21 CENTURY

ST

Robotics
ROBOTICS
 Robotics is a form of automation that is helping twenty-
first century manufacturers in numerous industries gain
rapid increases in productivity. Functions formerly
performed by humans—especially difficult, dangerous,
monotonous, or tedious tasks—are now often assumed
by robots or other mechanical devices that can be
operated by humans or computers. Moreover, robots can
be used to take the place of humans in extreme settings
or life-threatening situations involving nuclear
contaminants, corrosive chemicals, or poisonous fumes.
Firmly established as a critical manufacturing
technology, robotics is gaining increasing acceptance by
the workforce, garnering praise for its reliability, and
being utilized more extensively in medium and small
companies.
 THE USE OF INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS

 As manufacturing assembly has grown increasingly

complex, the need for new and expanded
capabilities, particularly in automated assembly
systems, has become evident. As components get
smaller, as in microchip manufacturing, greater
precision is required, and throughout manufacturing,
greater flexibility and higher throughput are
necessary for competitive advantage. Manual
assembly no longer suffices for a great many of
manufacturing's current requirements. Without
industrial robots, many manufacturing tasks would
simply be impossible, or their performance would be
prohibitively expensive.
 During the early stages of robotics development,
the automobile industry was the main market for
robot manufacturers. In the early 1980s, 70
percent of robot orders were for use in the
automotive industry. During this time, robot
manufacturers simultaneously improved their
reliability and performance and sought to lessen
their dependence on the automotive industry by
focusing on specific niche markets. By
concentrating on applications other than spot
welding, painting, and dispensing, the robotics
industry was able to develop products that could
successfully handle not only assembly, but also
material handling and material removal. Spot
welding, which for a long time was the major
application of robotics, eventually was eclipsed by
materials handling.
 While the automobile industry remains the largest user of
robotics, other industries are increasing their use of
robotics. The development of materials-handling robots
was a clear indication that the robotics industry was
becoming less dependent on the automobile industry,
since materials handling is used in a wide and varied
range of industries. Additionally, non-manufacturing
applications started to become viable in such areas as
security, health care, environmental cleanup, and space
and under-sea exploration. According to reports from the
Robotics Industries Association (RIA), industries such as
semiconductors and electronics, metals, plastics and
rubber, food and consumer goods, life sciences and
pharmaceuticals, and aerospace are all finding ways that
their services can be enhanced and improved through
robotics.
 Some manufacturers are also improving the quality of their
products by using robots with powerful machine-vision
inspection equipment or by linking their robots to
statistical process control systems. Robot fixtures can
move quickly and fluidly without sacrificing accuracy.
Servo-driven positioners can be programmed to handle
more than one model on the same line, something
especially important to lean organizations. This
programmability also allows its users to set up the systems
again and again for different applications. In most cases,
converting robots from one application to another can be
completed with minimal downtime, requiring only
programming changes. Benefits include reduced capital
expenses (a firm does not have to buy new fixtures for new
applications), as well as reduced floor space requirements,
lead-time, component expenses, and training investment.
GROWTH IN THE ROBOTICS INDUSTRY

 Robotics technology was first developed in the United States, but

Japanese manufacturers were the first to fully embrace robotics.
Observers view this as a significant factor in Japan's emergence as a
global manufacturing power. Today Japan is not only one of the major
users of manufacturing robotics, but it is also the dominant manufacturer
of industrial robots.
 The robotics industry has been growing in the twenty-first century. The
Robotic Industries Association (RIA) reports that an estimated 178,000
industrial robots are in use in the United States as of 2008, up from
82,000 in 1998. In 2007, North American manufacturers purchased nearly
16,000 robots valued at over $1 billion, a 24 percent increase from the
previous year. The key factors driving the current growth in robotics are
mass customization of electronic goods (specifically communications
equipment), the miniaturization of electronic goods and their internal
components, and the restandardization of the semiconductor industry.
The food and beverage industry is also in the midst of an equipment-
spending boom in an effort to improve operating efficiencies. Robot
installations for such tasks as packaging, palletizing, and filling are
expected to see continued growth. In addition, increases are anticipated
in the aerospace, appliance, and non-manufacturing markets.
 Though less dependent on the automotive industry
than in the past, the robotics industry still finds its
widest application in that market. Purchases in 2007
were particularly high in the automobile industry, with
a 100 percent increase in orders for spot-welding
robots and a 38 percent increase for coating and
dispensing robots. However, driven by the need for
increased manufacturing efficiency, the automakers
and automotive-related industries are moving away
from hard automation in favor of flexible automation.
Analysts predict greater use of robots for assembly,
paint systems, final trim, and parts transfer in the
automotive industry. Realistic robot simulation is
making an impact by integrating vehicle design and
engineering into manufacturing.
 One reason for increased practicality of robots is
the availability to control machinery and systems
through personal or laptop computers. According to
Waurzyniak, some advances in computer-guided
systems are robots with force-sensing capabilities
and 3-D and 2-D vision-guidance capabilities. NASA
is using sophisticated computer-guided robot
controllers for its space shuttle Endeavor and the
Mars landing craft. Each of these systems utilize
computer control of some sort, ranging from simple
machine-specific tracking to shop-wide data
collection across a variety of machinery and
instruments to galactic monitoring and control in a
unique, outer space environment.
ROBOT IS MAJOR INVENTIONS IN THE 21ST
CENTURY

 Robot, self-governing, programmable

electromechanical device used in industry and in
scientific research to perform a task or a limited
repertoire of tasks. Robots are a subcategory of
automated devices. Although no generally
recognized criteria exists that distinguishes them
from other automated systems, robots tend to be
more versatile and adaptable (or reprogrammable)
than less sophisticated devices. They offer the
advantages of being able to perform more quickly,
cheaply, and accurately than humans in conducting
set routines. They are capable of operating in
locations or under conditions hazardous to human
health, ranging from areas of the factory floor to the
ocean depths and outer space.
 The concept of robots dates back to ancient times,
when some myths told of mechanical beings
brought to life. Such automata also appeared in the
clockwork figures of medieval churches, and in the
18th century some clockmakers gained fame for the
intricately clever mechanical figures that they
constructed. Today the term automaton is usually
applied to these handcrafted, mechanical (rather
than electromechanical) devices that are restricted
merely to imitating the motions of living creatures.
Some of the “robots” used in advertising and
entertainment are actually automata, even with the
addition of remote radio control.
 The term robot itself is derived from the Czech word
robota, meaning “compulsory labour”. It was first used
in the 1921 play R.U.R. (which stands for “Rossum's
Universal Robots”) by the Czech novelist and playwright
Karel Capek, to describe a mechanical device that looks
like a human but, lacking human sensibility, can
perform only automatic, mechanical operations. In the
play, however, the robots proved much more capable
than that, eventually conquering and destroying their
makers—a recurrent theme in science fiction since that
time. The term androids is now generally reserved for
human-like figures of this sort, ranging from
electromechanical robots in human form to human-like
creatures made entirely of biological materials.

 THE PIONEERS--EARLY INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS AND
AREAS OF SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION
 What makes robots so desirable for industries? They are
probably the most obedient, diligent, and tireless
workers. They do things that are often considered as "bad
jobs for humans, nicely bundled into the "4-D catagories:
dirty, dangerous, dull, and difficult"(Robot Technology
P5). They are reprogrammable, unlike some other
machines or manipulators with one mindset which would
require extensive re-engineering to "re-educate". They
are accurate and fast, and able to keep it up for 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week, with only minimum maintenance.
They don't form unions, go on strikes, or ask for raises.
These are plenty of reasons for the industrial companies
to have had spent decades trying to come up with the
first employable robot.
CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS:

 The robotics industry is currently experiencing one of its best

performances in the past five years. Recent developments with
considerable media exposure include Dante II (NASA's walking robot in
Alaska's Mt. Spurr) and Sojourner (NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mars
Rover). These robots, however, are used for explorations and scientific
purposes.
 According to Robotics Industries Association (RIA), the industry of
robotics in the United States had its best year ever in 1997, when the
shipments reported showed an increase of around 30% over 1996 numbers
(1). At the beginning of 1998, the robotics industry value has been
estimated by analysts at $8 billion worldwide, expecting it to rival the
automobile and computer industries in generated dollars and jobs (2). For
example, FANUC Robotics North America, Inc., a leading robots and
robotic systems company, reported an increase of 37% in sales in 1997
over 1996 numbers (3). As more and more companies realize the benefits
of automation on their efficiency and productivity, more automation
products are developed and built by leading robotics companies. Some of
the companies that are currently building and selling robots for industrial
use are: FANUC Robotics, Cincinnati Milacron, Dae-Woo, and Adept
Technology.
 Today's customers are not just looking for robots to use in their assembly lines,
but for more sophisticated technologies that include anti-personnel mine clearing
and clean rooms. In revolutionizing the workplace, material handling applications
lead the market. In the food and beverage industries, companies such as Procter
and Gamble are including packaging and palletizing systems that improve their
cycle times and production.
 Robot-manufacturing companies, however, are not limiting their products
to industrial robots. Due to their cost, the market can be saturated once a good
number of robots are sold. With this in mind, these companies are trying to
recognize new areas of application, mainly the one of service robots. These are
classified in several categories, including military applications, entertainment,
housework, and health care. The main differences between the conventional,
industrial robots, and the service robots include: increased mobility (more
autonomous), portability (compact, lightweight), operating case (interface with
human operator/client, ease of communication between the two), AI (sensing,
learning, judging), and adaptability to widely varying operations and
environmental conditions (4).
 It is important to recognize that this page presents the "current status" of
the industry of robots up to the day the page was last modified (May 1998). Link
#2 below could be used to obtain "up to date" information on the field of
robotics. The following section presents some ideas as to what the future of the
robots industry might be. If this page still exists in the year 2010, you can check
how good (or bad) were the speculations given.
