ROBOTICS! :)
- A BRIEF HISTORY OF ROBOTICS
270BC an ancient Greek engineer named Ctesibus made organs and water clocks with movable figures.
1818 - Mary Shelley wrote “Frankenstein” which was about a frightening artificial lifeform created by Dr. Frankenstein.
1921 - The term “robot” was first used in a play called “R.U.R.” or “Rossum’s Universal Robots” by the Czech writer Karel Capek. The plot was simple: man makes robot then robot kills man!
1941 - Science fiction writer Isaac Asimov first used the word “robotics” to describe the technology of robots and predicted the rise of a powerful robot industry.
1942 - Asimov wrote “Runaround”, a story about robots which contained the “Three Laws of Robotics”:
A robot may not injure a human, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
A robot must obey the orders it by human beings except where such orders would conflic with the First Law.
A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict withe the First or Second Law.
1948 - “Cybernetics”, an influence on artificial intelligence research was published by Norbert Wiener
1956 - George Devol and Joseph Engelberger formed the world’s first robot company.
1959 - Computer-assisted manufacturingg was demonstrated at the Servomechanisms Lab at MIT.
1961 - The first industrial robot was online in a General Motors automobile factory in New Jersey. It was called UNIMATE.
1963 - The first artificial robotic arm to be controlled by a computer was designed. The Rancho Arm was designed as a tool for the handicapped and it’s six joints gave it the flexibility of a human arm.
1965 - DENDRAL was the first expert system or program designed to execute the accumulated knowledge of subject experts.
1968 - The octopus-like Tentacle Arm was developed by Marvin Minsky.
1969 - The Stanford Arm was the first electrically powered, computer-controlled robot arm.
1970 - Shakey was introduced as the first mobile robot controlled by artificial intellence. It was produced by SRI International.
1974 - A robotic arm (the Silver Arm) that performed small-parts assembly using feedback from touch and pressure sensors was designed.
1979 - The Standford Cart crossed a chair-filled room without human assistance. The cart had a tv camera mounted on a rail which took pictures from multiple angles and relayed them to a computer. The computer analyzed the distance between the cart and the obstacles.
1980
Seymour Papert publishes Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas where he advocatesconstructionism, or learning through doing.
1981
Takeo Kanade builds the direct drive arm. It is the first to have motors installed directly into the joints of the arm. This change makes it faster and much more accurate than previous robotic arms.
1982
“A new life awaits you on the Off-World colonies.” Blade Runner is released. This Ridley Scott film is based on thePhilip K. Dick story “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” and starred Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard a retired Blade Runner that hunted Replicants (or illegal mutinous androids).
1986
LEGO and the MIT Media Lab colaborate to bring the first LEGO based educational products to market. LEGO tc Logo is used by in the classrooms of thousands of elementary school teachers.
1986
Honda begins a robot research program thats starts with the premise that the robot “should coexist and cooperate with human beings, by doing what a person cannot do and by cultivating a new dimension in mobility to ultimately benefit society.”
1989
A walking robot named Genghis is unveiled by the Mobile Robots Group at MIT. It becomes known for the way it walks, popularly referred to as the “Genghis gait”.
At MIT Rodney Brooks and A. M. Flynn publish the paper “Fast, Cheap and Out of Control: A Robot Invasion of the Solar System” in the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society. The paper changes rover research from building the one, big, expensive robot to building lots of little cheap ones. The paper also makes the idea of building a robot somewhat more accessible to the average person.
Dr. Seymour Papert becomes the LEGO Professor of Learning Research.
1992
In an attempt to build a radio controlled vaccuum cleaner Marc Thorpe has the idea to start a robot combat event.
Dr. John Adler came up with the concept of the CyberKnife a robot that images the patient with x-rays to look for a tumor and delivering a pre-planned dose of radiationto the tumor when found.
1993
Dante an 8-legged walking robot developed at Carnegie Mellon University descends into Mt. Erebrus, Antarctica. Its mission is to collect data from a harsh environment similar to what we might find on another planet. The mission fails when, after a short 20 foot decent, Dante’s tether snaps dropping it into the crater.
1994
Dante II, a more robust version of its predicessor, descends into the crater of Alaskan volcano Mt. Spurr. The mission is considered a success.
Marc Thorpe starts Robot Wars at Fort Mason center in San Francsico, CA.
1995
The second annual Robot Wars event is held at Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, CA.
1996
A RoboTuna is designed and built by David Barrett for his doctoral thesis at MIT. It is used to study the way fish swim.
Chris Campbell and Stuart Wilkinson turn a brewing accident into inspiration at the University of South Florida. The result is the Gastrobot, a robot that digests organic mass to produce carbon dioxide that is then used for power. They call their creation the “flatulence engine.”
Honda debuts the P3, the fruit of its decade long effort to build a humanoid robot.
The third annual Robot Wars event is held at Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, CA.
1997
The first node of the International Space Station is placed in orbit. Over the next several years more components will join it, including a robotic arm designed by Canadian company MD Robotics.
The Pathfinder Mission lands on Mars. Its robotic rover Sojourner, rolls down a ramp and onto Martian soil in early July. It continues to broadcast data from the Martian surface until September.
1998
Tiger Electronics introduces the Furby into the Christmas toy market. It quickly becomes “the toy” to get for the season. Using a variety of sensors this “animatronic pet” can react to its environment and communicate using over 800 phrases in English and their own language “Furbish”.
LEGO releases their first Robotics Invention SystemTM 1.0. LEGO names the product line MINDSTORMS after Seymour Papert’s seminal work of 1980.
1999
LEGO releases The Robotics Discovery Set, Droid Developer Kit and the Robotics Invention System 1.5.
1999
SONY releases the AIBO robotic pet.
2000
Honda debuts new humanoid robot ASIMO.
The Battlebots event is held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
LEGO releases the MINDSTORMS Robotics Invention SystemTM 2.0
2001
LEGO releases the MINDSTORMS Ultimate Builder’s Set
In August, the FDA clears the CyberKnife to treat tumors anywhere in the body.
2002
Honda’s ASIMO robot rings the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.
2003
June 10th - NASA launches the MER-A “Spirit” rover destined for Mars.
July 7th - NASA launches the MER-B “Opportunity”.
SONY releases the AIBO ERS-7 it’s 3rd generation robotic pet.
2004
Jan. 4th - After six minutes of holding our breath (during EDL) as it burned and bounced its way to the red planet the robot rover Spirit lands on Mars.
Jan. 23rd - The second Mars Exploration Rover - “Opportunity” safely lands on the Meridium Planum.
- PROCESSES INVOLVED IN CREATING ROBOTS
Defining the Problem
identifying the purpose of a construction
identifying specific requirements
You are confronted with a situation. Here are two examples:
A community wants to construct a robot zoo in which the “animals” move their heads, open their mouths and make appropriate sounds when they sense that someone is coming towards them. Design and build a prototype device which could satisfy this need.
A local pet shop wishes to sell a range of devices which automatically feed small cage pets (such as rabbits, gerbils, mice etc.) when their owners are away for the weekend. Design and build a prototype device which could satisfy this need.
You need to determine what problem you are trying to solve before you attempt to design and build a robot to solve a problem. Take the time to study a number of different situations and once you have decided what the situation is and you understand exactly what the problem is then write a design brief in a log book (this will be your working document as you work on your robot. This log book can be a paper notebook or an electronic document.) This is a short statement which explains the problem that is to be solved.
Researching and Designing
gathering information
identifying specific details of the design which must be satisfied
identifying possible and alternative design solutions
planning and designing a appropriate structure which includes drawings
Having written a brief, you are now ready to gather information which will help you to produce a successful design. First you will need to decide what information you require. This will be different from project to project and will also depend on the amount of information and knowledge you already have. A useful step will be to use the following chart. Ask the five questions, then read the column headed Gathering Information. This will help you plan the type of information you will need to gather.
Evaluating your Robot
evaluate the design
evaluate the planning process
As building and programming work progresses, and the design begins to take shape, you will automatically carry out tests on the design. You will also need to complete systems tests at various stages of the construction. If any of the tests show that you have failure in a joint, or that part of your structure is not meeting specifications, then you will have to make modifications in your plan.
When building and programming is complete, the entire project must be tested to see if it does the job for which it was designed. An evaluation needs to then be written. This should be a statement outlining the strengths and weaknesses in your design. It should describe where you have succeeded and where you have failed to achieve the aims set out in the specifications.
Here is a list of questions which will help you to prepare this statement.
How well does the design function?
Does the design look good?
Is the product safe to use?
Did I plan my work adequately?
Did I find the construction straightforward or difficult?
Were the most suitable materials used?
Did it cost more or less than expected?
How could I have improved my design?
- PARTS OF ROBOTS AND ITS PURPOSE
Robot sensors
Robots’ intelligence depends highly on their sensors. The sensors detect elements in the surrounding environment and send information to the controller. Based on this information, the controller makes its decisions. Generally, a robot has several sensors to scan the environment. Sensors can include ultrasonic range finders to measure point distances, laser scanners to measure 2D and 3D distances for mapping, sound sensors, light sensors and more.
Microcontrollers
Microcontrollers act as the brain of robotic projects. These devices work similar to the central processing unit of the computer. They are capable of collecting information, processing it and deciding the actions of the robot.
Motor
A motor converts electricity into mechanical motion. There are different types of motors, which differ in terms of size, functionality and the amount of power they generate.
Motor controller
This device acts as an intermediate between a microcontroller and a motor. A microcontroller is not capable of proving enough power to a motor so instead it sends commands to a motor controller which handles the higher power requirements.
Mechanical parts
Mechanical parts come in different forms and shapes. Mechanical parts are chosen based on the specific objectives of a robot. Certain common mechanical parts are wheels, tracks, casters, connectors, motor mounts, pan and tilt systems, gear boxes, chassis/frame and grippers.
Power systems
Most robots require a battery to function. Many employ a Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH), Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) or Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery, though others may use alkaline, lead acid or other less common types. Some robots are powered or recharged by solar energy. Standard power equipments often include battery, charger and adapters.
Communication devices
Optimum performance of a robot depends on successful communication. Robotic structures come with sophisticated communication and control devices for transmitting and processing messages. Essential communication devices include modem, Bluetooth, remote control and telemetry. Purchase robot parts from authorized sellers who possess considerable industry experience. RobotShop is an internationally renowned source for buying robotic parts. The company’s website www.robotshop.com provides detailed information on robotics and a variety of robot tools and devices for your needs.
- HOW ROBOTS BEING PROGRAMMED TO RESPOND TO ACTIONS
Programming Robots
There’s nothing I’m going to tell you today that you absolutely have to know in order to pass this course. But I’m going to assume that you’re not taking this course just to pass it.
The RCX computer combined with the legOS kernel, API and programming environment is simple when compared with, say, a Sparc Ultra 10 combined with Solaris 5.7. But it’s about as complex a combination as you’ll ever be able to understand completely.
As a class, you have diverse computer science backgrounds. My lecture today tries to teach all of you something and provide each of you with pointers to additional sources so you can go as far as you want.
I could easily spend an entire semester expanding on the material in this one lecture. But for some of you an hour will be quite enough. The references at the end of the web page for today’s lecture should suffice for those of you who want to take the next steps.
So, why is what I’m going to say today important to “Building Intelligent Robots”? The answer is that building robots is all about timing, about doing several things at once and about interfacing with a dynamic and unpredictable world.
In programming the RCX, you will have to make use of a single sequence of instructions, a single thread of computation to simulate multiple threads of time-critical control implemented as tight feedback loops.
We need to start with a commonly-understood base model. Something we can ground our subsequent discussion on. For our present purposes, this means a computational model that provides all of the basic primitives for understanding legOS. I’m going to assume that the first part of today’s lecture is a quick review of basic material.
Basic computational models
What do you think of when you hear the words “computational model?” A Turing Machine perhaps? I’ll bet it’s not a non-deterministic, one-way, finite-state machine? It may be that these sorts of abstract models don’t provide you with an appropriately “high level” of abstraction to help you in thinking constructively about real-world programming problems. It’s important to note, however, that we all use abstract models of one sort or another; the trick is to make the abstractions work for you by emphasizing the important aspects of the problems you’re trying to solve and hiding the messy details that just get in the way. (I know this is tangential but I can’t resist an aside. The book entitled Alan Turing: the Enigma written by Andrew Hodges is interesting for a number of reasons not the least being its discussions of Turing’s contributions to computer architecture. Turing was a lot more practical than most computer scientists give him credit.)
What is a useful computational model for programming robots?
An alternative model (but still pretty low level) is the machine defined by the so-called “von Neumann architecture” (named after the mathematician John von Neumann). Most of you have seen this architecture in one or more of your courses, as it is the standard abstract model used to describe most modern computers. We won’t actually use the von Neumann model as a basis for thinking about robot programs but it will provide an intermediate level of abstraction for developing an appropriately high level model for programming robots. The computational model corresponding to the von Neumann architecture consists of the following components:
memory - random access memory (RAM) that serves as storage for program instructions and data
arithmetic and logic unit - (ALU) that includes a set of registers and circuitry for performing primitive calculations
control unit - responsible for fetching and decoding instructions and arguments so as to perform appropriate operations
bus - various internal pathways for transferring instructions and data to and from memory, registers and the ALU
Though not often included in the classic formulation, we usually also assume that there is some way to get data into and out of the computer.
input/output - (I/O) subsystems that allows the computer to communicate with the outside world including mass storage devices such as tape and disk
The standard architecture assumes the notion of a program counter which is just a register used to store the location of the next instruction in memory and an instruction set that defines the set of primitive operations that can be performed by the ALU. You learned early in your computer science education that arithmetic and symbolic operations can be implemented in terms of boolean operations on binary data. Here is the sequence of steps repeatedly carried out in this model:
1. Fetch the next instruction from memory.
2. Increment the program counter by 1.
3. Decode the instruction and instruct the control unit to carry out the appropriate operation. This operation could change the contents of registers (including the program counter) thereby allowing loops and conditional branches.
4. Return to Step 1.
What else might you want to add to the above abstraction to have a reasonable computational model for thinking about robots and real-time control? Well, for one thing you might want to have some way of measuring the passage of time. (Note that if you knew how much time each instruction took or could assume that each instruction takes the same amount of time you could create a clock of sorts but it would be rather clumsy to use.) List some of the reasons that a clock would be useful in programming robots.
Another addition that often comes in handy is the notion of an interrupt. Interrupts simplify writing programs that perform other operations while waiting for events (both internal and external). Interrupts and timers together provide the machinery for implementing efficient multi-threaded control (e.g., preemptive multi tasking) which will prove particularly useful in building robot programs.
There are other components that we might add to enhance the standard model. For example, peripheral components that map analog sensors to digital data or visa versa and abstractions such as direct memory access (DMA) that allow us to think of sensor data as magically appearing in designated locations in RAM. You might think however that we are getting hopelessly low level in providing a practical computational model for programming and, indeed, there is reason to build a layer of abstraction that that hides some of these details from the programmer.
LETRAN SINGAPORE TOUR 2012! :)
DAY 1:
- NAIA TERMINAL 1
- ARRIVED AT CHANGI AIRPORT SINGAPORE
- CITY TOUR
- HOTEL ROYAL AT NEWTON ROAD IN SINGAPORE
- Chinatown Complex
- Merlion Park
- Thian Hock Keng Temple
- Little India
DAY 2:
- MICROSOFT INNOVATION CENTRE
- CLOUD COMPUTING
- VIDEO PRESENTATION
- XBOX KINECT
- OPPORTUNITIES IN I.T.
- COKE ZERO, COKE REGULAR AND COKE LIGHT
- WINDOWS PHONE 7.5 (NOKIA LUMIA)
- PHOTO WITH SPEAKERS
- UNIVERSAL STUDIO
- SENTOSA ISLAND
- VELOCITY MALL
DAY 3:
- SCIENCE CENTRE SINGAPORE
- ROBO ROBO MODULE 1 (BUILDER)
- ROBO ROBO MODULE 2 (PROGRAMMER)
- ROBO ROBO MODULE 3 (COMMANDER)
- SWIMMING AT OUR HOTEL ROYAL
- CLARKE QUAY
- TIGER
- PIRATES
- LAYS
DAY 4:
- FREE DAY SHOPPING
- SUNTEC
- ORCHARD
- BUGIS
- LITTLE INDIA
- MUSTAFA CENTRE
- MARINA BAY
- SINGAPORE FLYER
- SKY PARK
- PICTURE LAMBORGHINI
- MARINA BAY SANDS
- BACK TO MANILA, PHILIPPINES
MORE:
- EXPERIENCE RIDING MRT
- EXPERIENCE RIDING DOUBLE FLOOR BUS
- NO DURIAN INSIDE THE MRT BUT SMELLS DURIAN INSIDE THE TRAIN
- SINGAPOREAN GIRLS :)
PICTURES:
MY ROOMATES (ENGELO, PATRICK AND ME) AT HOTEL ROYAL SINGAPORE
ME AND MY FUTURE CAR
ROCKAFELLAS(STREETBOYS) AT UNIVERSAL STUDIO
SCIENCE CENTRE
MERLION PARK WITH THEM
ME AND CHOY VIEW MARINA BAY
ME AND JR AT MERLION PARK
US IN CLARKE QUAY
ME AND ENGELO AT NAIA TERMINAL 1
US IN THE UNVERSAL STUDIO
DISCONNECT, RECONNECT, LOVE :)
FUN AT THE HOTEL ROYAL
OUR ROBO ROBO BY YAJ, CHOKIE, ENGELO AND ME
HELPING US TO BUILD A ROBOT
THERE IS A WHALE HAS BEEN CAUGHT
LET’S PLAY A GAME.. INSERT A COIN! PLEASE!
ROLL ON DEODORANT
OOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPSSSSSSSS MAMY!
FOR MORE PICTURE VISIT THIS SITE:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2334393899657.89808.1844116919&type=3
THANKS ENJOY YOUR TRIP!
THANKS TO MY PARENTS FOR GIVING ME A 200 USD FOR ALLOWANCE AT SINGPORE AND 3000 PESOS ALLOWANCE HERE AT PHILIPPINES… ALSO I WANT TO THANKS MAAM COLEEN, MAAM CARLOS, MAAM GRACE, MR. KENT(TOUR GUIDE) AND ALSO THE 3 DRIVERS.. THANK YOU LETRAN! ANIMO LETRAN!
THANKS ALSO TO THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE:
AND TO THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE A CAMERA.. THANK YOU!
BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE
THANK YOU HOTEL ROYAL AT NEWTON ROAD, SINGAPORE FOR THE BIG BEAUTIFUL BREAKFAST! BYE!
