Robots - More than a man machine!
Robots have fascinated man since centuries and have come a long way from a being mere fragment of imagination in Asimov's mind through the industrial revolution and now to assisting man in various roles and capacities. Some people still consider robots to be those manlike mechanical devices, which we see in movies. But robots have now acquired a wider definition - they are typically devices that work either automatically or by remote control and perform tasks that are too dangerous or even too tedious for man.
Robots have been there (well, almost everywhere) and done that! They have plumbed the depths of the ocean, explored the farthest reaches of the cosmos, assisted surgeons in operations and delivered us from the burden of household chores to some extent!
Explorers of the unknown
Space exploration or deep sea exploration are both too dangerous for man and virtually impossible for him for they entail extreme exposure to radiation, temperature, pressure (under the sea), prolonged stays for gathering information or working in vacuum. It is several decades since robots have taken over the hazardous job of such explorations.
'Space robots' tells you all about the robots used to probe the cosmos, which include orbiters, landers, rovers and robot arms.
But isn't it ironic that while these wonderful machines go to exotic places and search for life beyond our planet, we have to experience the same in the capacity of couch potatoes, through monitors and pictures? Robots Vs Humans in space suggests that in the future of space exploration, both humans and robots will be required.
ROVs or Remotely Operated Vehicles have been doing the underwater work for man. ROVs come in all shapes and sizes and of course in various roles too.
On the operation table
Surgery often entails delicate precision, which maybe impossible for man to perform. Several robotic devices have been manufactured to assist surgeons during operations or aid medical students to get the feel of a real surgery. In 2000, the FDA approved the first completely robotic surgical device; this device was designed to overcome surgical limitations of minimal invasive laproscopic surgery. Future devices will give surgeons more enhanced precision and skill for delicate surgery.
Robotics and microsurgery explores robotics in surgery and the challenges of deploying robots in the human body.
Robotics in Surgery says "While industrial robots have been readily available for nearly 40 years, medical robots have existed for only a decade and a half.(they) offer intelligent assistance with routine tasks; highly accurate minimal-access surgical interventions; reductions in radiation exposure; and improvements in training."
Ah! For a homely robot
A domestic aid, which never asks for leave and never complains of excess work - a machine to serve you coffee at breakfast - while you read the paper; a fridge to remind you that you need to buy butter or better still, call up the grocery market to have it delivered; or a lawnmower which tunes in to the weather forecast and decides for itself whether it should water the lawn. Well, the picture's not all that rosy as yet but such machines are on the way, waiting to be delivered to a growing market!
A little robot called Roomba vacuums your house while you lounge by the pool. Is this the beginning of the end?
'The next robot frontier: Your home' tells you about computerized appliances such as vacuum cleaners and lawn mowers that can be programmed to work without a guiding hand.not the classy mechanical menservants of science fiction maybe, but heck - the work's getting done!
Building domestic robots is a compelling challenge; robots for easier tasks like vacuuming or lawn mowing are already available, but ones that perform more complex tasks are yet to come. Delivering the promise of a household robot tells you all about issues and problems involved in delivering such a robot.