Cannot react spontaneously or creatively to unexpected situations

3. Industrial Robots
An industrial robot is a ‘reprogrammable, multi- functional manipulator designed to move materials, parts, tools or specialised devices through various programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks.’
Industrial robots are comprised of three parts:
The manipulator- this is the moving ‘arm’ to which various tools can be attached
The power supply – usually a hydraulic compressor (for robots that need lots of strength) or electrical generator (for lightweight robots)
The controlling computer – which controls the robot

4. The controlling computer uses a very low electrical current and requires an interface to allow it to work with the other parts of the robot
The interface also allows conversion from digital to analogue and analogue to digital.
Sometimes robots need to move from lone location to another (e.g. robotic fork lift trucks in an automated warehouse)
These robots require self-contained power sources (e.g. batteries) and additional autonomy (the ability to make simple decisions based on limited information)

5. Sensors
Robots need information as well as programming in order to function. This information is provided by sensors
The types of sensors required by robots include:
Mercury tilt sensors – these are switches that sense tilting movements
Light sensors – detect different levels of light and dark
Push switches – switches that operate when something is opened or closed (e.g. the switch that controls the light in a fridge is a push switch)
Temperature sensor – these detect changes in the temperature
Sound sensor – detect different levels and frequencies of sound
Proximity sensor – detect how close something is or if something is being moved away
Position sensor – detect the angle between one part of the robot arm from another
pH sensor – detect how acidic something is
Humidity sensor – detect how much moisture is present in the environment

6. Interface
The sensors feed their information to the controlling computer via the interface
The interface also feeds commands to the manipulator from the controlling computer
The information from the sensors and the commands to the manipulator usually pass through a buffer
The buffer
The buffer stores data (information coming in or commands going out) so that the speed of data transfer is at a level that the various parts of the robot can cope with. For example, if data transfer was too quick, the controlling computer might command the manipulator to do something new before it has completed a previous task. This could be very dangerous and could cause the manipulator’s actuators (special electrical motors that act like the manipulator’s muscles) to burn out. This is a particular problem with stepper motors (an actuator that can be moved only a very small amount, or very slowly, or very quickly, or forward, or in reverse).

7. Examples
Typical industrial robots do jobs that are difficult, dangerous or dull. They lift heavy objects, paint, handle chemicals, and perform assembly line work. They perform the same job hour after hour, day after day, with precision. They don’t get tired and they don’t make errors associated with fatigue and so are ideally suited to performing repetitive tasks.
Industrial robots are found in a variety of locations including the automobile and manufacturing industries. Robots cut and shape fabricated (?) parts, assemble machinery and inspect manufactured parts.
Some types of jobs robots do: load bricks, die cast (?), drill, fasten, forge, make glass, grind, heat treat, load/unload machines, machine parts, handle parts, measure, monitor radiation, sort & clean parts, profile objects, perform quality control, sand blast, change tools and wield

8. Fabricated? Die Cast? (Homework)
Define these two words and submit tomorrow (Monday). Try to find relevant defintions.
Go to youtube and watch a video on an assembly line of robots manufacturing cars (Mercedes or BMW). Give a two line description of your observations.
Presentations Next Sunday Class: Mariam, Zainah, Amina

9. Dante II
An eight-legged, tethered, robot named Dante II desc ended into the active crater of Mt. Spurr, an Alaskan volcano 90 miles west of Anchorage.
Dante II’s mission was to rappel and walk autonomously over rough terrain in a harsh environment; receive instructions from remote operators; demonstrate sophisticated communications and control software; and determine how much carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and sulfur dioxide exist in the steamy gas emanating from fumaroles in the crater.
Via satellite, Dante II sent back visual information and other data, as well as received instruction from human operators at control stations in Anchorage, Washington D.C., and the NASA Ames Research Center near San Francisco.
Dante II saves volcanologists from having to enter the craters of active volcanoes. It also demonstrates the technology necessary for a robot to explore the surface of the moon or planets. That is, the robot must be able to walk on rough terrain in a harsh environment, receive instructions from remote operators about where to go next, and reach those commanded goals autonomously.

11. TROV
Robotic underwater rovers are used to explore and gather information about many facets of our marine environment. One example of underwater exploration is Project Jeremy, a collaboration between NASA and Santa Clara University. Scientists sent an underwater telepresence remotely operated vehicle (TROV) into the freezing Arctic Ocean waters to investigate the remains of a whaling fleet lost in The TROV was tethered to the surface boat Polar Star by a cable that carried power and instructions down to the robot and the robot returned video images up to the Polar Star. The TROV located two ships which it documented using stereoscopic video cameras and control mechanisms like the ones on the Mars Pathfinder. By learning how to study extreme environments on earth, scientists will be better prepared to study environments on other planets.

12. In addition to pictures, the TROV can also collect artifacts and gather information about the water conditions
Submersible ROVs have been used to locate many historic shipwrecks, including that of the RMS Titanic. While oil, and gas industry uses the majority of ROVs; other applications include science, military and salvage

13. Space
Space based robotic technology at NASA falls within three specific mission areas: exploration robots, science payload maintenance, and on-orbit servicing. A ROV can be an unmanned spacecraft that remains in flight, a lander that makes contact with an extraterrestrial body and operated from a stationary position, or a rover that can move over terrain once it has landed. It is difficult to say exactly when early spacecraft evolved from simple automatons to robot explorers or ROVs. Even the earliest and simplest spacecraft operate with some preprogrammed functions monitored closely from Earth. One of the best ROV’s is the Sojourner rover that was deployed by the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft. Several NASA centers are involved in developing planetary explorers and space-based robots.

14. Mars pathfinder was designed to be a demonstration of the technology necessary to deliver a lander and a free-ranging robotic rover to the surface of Mars in a cost-effective and efficient manner. Pathfinder not only accomplished this goal but also returned an unprecedented amount of data and outlived its primary design life. From landing until the final data transmission on September 27, 1997, Mars Pathfinder returned 2.3 billion bits of information

15. Robot Arm
The most common type of existing robotic device is the robot arm, often used in industry and manufacturing.
The mechanical arm recreates many of the movements of the human arm, having not only side-to-side and up-and-down motion, but also a full 360-degree circular motion at the wrist, which humans do not have.
Robot arms are of two types
Computer-operated and programmed for a specific function
Requires a human to actually control the strength and movement of the arm to perform the task

16. Car Manufacture
Most of the robots used in car manufacture are controlled by actuators in the form of electronic motors.
A popular type of motor for a robot is a stepper motor. It divides a full rotation into a number of steps. Unlike a brushless DC motor which rotates continuously when a fixed DC voltage is applied to it, a step motor rotates in discrete step angles. Thus making it easier to control by a computer.

17. The industrial robot used in car manufacture are generally robot arms rather than a complete robot.
The computer controls the movement of the arm so that, using different end effectors, a variety of jobs can be carried out. End effectors are the devices that are attached to the end of the robotic arm. The most common end effector is the gripper, which acts as a hand and can be used to hold (grip) a part of the car body so that the robotic arm can move it to somewhere else.

18. Types of End Effectors Cameras to inspect work
Welding guns to weld parts to the car body together
Grippers to pick up parts and place them somewhere else – grippers often have built in pressure sensors that tell the computer how hard the robot is gripping a particular object so that the robot does not drop or break whatever it’s carrying
Vacuum cups to pick up parts without obstructing the sides or bottom, for example windscreens or small complex car parts
Drills to make holds in the car body
Screwdrivers/spanners/riveters to place and tighten screws, nuts, bolts and rivets
Spray guns to paint the car body
Sanders, polishers, finishers to produce a shiny finish
A robot arm can have any of the above attachments, but if the end effector is changed then the programming also has to be changed. It is not possible to replace a gripper with a screwdriver head and expect it to work without changing the programming of the robot controller

20. Advantages of Using Industrial Robots
Robotics and automation can, in many situations, increase productivity, safety, efficiency, quality, and consistency of products
Robots can work in hazardous environments
Robots need no environmental comfort such as lighting, air conditioning, ventilation, and noise protection
Robots work continuously without experiencing fatigue or boredom, do not get mad, do not need medical insurance or vacation
Robots have repeatable precision at all times
Robots can be much more accurate than humans
Robots and their accessories and sensors can have capabilities beyond that of humans
Robots can process multiple stimuli or tasks simultaneously. Humans can only process one active stimulus.

21. Disadvantages of Using Industrial Robots
Robots lack capability to respond in emergencies, unless the situation is predicted and the response is included in the system
Robots are costly due to: initial cost of equipment, installation costs, need for peripherals, need for training, repair & maintenance, and need for programming
Robot tasks are rigid and explicit, so for it to learn and perform another task would involve another large amount of capital
Calibration is needed to ensure consistent robot operations