History of Robotics

Lecture 01 - 21/08/2023
IA 3205 – Introduction to Robotics

U.V.Hiran Sameera
Lecturer (probationary)
Department Of Instrumentation And Automation Technology
Faculty of Technology
University of Colombo

8/21/2023 1
 What is a Robot?
 “A robot is an autonomous machine capable of
▪ sensing its environment,
▪ carrying out computations to make decisions,
and
▪ performing actions in the real world”

8/21/2023 2
 History
 In 1921, a czech writer karel capek used the term "robot" in his play
"R.U.R“ (rossum's universal robots).
 The word “robot” or “Robota” is of czech origin meaning “forced work
Labar”. Rossum’s universal robots is the first time the term “robot” is used
officially.

8/21/2023 3
 History
 Isaac asimov gave us the three laws of robotics in his book which
can also be used to define what is a robot and what is not.
 As surprising as it might seem, he wasn’t a scientist by any
standards, he was a writer who wrote numerous short stories on
robots in 1940s and 1950s.
 He is also admired for inventing the term “robotics”. The "three
laws of robotics", which is defined by isaac asimov is:
-A robot may not harm a human being..
-A robot must obey a human being...
-A robot must protect its own existence...
8/21/2023 4
History
 In 1948 and 1949, william grey walter working in burden
neurological institute in bristol, was able to create two
autonomous robots named Elmer and Elsie: both of them
were shaped like tortoise and they used three wheels to
move around.
 And whenever they ran low on battery, they would rush
towards the nearest recharge station. That was one of the
most impressive works on intelligent robots that can take
care of themselves.
8/21/2023 5
 History

 Through history of robotics, the 1970s, other intelligent robots

emerged. Freddy and Freddy II were able to assemble wooden blocks
and put rings on pegs using its video camera 3-DOF and 5-DOF
mechanisms.
 Assembling the parts using manipulators was not that impressive, but
the use of cameras to identify objects was fascinating.
8/21/2023 6
History

 Genghis was created by scientists at MIT in 1989. It was one of the first
examples of cheap robots.
 Another great feature of it was its behavior algorithm which makes the
robot behave like a real insect.

8/21/2023 7
History

 Self-driving cars arrived in the 21st century, but they still have a long
way to go due to some legal and ethical issues.
 The most innovative of the series were earl’s firebirds, i-iii. And the most
radical of the firebirds was the firebird II, a jet-powered, aircraft-styled
wonder that GM called, “the first american gas turbine car specifically
designed for family use on the highway.”
8/21/2023 8
 History

8/21/2023 9

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2iRDYnzwtk
History
 The new generation of robots like
robonaut2 are the first humanoid
robots in the history of robotics, that
are used in space to help astronauts.

10
8/21/2023
Industrial Robotics
 Industrial robots are not usually humanoid in shape.
 But they are capable of reproducing human movements and
behaviors, but with the strength, precision and speed of a
machine.
“An industrial robot is a reprogrammable, multifunctional
manipulator designed to move materials, parts, tools, or specialized
devices through variable programmed motions for the performance
of a variety of tasks.”

8/21/2023 11
 Evolution of Industrial Robotics
 In 1954 first industrial robots were
developed by george devol, american
inventor and founder of the first
robotics company in history:
Unimation.
 A hydraulic arm called Unimate was
the fist industrial robot, used to lift
heavy loads, which was sold to general
motors.

12
8/21/2023
Evolution of Industrial Robotics
 The shakey robot, designed in 1966 by the
standford research institute, stands out as an
important milestone for mobile robotics.
 Shakey was the world’s first mobile robot, thanks
to software and hardware that allowed it to
perceive and understand the environment.

8/21/2023 13
Evolution of Industrial Robotics
 In 1954, barrett electronics
corporation brought out the first
electric vehicle that did not require
a human driver, what we know as
the first AGV (autonomous guided
vehicle).

8/21/2023 14
Evolution of Industrial Robotics
 Although the first industrial robots were created in the united
states, in the 1980s and 1990s they were already being
developed in some European and Asian countries, mainly in
Japan and Sweden.
 In 90s artificial intelligence started to play a role in robotics.
Some of the advantages that AI brings to industrial robotics are:
 Increased accuracy

 Improved decision making (especially in the face of

obstacles).
 Predictive maintenance
8/21/2023 15
Modern Robots
 The following five essential qualities characterize modern robots.
 Intelligence

 Sensor perception

 Dexterity

 Power

 Independence

8/21/2023 16
 1. Intelligence
 Artificial intelligence has given robots the ability to mimic the human
thoughts and reasoning (intellectual capacity).
 AI makes robots able to do task that are normally done by humans using
reasoning and past experience (learning). (Eg: playing chess).
 But how sophisticated the tasks done by robots, they are just
mathematical manipulations of data achieved through sensors and user
inputs to the system.
 But robots has not achieved the consciousness yet. Consciousness is the
state of being awake, aware about the surrounding.
8/21/2023 17
2. Sensor Perception
 The human sensory system is broken down into vision, hearing, touch,
smell and taste –all of which have been or are being implemented into
robotic technology somehow.

 Self-driving vehicles are a great example of how robotic senses work.

The car is stacked with sensors such as LIDAR, RADAR, video cameras,
GPS, and wheel encoders that allow it to collect data from its
surroundings in real time.

8/21/2023 18
 2. Sensor Perception
 Advanced perception algorithms will then elaborate this raw data to
allow the ai to compare it against a set of pre-defined items. This way the
vehicle will be able to identify and, thus, “sense” other cars, road signs,
highways, pedestrians, etc.

 Modern robotics are focusing on much advance sensor perceptions like

ability to recognize human emotions from facial expressions.

8/21/2023 19
 3. Dexterity
 Dexterity refers to the functionality of limbs, appendages and extremities,
as well as the general range of motor skill and physical capability of a body.
 In robotics, dexterity is maximized where there is a balance between
sophisticated hardware and high-level programming that incorporates
environmental sensing capability.
 Organizations like Boston dynamics explore a variety of both bipedal and
quadrupedal configurations (with its famous big dog robot falling in the
latter category) while expanding on the idea of extrinsic dexterity in
grasping mechanisms.
 Anthropomorphic robotic hands that can perform delicate tasks such as
opening jars or writing.

8/21/2023 20
3. Dexterity
Anthropomorphic robotic hands.
8/21/2023 21
 4. Power
 Robots require an energy source, and there are many factors that go
into deciding which form of power provides the most freedom and
capability for a robotic body.
 There are many ways to generate, transmit and store power.
Generators, batteries and fuel cells give power that is locally stored.
 Exceptions: simple machine-based bipedal walking system that relies
only on gravity to propel its walk cycle.

8/21/2023 22
4. Power
 Power can be arranged by for soft and flexible intelligent robots is
using soft smart materials such as dielectric elastomers which can be
used as transducers to design intelligent wearable robotics.

 A wearable actuator-generator such as robotic clothing could, for

example, accumulate energy from the body movements.

8/21/2023 23
 5. Independence
 Intelligence, sense, dexterity and power all converge to enable
independence, which in turn could theoretically lead to a nearly
personified individualization of robotic bodies.
 From its origin within a work of speculative fiction, the word “robot” has
almost universally referred to artificially intelligent machinery with a
certain degree of humanity to its design and concept (however distant).
 This automatically imbues robots with a sense of personhood. It also raises
many potential questions as to whether or not a machine can ever really
“awaken” and become conscious (sentient), and by extension treated as an
individual subject, or "person."

8/21/2023 24
Robotics in Industrial Evolution
 In-class Exercise.
 Find the differences between industrial revolution 1.0 to 5.0 (Industry 1.0 –
Industry 5.0) and explain them briefly.
 Write down an essay on how industry evolved from industry 1.0 to industry
4.0 and also the predictions on industry 5.0. This is a handwritten exercise.
All students should submit this on 28.08.2023 at the lecture. Word count is
1000.

8/21/2023 25
 Dating back to around 1760, the first industrial revolution was
the transition to new manufacturing processes using water and
Industry 1.0 –
steam. Industrial
 It was hugely beneficial in terms of manufacturing a larger
number of various goods and creating a better standard of
Revolution
living for some.
 The textile industry, in particular, was transformed by
industrialization, as was transportation.
 Fuel sources like steam and coal made machine use more
feasible, and the idea of manufacturing with machines quickly
spread.
 Machines allowed faster and easier production, and they made
all kinds of new innovations and technologies possible as well.
8/21/2023 26
 The first industrial revolution represented the period Industry 2.0 –
between the 1760s and around 1840. This is where the
second industrial revolution picked up. Electrical
 Historians sometimes refer to this as “the technological Revolution
revolution” occurring mainly in Britain, Germany and
America.
 During this time, new technological systems were
introduced, most notably superior electrical technology
which allowed for even greater production and more
sophisticated machines.
 This was greatly aided by the fact that electricity had
replaced water and steam as a primary power source and
enabled the concentration of power sources to individual
machines, and eventually of machines with their own
power sources.
8/21/2023 27
 The third industrial revolution occurred in the last
Industry 3.0 –
few decades of the 20th century: the first computer Electronic
era.
Revolution
 The invention of devices such as the transistor and,
later, the integrated circuit chip made it possible to
fully automate machines to further aid or entirely
replace human operators.
 Industry 3.0 introduced more automated systems
onto the assembly line to perform human tasks, i.E.
Using programmable logic controllers (PLC).
 Although automated systems were in place, they still
relied on human input and intervention.
8/21/2023 28
Industry 4.0 – Cyber-physical
Revolution
 The fourth industrial revolution is the era of smart machines, storage
systems and production facilities that can autonomously exchange
information, trigger actions and control each other without human
intervention.
 This exchange of information is made possible with the industrial internet
of things (IIOT) as we know it today. Key elements of industry 4.0 include:
 Cyber-physical system — a mechanical device that is run by computer-based
algorithms.
 The internet of things (IOT) — interconnected networks of machine devices and
vehicles embedded with computerized sensing, scanning and monitoring
capabilities.
 Cloud computing — offsite network hosting and data backup.
8/21/2023 29
 Cognitive computing — technological platforms that employ artificial intelligence.
Industry 4.0 – Cyber-physical Revolution
“Industry 4.0 starts to move towards industry 5.0 when you begin to allow
customers to customize what they want”

8/21/2023 30
Industry 5.0
 5th industrial revolution is focused on man and machines
working together.
 Based upon personalization and the use of collaborative robots,
workers are free to deliver value-added tasks for customers.
 Industry 5.0 is focused on three strategies:
▪ Human-Centric
▪ Resilience
▪ Sustainability
8/21/2023 31
Industry 5.0
 Human-Centric
 Industry 5.0 includes a strategy that moves people from being seen as
resources to being genuine assets.
 So, instead of talent simply being used to create a competitive advantage
and value for customers, Industry 5.0 refocuses to also create added value
for workers in order to attract and keep the best employees.
 Resilience
 The general meaning of Resilience means, “the capacity to withstand or to
recover quickly from difficulties; toughness”.
 So, in industry 5.0 is focused on more resilient organizations which look to
anticipate and react to any crisis to ensure stability through challenging
times, rather than focusing on growth, profit and efficiency.
8/21/2023 32
Industry 5.0
 Sustainability
 Industry 5.0 extends sustainability from simply reducing,
minimising or mitigating against climate damage to actively
pursuing efforts to create a positive change.
 Sometimes referred to as ‘Net Positive,’ this goal aims to make the
world a better place with companies becoming part of the solution
rather than being a problem.

8/21/2023 33
Naturally inspired robots
 Many robots has been developed in recent year by replicating the mechanism
scene in natural beings.

8/21/2023 34