INTRODUCTION
IF you think robots are mainly the stuff of space movies, think again. Right now, all over the world, robots are on the move. They’re painting cars at Ford plants, assembling Milano cookies for Pepperidge Farms, walking into live volcanoes, driving trains in Paris, and defusing bombs in Northern Ireland. As they grow tougher, nimbler, and smarter, today’s robots are doing more and more things we can’t –or don’t want to–do.
Robots have been with us for less than 50 years, but the idea of inanimate creations to do our bidding is much, much older. The ancient Greek poet Homer described maidens of gold, metallic helpers for the Hephaistos, the Greek god of the forge. The golems of medieval Jewish legend were robot-like servants made of clay, brought to life by a spoken charm. Leonardo da Vinci drew plans for a mechanical man in 1495.
But real robots wouldn’t become possible until the 1950’s and 60’s, with the invention of transistors and integrated circuits. Compact, reliable electronics and a growing computer industry added brains to the brawn of already existing machines. In 1959, researchers demonstrated the possibility of robotic manufacturing when they unveiled a computer-controlled milling machine. Its first product: ashtrays.
Robots have been with us for less than 50 years, but the idea of inanimate creations to do our bidding is much, much older. The ancient Greek poet Homer described maidens of gold, metallic helpers for the Hephaistos, the Greek god of the forge. The golems of medieval Jewish legend were robot-like servants made of clay, brought to life by a spoken charm. Leonardo da Vinci drew plans for a mechanical man in 1495.
But real robots wouldn’t become possible until the 1950’s and 60’s, with the invention of transistors and integrated circuits. Compact, reliable electronics and a growing computer industry added brains to the brawn of already existing machines. In 1959, researchers demonstrated the possibility of robotic manufacturing when they unveiled a computer-controlled milling machine. Its first product: ashtrays.
What is a robot? 
There’s no precise definition, but by general agreement a robot is a programmable machine that imitates the actions or appearance of an intelligent creature–usually a human. To qualify as a robot, a machine has to be able to do two things: 1) get information from its surroundings, and 2) do something physical–such as move or manipulate objects.
There’s no precise definition, but by general agreement a robot is a programmable machine that imitates the actions or appearance of an intelligent creature–usually a human. To qualify as a robot, a machine has to be able to do two things: 1) get information from its surroundings, and 2) do something physical–such as move or manipulate objects.
The RUR robot which appeared in an adaption of Karl Capek's Rossum's Universal Robots
The word robot comes from the Czech word robota, meaning drudgery or slave-like labor. It was first used to describe fabricated workers in a fictional 1920s play by Czech author Karel Capek called Rossum’s Universal Robots. In the story, a scientist invents robots to help people by performing simple, repetitive tasks. However, once the robots are used to fight wars, they turn on their human owners and take over the world.
WORKING
Just name a boring or dangerous job; somewhere, a robot is probably doing it.
As mechanical workers, robots are ideal for jobs requiring repetitive, precise movements. Human workers need a comfortable working environment, salaries, coffee breaks, sleep, and vacations. Robots don’t. Human workers get bored doing the same thing over and over, boredom that leads to fatigue and costly mistakes. Robots don’t get bored.
Ninety percent of robots work in factories, and more than half are at work making automobiles. Car factories are so highly automated that most of the human workers are there mainly to supervise or maintain the robots and other machines. Robots assemble car body panels and weld them together, finish and paint the car bodies, and stack and move partially completed car
Ninety percent of robots work in factories, and more than half are at work making automobiles. Car factories are so highly automated that most of the human workers are there mainly to supervise or maintain the robots and other machines. Robots assemble car body panels and weld them together, finish and paint the car bodies, and stack and move partially completed car
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obotic Arm arranging chocolates in boxes. Photo courtesy of Adept Technology
obotic Arm arranging chocolates in boxes. Photo courtesy of Adept TechnologyAnother example of a factory job done by robots is arranging chocolates in boxed assortments. Guided by a computer vision system, a robotic arm can locate a piece of chocolate on a moving conveyer belt, gently pick it up and turn it to the proper orientation, then deposit it in a specific location within a box on another moving conveyer belt. Sure, it’s a task that almost anyone could do. . .but could you do it 20,000 times over the course of an eight-hour shift?
Robots are being put to a wider variety of manufacturing uses each day. In the computer industry, robots solder tiny wires to semiconductor chips. "Pick and place" robots insert integrated circuits onto printed circuit boards; these are used in all kinds of electronics, from radios to microwaves. Robots are also at work making and packaging drugs, textiles, and foods.
Certain dangerous jobs are best done by robots. Bomb disposal is one of these. Guided remotely using video cameras, robots like the Mini-Andros can be sent to investigate–and defuse–possible bombs. (See sidebar.)
Robots also venture into dangerously polluted environments, such as chemical spills and radioactive "hot zones" in nuclear power plants. Robug III is a spider-like robot specially designed to explore areas where extreme radiation would quickly kill a human. The need for a robot like Robug III was made clear during the Chernobyl accident in 1986. An explosion and fire ripped apart a nuclear reactor and released dangerous radioactive material into the air, making rescue and containment work nearly impossible.
Certain dangerous jobs are best done by robots. Bomb disposal is one of these. Guided remotely using video cameras, robots like the Mini-Andros can be sent to investigate–and defuse–possible bombs. (See sidebar.)
Robots also venture into dangerously polluted environments, such as chemical spills and radioactive "hot zones" in nuclear power plants. Robug III is a spider-like robot specially designed to explore areas where extreme radiation would quickly kill a human. The need for a robot like Robug III was made clear during the Chernobyl accident in 1986. An explosion and fire ripped apart a nuclear reactor and released dangerous radioactive material into the air, making rescue and containment work nearly impossible.
Bomb Buster
The Mini-Andros is used by bomb squads across the country to locate and dispose of bombs. Roughly three feet long, the Mini-Andros looks something like a small armored tank, with eight wheels on four "legs" that can be extended for climbing stairs. Its moveable arm can lift objects weighing up to 15 pounds and place them in bomb-proof boxes. Detachable accessories enable the Mini-Andros to break windows, see in the dark, and to defuse or detonate bombs directly, either by blasting them with water, firing at them with a shotgun, or by placing other, smaller bombs nearby.
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