How robots work The working principle and process of robots

When many people hear the word "robot", words such as "cool appearance", "powerful functions" and "high-end" come to mind, and they think that robots are as high-end and cool as the "Terminator" in science fiction movies. In fact, this is not the case. In this article, we will explore the basic concepts of robotics and understand how robots complete their tasks.

1. Components of a robot

At the most basic level, the human body consists of five main components:

Body structure

The muscular system, used to move the body structures

sensory systems, which receive information about the body and surrounding environment

Energy source, used to power muscles and senses

The brain system that processes sensory information and directs muscle movement

Of course, there are some intangible characteristics of humans, such as intelligence and morality, but on a purely physical level, this list is pretty complete.

The components of a robot are very similar to those of a human. A typical robot has a movable body structure, a motor-like device, a sensor system, and a computer "brain" to control all these elements. In essence, robots are "animals" made by humans. They are machines that imitate human and animal behavior.

Definitions of robots range from those that work in factories to those that clean your home. According to the broadest definition currently available, if something is considered a robot by many people, then it is a robot. Many roboticists (people who make robots) use a more precise definition. They specify that a robot should have a reprogrammable brain (a computer) that is used to move its body.

According to this definition, robots differ from other movable machines, such as cars, in their computer element. Many new cars have an onboard computer, but they are only used to make minor adjustments. The driver directly controls most parts of the vehicle through various devices. Robots differ from ordinary computers in their physical characteristics, and they are connected to a body, which is not the case with ordinary computers.

Most robots do share some common traits

First, almost all robots have a body that can move. Some have just motorized wheels, while others have a large number of movable parts, usually made of metal or plastic. Similar to the human skeleton, these individual parts are connected by joints.

The wheels and axles of a robot are connected by some kind of transmission. Some robots use motors and solenoids as transmissions; others use hydraulic systems; and still others use pneumatic systems (systems powered by compressed gas). A robot can use any of these types of transmissions.

Second, the robot needs a power source to drive those actuators. Most robots use batteries or a wall outlet to do this. Hydraulic robots also need a pump to pressurize the fluid, while pneumatic robots need a gas compressor or compressed air tank.

All actuators are connected to a circuit via wires. This circuit directly powers the electric motors and solenoids, and operates valves to activate the hydraulic system. Valves control the path of pressurized fluids through the machine. For example, if the robot wants to move a hydraulically powered leg, it opens a valve that leads from the hydraulic pump to a piston cylinder in the leg. The pressurized fluid pushes the piston, causing the leg to rotate forward. Typically, robots use pistons that provide bidirectional thrust so that parts can move in both directions.

The robot's computer controls all the parts connected to the circuit. To make the robot move, the computer turns on all the necessary motors and valves. Most robots are reprogrammable. If you want to change the behavior of a robot, you just write a new program into its computer.

Not all robots have sensory systems. Very few robots can see, hear, smell, or taste. The most common sense a robot has is motion, which is its ability to monitor its own movements. In a standard design, a robot has wheels with grooves mounted at its joints. There is a light on one side of the wheel that shines a beam of light through the grooves and onto a light on the other side of the wheel. When the robot moves a particular joint, the wheel with the grooves turns. In the process, the grooves block the beam of light.

The pattern of the light beam flashing is read and the data is sent to a computer, which can use the pattern to calculate exactly how far the joint has rotated. This is the same basic system used in a computer mouse.

These are the basic building blocks of a robot. Roboticists have countless ways to combine these elements to create robots of infinite complexity. One of the most common designs is a robotic arm.

2. How does the robot work?

The term "robot" in English comes from the Czech word robota, which is usually translated as "forced laborer". It is very appropriate to describe most robots. Most robots in the world are used to perform heavy and repetitive manufacturing work. They are responsible for tasks that are very difficult, dangerous or boring for humans.

The most common manufacturing robot is the robotic arm.

A typical robotic arm consists of seven metal parts connected by six joints. A computer controls the robot by spinning stepper motors attached to each joint (some larger arms use hydraulic or pneumatic systems).

Unlike regular motors, stepper motors move in precise increments. This allows the computer to move the robot arm so precisely that it repeats the exact same movements over and over again. The robot uses motion sensors to make sure it moves by exactly the right amount.

This six-jointed robot is very similar to a human arm, with the equivalent of a shoulder, elbow, and wrist. The "shoulder" is usually mounted on a fixed base structure (rather than a moving body). This type of robot has six degrees of freedom, meaning it can turn in six different directions. In comparison, a human arm has seven degrees of freedom.

Joints of a six-axis industrial robot

The purpose of a human arm is to move the hand to different positions. Similarly, the purpose of a robotic arm is to move an end effector. You can install a variety of end effectors on a robotic arm that are suitable for specific application scenarios. One common end effector can grasp and move different objects. It is a simplified version of a human hand.

Robotic hands often have built-in sensors that tell the computer how hard the robot should grip a particular object. This keeps the object from falling or getting crushed in the robot's hand. Other end effectors include blowtorches, drills, and paint sprayers.

Industrial robots are designed to perform the exact same task over and over again in a controlled environment. For example, a robot might be tasked with screwing lids on peanut butter jars as they come down an assembly line. To teach the robot how to do this job, a handheld controller guides the robot arm through a set of movements. The robot stores the exact sequence of movements in memory, and then it repeats the same sequence of movements every time a new jar comes down the assembly line.

Most industrial robots work on car assembly lines, putting together cars. Robots are much more efficient than humans at doing large amounts of this type of work because they are so precise. They drill holes in the same place and tighten screws with the same force, no matter how many hours they have worked. Manufacturing robots also play a very important role in the computer industry. Their incredibly precise hands can put together a tiny piece of micro-assembly.

Robotic arms are relatively easy to build and program because they work in a limited area. Things get a little more complicated if you want to send a robot out into the wide world.

The first challenge is to provide a viable locomotion system for the robot. If the robot only needs to move on flat ground, wheels or tracks are often the best choice. If the wheels and tracks are wide enough, they can also be used on rougher terrain. But robot designers often want to use legged structures because they are more adaptable. Building legged robots also helps researchers understand the kinematics of nature, which is a useful practice in the field of biological research.

A robot's legs are usually moved back and forth by hydraulic or pneumatic pistons. Each piston is attached to a different leg part, just like muscles are attached to different bones. Getting all of these pistons to work together in the right way is a challenge. As a baby, your brain must figure out which muscles need to contract at the same time to allow you to walk upright without falling over. Similarly, a robot's designers must figure out the correct combination of piston movements involved in walking and program this information into the robot's computer. Many mobile robots have a built-in balance system (such as a set of balancing systems) that tells the computer when to correct the robot's movements.

The bipedal movement is inherently unstable, so it is extremely difficult to achieve in robot manufacturing. In order to design robots that can walk more steadily, designers often look to the animal kingdom, especially insects. Insects have six legs, and they often have extraordinary balance abilities and can adapt to many different terrains.

Some mobile robots are remotely controlled, allowing humans to direct them to do specific things at specific times. The remote control may use a connection line, radio, or a robot. Remote robots, often called puppet robots, are useful for exploring environments that are dangerous or inaccessible to humans, such as the deep sea or the interior of a volcano. Some robots are only partially remotely controlled. For example, an operator may instruct a robot to go to a specific location, but will not direct it to a specific location, leaving it to find its own way.