HUMANOIDS

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INTORDUCTION

Robot is the term derived from Robota, which is a Czech word which means shifted labor or serf.
A robot is a machine that gathers information about its environment (senses) and uses that information (thinks) to follow instructions to do work (acts).This is the working definition of robots.
Today technology is changing at incredible rates making the identification of a robot somewhat difficult. Things that we use everyday incorporate features beyond those of early robots.
“A reprogrammable multifunctional manipulator designed to move material, parts, tools or specialized devices through variable programmed motions for the performance of variety of task”- given by Robotic Industry Association (RIA).


HISTORY OF ROBOTS
Robotics means the study and application of Robot technology. The term 'robot' got prominence way back in the year 1921, when Karl Capek in his play Rossum's Universal Robots (R.U.R) denoted the birth of a superior race that had intelligence similar to that of humans. The main theme was the dehumanization of man in technological civilization. The term Robotics was first used by Russian-born American scientist and writer Isaac Asimov. The word “Robotics” was used in Runaround, a short story. Later on Issac Asimov intro¬duced his “Laws of Robotics”, and he later added a Zeroth Law.
• Law Zero:
A robot may injure humanity, or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.
• Law One:
A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm, unless this would violate a higher order law.
• Law Two:
A robot must obey orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with a higher order law.


PICKING THE OBJECTS
Let us take the simple example of a human picking up an object (say, a cup). The human brain has been conditioned through experience and knows exactly what kind of force is to be applied for doing a particular activity. It can recognize and identify the required parameters for going about the job and would do so ef-fectively. But for a robot, it is very diffi¬cult to understand: it would apply the same amount of force which it would ap¬ply when lifting a 50kg weight. The result would be obvious for anybody to judge.


NECESSITY OF ROBOTS
The goal of robotics is to mimic natural systems as closely as possible. For this, the developers need to draw inspiration from man and even birds and animals that can communicate (move around) with the help of their wings and/or legs. The sensory systems (eyes, nose, and touch) that we humans possess make us unique, and it will require a lot of programming to equip robots with the same capabilities. Say, even for moving a hand, our muscles interact with the brain the synapse where the split second information relay triggers the impetus for the required action.


SENSORS
Generating artificial intelligence equivalents of human senses is one of the greatest challenges facing the robotics fraternity. The ultimate aim is to produce robots with a perception of their surroundings comparable to that enjoyed by human beings; robots that would be able to see, feel, hear, and perhaps even smell things and capable of communicating with their human collaborators in ordinary natural language. We are, at the moment, a long way from such an ideal situation.


ROBOTS IN DANGER ZONES
Robots form an important part of land mines and bomb detection squads in many countries. Besides such land combing operations, the robots go deep down the earth's crust where temperatures are unbearable and also search for buried treasures in the deepest of oceans and sometimes work in nuclear reactors. The very purpose of deploying robots is to shield humans from hazards.