Although it is a common belief that a robot is a machine that looks like a human being and can perform tasks like a human being,Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Robot it is not actually necessary for a device to look humanoid to be a considered a robot. It is more important that a device can be programmed, or even reprogrammed, to perform multifunctional tasks to be considered a robot.Time Magazine: The Robot Revolution (December 8, 1980)
Famous Fictional Robots
- 1953: The Mechanical Hound, Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
- 1962: Rosie the Maid in The Jetsons
- 1963: SHROUD (Synthetic Human, Radiation Output Determined) and SHOCK (Synthetic Human Object, Casualty Kinematics), V.by Thomas Pynchon
- 1977, 1980 and 1983: C-3PO and R2D2 in the original Star Wars trilogy
- 1978: Marvin the Paranoid Android in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by [Douglas Adams]
- 1978-1980: The Cylons in Battlestar Galactica
- 1986: Bishop in Aliens
- 1987-1994: Lt. Commander Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation
- 1991: T-101 and T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day
- 1999-2003: The Sentinels in the Matrix triology
- 2002 and 2005: R4-P17 and the Droid Army in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith
- 2008: WALL-E, EVE and M-O in Disney/Pixar's WALL-E
Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics
- A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
- A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
- A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. http://www.asimovonline.com/asimov_FAQ.html#non-literary12
Practical Robots
Researchers that are using an automated method of robot training project that by 2050 robots will be able to function alongside humans. One goal is to have them beat humans in soccer's 2050 World Cup.[http://www.livescience.com/technology/090226-robocup-robots-soccer.html Group Predicts Robots Will Win Soccer's World Cup in 2050 (February 27, 2009)
Robot Assembly
Cornell Computational Synthesis Lab
KUKA Robot- Automotive Axle Assembly Industrial Application
KUKA Robot- Automotive Door Assembly
KUKA Robot- Automotive Vision Guided Sealant
Manufacturing Robots Automated Assembly
MIniature Co-operative RObots advancing towards the Nano-range
Mini-Robots for Nano Construction
Mini-Robots for Nano Construction
Nanotech not new to chip makers
Self Healing at Polymorphic Robotics Lab
Self-Assembly for Space Structures
STAUBLI ROBOT - ASSEMBLY APPLICATION - CONVEYOR TRACKING
ROBOT VISION
Head pose recovery to slave wearable robot
Image Solutions Group Innovation Illumination & Optics
Mitsubishi Electric Automation
Point Grey Research® Unveils the Bumblebee
Semantic Robot Vision Challenge
Sony and Shafi cleanup with dishwasher demonstration
Vision-based Robot Navigation. Robot Vision Group, Alicante
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References
Fast Facts
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Fact:
The word “robot” was first introduced by Czech playwright Karel Capek in his 1921 play R.U.R. Rossum's Universal RobotsSchool of Computer Science/Carnegie Mellon University: Robotics FAQ
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Fact:
The first industrial robots were created in the late 1950sSchool of Computer Science/Carnegie Mellon University: Robotics FAQ
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Fact:
The robotic arm is the most common type of robotic device NASA: Types of Robots
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Fact:
Robots may be used on land, in the sea or in outer space
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Fact:
A non-organic entity, a robot is created through artificial methods
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Fact:
Has the ability to interact with its environment through independent or manipulated means
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Fact:
Has the ability to make decisions or choices
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Fact:
Is capable of coordinated movements which may include side-to-side, up-and-down and 360 degree rotation
