ROBOTICS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Modern manufacturing faces two main challenges more quality at lower prices and the
need to improve productivity. Those are the requirements to keep manufacturing plants in
developed countries, facing competition from the low salary regions of the world. Other very
important characteristics of the manufacturing systems are flexibility and agility of the
manufacturing process, since companies need to respond to a very dynamic market with
products exhibiting very short life-cycles due to fashion tendencies and worldwide
competition. Consequently, manufacturing companies need to respond to market requirements
efficiently, keeping their products competitive. This requires a very efficient and controlled
manufacturing process, where focus is on automation, computers and software. The final
objective is to achieve semi-autonomous systems, automated systems that work requiring only
minor operator intervention.
As technology advances, it has been envisioned that in the very near future, robotic
systems will become part and parcel of our everyday lives. Even at the current stage of
development, semi-autonomous or fully automated robots are already indispensable in a
staggering number of applications. To bring forth a generation of truly autonomous and
intelligent robotic systems that will meld effortlessly into the human society involves research
and development on several levels, from robot perception, to control, to abstract reason.
robotic revolution is taking place in the social realm: robots of various kinds are leaving the
laboratories and making their ways into the social world. Robotics has its roots in a variety of
sources, including the way the robots perform tasks accurately and efficiently

What is Robotics?
Robotics is defined as “The science or study of the technology associated with the
design, fabrication, manufacture, operation and application of robots” Robotics mainly deals
with the handling of robots and their design.
Even today, people working with machines in factories, face special risks. Machines
are designed to be as safe as possible and useful. As machines improved into robots, they
made some aspects of factory work safer. A robotic painter, spot welder, or assembly machine
can operate in an empty space without any help at all. A supervisor stands safely outside its
range of motion while the robot does the dirty and dangerous work.

What is a robot?
The term robot derived from the Czech word robota, meaning forced work or
compulsory service, or robotnik, meaning serf.
Robot is defined as "A reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move
material, parts, tools, or specialized devices through various programmed motions for the
performance of a variety of tasks".
What is artificial intelligence?

Artificial intelligence is the branch of computer science that deals with writing
computer programs that can solve problems creatively;"workers in AI hope to imitate or
duplicate intelligence in computers and robots "Creating virtual brain for robots is itself
known as artificial intelligence. Basically this is given to the robot to perform specific tasks.

How exactly an intelligent machine is expected to behave?

• perceive the environment
• reason about this perception
• make decisions based on this reasoning and
• Act according to a plan specified at a very high level

What the latter means is that the motions undergone by the machine are decided upon
based on instructions similar to those given to a human being.
The real challenge of AI is to understand how natural intelligence works. Developing
AI isn't like building an artificial heart -- scientists don't have a simple, concrete model to
work from. We do know that the brain contains billions and billions of neurons, and that we
think and learn by establishing electrical connections between different neurons. But we don't
know exactly how all of these connections add up to higher reasoning, or even low-level
operations. The complex circuitry seems incomprehensible. Because of this, AI research is
largely theoretical. Scientists hypothesize on how and why we learn and think, and they experiment
with their ideas using robots.
What is the need of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence?

The above pictures shows how humans are intended to work in hazardous conditions

The following picture shows the robotic welder that can replace humans and it can do the
welding operations more efficiently than humans.
 Pictures showing how robots can help military forces to track the enemy positions
accurately.
The main reason why robots are used nowadays is to replace the work of humans in
industries and to guide the humans in operations accurately and effectively.

Why Humans are slowly being replaced by robots?

• Repetitive tasks those robots can do 24/7.
• Robots never get sick or need time off
• Robots can do tasks considered too dangerous for humans
• Robots can operate equipment to much higher precision than humans.
• Robots save time of work and increase production rate.
• May be cheaper over the long term.
• May be able to perform tasks that are impossible for humans.

Asimov’s three laws of Robotics

First law (Human safety)
“A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow
a human being to come to harm”.

Second law (Robots are slaves)

“A robot must obey orders given it by human beings, except where
such orders would conflict with the First Law”.

Third law (Robot survival)

“A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict
with the First or Second Law. These laws are simple and straightforward, and they embrace
the essential guiding principles of a good many of the world’s ethical systems”.

The Robotic system essentially consists of

• Mechanics
• Electronics
• Programming
Types of robots
Robots are mainly classified as
• Manually controlled robots
• Semi-autonomous robots
• Autonomous robots

Manually controlled robots

These Robots are entirely under-control of humans. Here, each and every movement
of the robots is controlled by the human interaction. Ex: Robots which are used to do
assembly in industries.

Semi-autonomous robots
These Robots are partially under the control of humans. Only certain controls are
being guided so as to perform specific tasks. Ex: Surveillance robots

Autonomous robots
These Robots can do their tasks of their own. They perform on the basis of artificial
intelligence. Ex: Androids.

Another way in which the robots are classified as follows

Tele-robots - Those guided by remote control by a human operator
Telepresence Robots - Similar to Tele-robots but with feedback of video, sound and other
data to allow the operator to feel more like they are in the Robot.
Static Robots – These are basically arms employed in factories and laboratories worldwide.
Mobile robots - Those which need to navigate and perform tasks without human intervention.
Autonomous Robots - able to carry out their task without intervention and obtain their power
from their environment.
Androids - Robots built to mimic humans.

Block Diagram of a Robot

The above block diagram shows the steps involved in working of a generalized Robot.

Sensors/Cameras
The main function of sensors or cameras is to detect the objects around it.
Sensors/Cameras provide the robot with the means to observe characteristics of the external
environment, and internal state. Without sensors the robot would be unable to determine its
current state and therefore unable to act meaningfully. For Ex: Infrared sensors, Infrared
cameras, SONAR Sensors, Laser sensors etc..

Encoders
Encoders encode the signals received from the Sensors/Cameras to a signal so that
Microcontrollers/Microprocessors can handle the signals and it can further be processesed.

Microcontrollers/Microprocessors
These are actually brains of robots. They are programmed to perform the specific task
considering the respective environment that the robot encounters. They will send the control signals
which are required to control the actuators and effectors. Ex: AT89C51Microcontroller, Intel
8051Microprocessor etc.

Decoders
They decode the control signals in to a form which is to be accepted by actuators and
effectors.

Actuators
The primary function of actuators is to produce mechanical movement in between the
links of the mechanism of robots.

Feedback
Feedback is a strategy commonly used in a system to achieve and maintain a goal
state. Feedback refers to “information enquiry” in the robotic system.
 By taking the example of a manipulator as shown above, we can compare as follows
Main Actuator – The electric motor which can drive primary link that can rotate the whole
manipulator.
Effectors – The links that are attached to the actuator.
This Manipulator arm has ten degrees of freedom, because it has five joints, each of
which is capable of a clockwise and anti-clockwise rotational degree of freedom.

What can be done by using AI in Robotics?

Line Following Robots (LFR)

These are the new generation robots, these robots can move by itself by following a
line, preferably a black line on a white background or vice versa. The basic idea behind
working of these robots is that they follow the line with the help of optical sensors.

Block diagram of LFR

The optical sensors send the data (Signals) to the microprocessor/Microcontroller.

Then the microcontroller/Microprocessor decides and generates a control signal so as control
the power supply which is given to motors through Motor drivers. Also, Microcontroller
controls the rotation (Clockwise or Anti-clockwise to control left/right movements) of motors.
 Programming the microcontroller plays a very important role in operating the LFR.
The difference in contrast between a thick black line with white background is brought about
by Optical sensors. The microcontroller verifies these signals from the sensors, several times
in a second to trace the line so as to control the movements of the robot.

These pictures are showing that how belt conveyors are used in industries.

Nowadays in almost all the industries, conveyors are used for transporting raw
materials, machine parts, etc which are to be transported from one place to another within a
factory. The belt drives which are used in factories consume more power because they need
more electric motors to drive the belt. We can replace the belt drives by LFR so as to reduce
power consumption.
The line following robots can also be used in hospitals to transfer patients one place to another
within the hospital.

Robocars
Can a car move by itself without the aid of a human being? The answer is yes we can!
Robocars are new generation cars which can move by itself. The control of steering, braking,
etc is brought about by a Computer.
This concept is actually originated in DARPA GRAND CHALLENGE at USA in
2005. The Grand Challenge is a contest to produce self-driving vehicles. The military need for
them is clear that they want robot trucks that can move cargo through dangerous zones
without human drivers.
 Basically to control the robocar we need
1. Global co-ordinates
2. Surrounding environment of the car

Simulation and practical implementations can be known from the above pictures.

Global co-ordinates is achieved by GPS (Global positioning system), where the GPS
receiver of the car receives the signals from the satellites so as to indicate the co-ordinates.
The surrounding environment is all about moving and stationary obstacles they are
being detected by IR sensors, radars, Sonar sensors, Cameras, etc
In each second, the computer receives the updates of global co-ordinates and obstacles
surrounding the car and then it controls the movement of the car.
The robocar is interesting and can provide a very nice transportation experience. But
things get really interesting when you consider who will own the vehicle you ride in.
Robocars enabled robotaxis-robocars for hire, which come to you on demand and take you
directly, quickly and cheaply where you want to go.

The robocar concept can be implemented in tanks in order save soldiers life in war
fields.

Surveillance robots
The artificial intelligence in robots can help to track the objects and also to do survey
where a human cannot indulge in.
 The following are the fields in which the surveillance robots are used-

Military application

The above pictures convey that how robots can be used in military forces. Mainly, these
robots do the following tasks.

1. Take pictures and send that pictures in order to give information and even cameras
integrated to them can give live updates of enemy troops in the war fields.
2. The manually controlled robots are physically used in war fields to observe the
movements and to act in accordance with the situation to perform tasks like bullet
firing, missile launching etc.
Underwater Exploration

Robots are used to survey marine life. The main use of these robots is
1. Risks that are involved when humans go underwater for exploration are more due to
the presence of dangerously reputed creatures namely sharks etc. This can be
overcome by the use of robots.
2. The fascinating videos about marine life that are telecasted in television are captured
under sophisticated environment by robots where humans may find difficulty in facing
those extreme conditions.

Space exploration
There are reasons why robots are more advantageous to send into space.

1) They are much safer for people. Just look at the histories of the spacecrafts of Apollo,
challenger and Columbia, where human life was unfortunately lost. These deaths could
have been avoided with robotic spacecraft. For instance, several failed missions to
Mars, such as the Beagle 2 and Mars Polar Lander have not caused a single person to
perish.

2) Another reason why sending robots into space is better is because of cost. It is far
cheaper to send a robot into outer space, since people need much larger spacecrafts
with plenty of resources to sustain human life, such as food, water, air, environmental
control systems, sanitation facilities, safety equipment, etc. All of these items add huge
costs to any space mission. Robots have far fewer needs to function properly, thus they
are more cost effective.
3) Furthermore, machines can be built to withstand harsh environments better than
humans.
Industrial Robots

Industrial robots are essentially manipulators. These manipulators come under the
category of fixed robots, it means that they are fixed at certain position but they are able to
rotate up to 360 deg about a fixed axis

Robotic welding

Welding robots are used in industrial welding processes and facilitate automatic
welding. Welding robots work on the principle of robotics and are controlled by robotic
equipment. They work on the algorithm, which is required for the computation of work
command. Welding robots are designed so that they can operate under various conditions at
high duty cycles.
There are two popular types of welding robots that are usually useful in industrial
welding. They are “arc welding robots” and “spot welding robots.” These two welding robots
are classified according to articulating robots and rectilinear robots on the basis of rotation of
wrist in space.
Welding robots perform their tasks more repeatedly than a manual welder because of
the repetitive program and monotony of the task. Welding robots offer many benefits to
customers that include consistency and quality of welding, reduction of production costs,
fewer scrapped parts, and an increase on your returns on investment. Welding robots also
possess repeatability and consistent positional accuracy, which provides a better quality
product than manual production.
Welding robots require appropriate maintenance for continuous operations of welding.
They may require regular recalibration or reprogramming for it. Proper robotic system design
also help in minimizing interruptions in continuous production line. Correctly programmed
welding robots precisely provide the same welds every time on pieces of the same dimensions
and specifications.

Assembly by Robots
 The robots are used in factories to accomplish assembly. The robots used for assembly
are preferably manually controlled and it is being operated by workers.
These robots are used in
• Picking up parts and then transfer them to the required place.
• Specifically they are used in transferring individual parts because worker/workers
have found it more difficult. Moreover, there are chances in which workers may get
injured.

Limitations:
1. Most of today’s robots cannot learn from their mistakes, they keep on doing the same
thing over and over again even if it doesn’t have required effect. So, they need to be
programmed again in order to avoid those mistakes.

2. They have limited duties. They can only do what they have been ordered to do.

3. Robots lack capability to respond in emergencies, this can cause:

a) Inappropriate and wrong responses,
b) A lack of decision-making power,
c) A loss of power,
 d) Damage to the robot and other devices, e)Human injuries

4. Robots may have limited capabilities in

a) Degrees of Freedom
b) Dexterity
c) Sensors
d) Vision systems
e) Real-time Response

5. Employees will require training in programming and interacting with the new robotic
equipment. This normally takes time and financial output.

6. Robots can become costly, due to

a) Initial cost of equipment
b) Installation Costs
c) Need for peripherals

7. Regular maintenance needs can have financial toll as well.

Conclusion:
A great amount of time, work and money is being invested for research work these
days. A Quote from Researchers-
“Could our research be used to harm people? Unfortunately, it probably could. But
almost every type of research (both inside and outside the field of Artificial Intelligence) has
this dual nature. Any technological advance can be used to help or hurt people. Like most
researchers, we sincerely hope and believe that our work will ultimately serve the greater
good.”
The biggest advantage that people have over robots is their flexibility of tasks that they
can perform and their ability to reason to solve whatever problems that may arise. Maybe one
day robots could compete with humans in these regards, however this is definitely not true in
the near future.
Although most robots in use today are designed for specific tasks, the goal is to make
universal robots, robots flexible enough to do just about anything a human can do.Basically,
we want to make robots better at decision making, experiential learning, and most other things
that, well, humans are good at. Thus far there remain major technological barriers to said
development; however some of the best and the brightest are working on it.