Research Paper Example on Robotics

Introduction

Robotics is a branch of science and engineering which incorporates electronic engineering, information engineering, mechanical engineering as well as computer science. It deals with the construction, design, use, operation as well as the incorporation of computer systems to enhance control, process information and provide sensory feedback. The idea of robotics is to engineer machines that can replace humans at work and copy human actions (Craig, 2005). Robots can be used in a variety of environments and for a variety of reasons. For instance, they can be applied in industries for mass production, in the military to handle dangerous tasks like bomb detonation, in hospitals to help conduct operations of complex nature on delicate parts of the body and in bionics through the replacement of disabled organs of the body.

This research intends to elaborate on the invention of robotics, its modes of operation, current inventions which have made it popular in the current world, and the possible effects it has brought on society. More so, the paper will discuss future inventions and the possible expected outcome among the population. It will also discuss the manner in which technological advancements are likely to affect the behavior of individuals at their work premises as well as the implications of having a society dominated by 'robot labor'.The notion of building machines that can operate automatically dates a long way back to the classical period, a period that comprised the interlocking of the Roman civilization and the ancient Greek civilization. Nevertheless, no substantial research was conducted towards actualizing the concept until during the 20th Century. Throughout the years since the conception of the idea, scientific researchers and engineers believed that one-day advanced robots will be built and they will manage to complete tasks in a human-like manner. Today, great and brilliant steps have been made by engineers who have achieved the development of efficient robots capable of conducting commercial, domestic and military tasks.

Robotics is connected to a large extent with artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, computer science, mechatronics, and bioengineering. The term robotics is extracted from the word robot. It was introduced to the public arena by a writer by the name of Karel Capek from Czech in his play entitled Rossum's Universal Robots published in the year 1920. The term robot is derived from robots, a Slavic word used to refer to work (Geiger, Lenz, Stiller, &Urtasun, 2013). The play commences in his factory which creates artificial people known as robots. According to him, these were machines which could mimic human behavior as they were the equivalent of today's Android systems.

Norbert Wiener was the first person to develop the principles of cybernetics which forms the foundation of today's practical robots. Cybernetics is a term used to refer to the study of communication and control systems of animals and machines. The existence of a fully autonomous robot only became a reality during the 20th century in the second half. The first programmable digitally operated robot was completed in 1961. The robot was known as the Unimate and was used to lift hot metal pieces out of a die casting machine while stacking them. On the contrary, there are numerous robots in the present world which perform different tasks efficiently, more reliably, more accurately and more cheaply than humans. They are used to perform jobs which are deemed to be too dull, too dirty or too dangerous for human beings.

In the current world, there exist different kinds of robots used for various reasons and in different environments. Nevertheless, for the different types of robots to come into existence and function correctly to carry out the tasks they are assigned, they share three distinct similarities about their construction. First, there is the mechanical aspect of the robot. It includes the shape, form, and the frame it is fitted to facilitate its performance. For instance, robots which are designed to navigate through rough terrain like mud and dust are often fitted with caterpillar tracks to facilitate efficient movement.

Another aspect comprises the electrical component of the robot. Its function is to control and power the system of the machine. In this case, a robot that uses caterpillar tracks requires energy to move from one point to another. The power needed exists in the electrical state. The electricity will then have to travel through wires and thus creating an electrical circuit which is important in the construction of any robot. This concept is highly derived from petrol-powered machines. Despite being powered by petrol, these machines also require an electrical circuit which is crucial to initiate the process of combustion and thus to explain why most petrol-powered machines like vehicles require having a battery. The electrical design of robots is used for sensing to measure things like heat or position, operation or movement.

For a robot to be functional, it must comprise of an advanced level of computer programming codes. The function of the programs installed on robots is to make decisions on the manner and the time in which to do a particular thing. They form the core components of any robot (Vertut, 2013). For instance, the mechanical and electrical aspects of a robot may be efficiently designed and installed but the robot would not perform any task without a program directing it to do something. Poor programming results to poor or no performance at all. Robots are subject to installation of any of the three types of programs including artificial intelligence, hybrid or remote control.

A robot using the remote control program is fed with preexisting commands that command it to respond if and when it encounters a signal from the remote control. However, it is more appropriate to refer to machines that are primarily controlled by humans as automatic machines rather than robots. Devices that use artificial intelligence are provided with little bits of the reasoning ability thus they manage to interact with their immediate environment without human intervention. Artificial intelligence provides the machine with knowledge on how to react when faced with various circumstances. For instance, the robot may move from one position and encounter an obstacle around the way, artificial intelligence in this situation commands the robot to turn through a specific degree rotation to evade the object in its way.

Robots have taken major roles in many operating fields in our current society. The best examples are displayed in the military where specially designed robots are being used to carry out specific high-risk missions. The robots have been tested and their capability to successfully carry out high-risk missions with a high rate of precision has been guaranteed. Military drones are a perfect example of robots. These are crew-less aerial robots equipped with bombs, cameras, and missiles and are nuclear powered. They are directed from control rooms in their home countries. These robots conduct high-risk reconnaissance missions to gather intelligence, locate and destroy enemy positions. It has produced a great impact on the population prompting people to study courses related to the developing technologies (Taylor, Menciassi, Fichtinger, Fiorini, & Dario, 2016).

As it is evident in the current inventions, the future of wars will be based on technology. Militaries will use sophisticated unmanned vehicles to wage war. Human soldiers will no longer be required to move out of their home countries to gather intelligence. Rather, the robots will be used to gather information while sending it to the human soldiers whose role will be to analyze it while making crucial decisions about the steps to be taken to steer them in the direction of winning the war as fast as possible. Another improvement will take place in border security control and in the restriction of the movement of people across the borders. Border security will enhance as a result of installation of gun systems which possess radar sensors. These remote-controlled guns will manage to locate any intruding aircraft prompting an alert message to be sent to the control rooms, the panel in control will serve to give warnings to the intruding aircraft and vehicles, and failure to comply with the instructions will result in the downing of the airplane and other related utilities.

Another development in the military field will be in the detonation of bombs and location of mine-infested grounds. In the past, human soldiers have had to risk their lives going to detonate bombs unaware of what to expect. In other situations, soldiers have walked in mine fields resulting in the loss of many men in the army. Greater risk was also posed to the soldiers as they tried to identify areas with the mines and thus increasing the risk of stepping on them and losing their lives. However, the military is already adopting the use of unmanned robots to help detect and detonate land mines on the battlefield. This implies that technology institutes will research and invest more in larger machines and equip them with the necessary programs to destroy bombs as well as the required artillery to engage enemy forces. Societal implications of these inventions reveal that the future militaries will be safer and will require fewer personnel. The larger population which would have been enlisted to the defense forces will be free to conduct other development projects and engage in agriculture and consequently develop a self-sufficient society.

Major strides have been made in the manufacturing industries. Robots have increasingly been used to manufacture goods and thus resulting to high production at a cheaper price in comparison to human labor. A good example can be drawn from an IBM manufacturing factory in Texas, United States (Siciliano & Khatib, 2016). All manufacturing operations have been automated with the use of robots. This has resulted in the recording of the highest production of keyboards in the factory since its establishment. Other robots such as HOSP which are used in hospitals have done a commendable job. They are used as couriers to ferry patients to the wards. They have guaranteed safety and comfort for the patient because they also serve as beds. This has brought a positive impact on society because they facilitate a fast medical response to emergencies in the hospital and thus creating a healthy society.

In hotel services, robots have been incorporated in the systems to serve as waiters. Each table is assigned a specific robot. The customers work is to key in the codes of the food they would like to get served as provided by the hotel. The robot transmits the information to their assigned chefs in the kitchen. The chef on the other hand serves the food and places it on the robot keying in the table number of destination commanding quick and efficient delivery of services. These systems have improved hotel services by making them faster, cleaner and more reliable since each robot serves one customer at a time using the First Come First Served algorithm. This technique of incorporating robots in hotel services has created a society which views technology positively and supports development attempts made by their governments.

In sports, robots for combat were introduced in 1990s. In these sports, two or more robots fight each other in an arena. This sport has developed for some time from the 1990s to the present. It has been included in a number of shows on television. The particular sport is meant to provide entertainment as the robots battle each other and struggle to disable their opponent. These improvements have helped the society to erase the perception that technology was only...