What is a robot?

Robotics is an engineering that involves conception, design, manufacture and operation of robots, it
also includes Electronics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence. A robot acts like a human
but even though they capture our imagination, such robots still only inhabit Science Fiction because
they don’t have enough “common sense” to interact with a dynamic world. (So what is a robot?)
There is no definition for it but the term “robot” comes from a Czech word, which is “robota” that
means “forced labour” and it describes them fairly well. Robots are increasingly used in industries
because they can handle tasks that exceed what man can accomplish. To be efficient, they must
have some essential characteristics:

 sensing: sensors, like light, contact or pressure are fundamental to sense its surroundings
and perform its task;
 movement: needs to be able to move;
 intelligence: that means that they need to be programmed since they perform their action
thanks to a series of coded commands.

Engineers and scientists have analysed the progress of robots and marked them in different
generations according to their evolution:

 firstgeneration: a simple mechanical arm. They can work at high speed, many times, for a
long time. They can also work in groups but they need to be supervised because if they
get out of alignment, the result of the production can be bad;
 second generation: they are equipped with sensors like pressure, radar and vision systems.
They can stay synchronised with each other without being constantly supervised;
 third generation: there is the autonomous robots which can work in their own, and the
insect robots, so called for their dimentions, they’re able to move on any type of terrain,
swim or fly.

Robotic arms

They are normally used in industry an industrial robotic arm includes five main parts: controller,
drive, arm, end effector and sensor. The controller is the brain of the robotic arm and allows the
robot to be connected to other systems. It runs a set of instructions written in code by the operator.
The drive is the engine that moves the links (sections between the joints) into their designated
positions. It provides the speed, strength to move the robot’s parts. The arm is the part that positions
the end effector. Each part of the arm (elbow, …) gives the robot a degree of freedom. A robot with
this degree can in any direction. The end effector connects to the arm and functions as a hand. It
comes in direct contact with the material the robot is manipulating. The sensors allow the robotic
arm to receive feedback about its environment. They collect information and sends it to the
controller. For example, a built-in pressure sensor tells the computer how hard the robot is gripping
a particular object. This makes the robot avoid dropping or breaking whatever is manipulating.
Sensors can also make two or more robots work together, preventing them from bumping into each
other.

Industrial robots

They are able to significantly improve product quality, but the disadvantage of integrating robots
into a business is their cost. Also their maintenance can add to the overall cost but yet the long term
return on investment makes them the perfect investment. They are used in many fields:
 - material handling robots: they can automate mind-numbing or unsafe tasks in a
production line, like packing, loading and unloading and machine feeding;
- welding robots(saldatura): they are the most employed because of their efficiency
such as reach, speed, load capacity and performance for welding;
- assembly robots: they put parts together and move faster and with greater precision
than human. They can be equipped with vision systems and force sensing. The vision
system guides the robot to pick up a component from a conveyor, and visual sensing
allows the robot to rotate or move a piece to make it fit with another piece;
- material removal robots: they are used to refine product surfaces using abrasive
methods since many manufactures finish their product through grinding, cutting or
deburring (molatura, taglio, sbavatura);

Robots also increase workplace safety. For example cobots (collaborative robot, work hand in hand
with human) are now available on the market to work safely alongside human workers thanks to
advances in sensor and vision technology. If an employee get in their way, the robot will stop,
thereby avoiding an accident.

Why a robot?

Installing robots is often a way that allows business owners to be more competitive, because robots
can perform their tasks more efficiently than people, they never get sick or need to rest and they can
work 24/7. Moreover, human performance might degrade over the time while robots operate
without fatigue and stopping. They are useful in many fields, for example:

- in auto assembly lines assembling cars, thanks to their continuous precision

Mobile robots

They are generally controlled by software and use sensors and other devices to identify their
surroundings. They must have locomotion systems like wheels to move on smooth ground or tracks
that offer constant contact with the ground preventing slipping. Even though most robots have a
built-in balance system, with legged robots some problems can arise and to avoid that and create
more stable robot walkers designers look at the animal world, specifically insects (ex. six-legged
insects have good balance). The two main types of mobile robots are the non-autonomous and the
autonomous ones:

- the non autonomous have a remote control wich can communicate with the robot
through an attached wire
- the autonomous can explore, make decisions and actions based on what they
perceive in their environment.

The key components of the autonomous action include three key concepts: perception, decision and
actuation. For a robot, perception means sensors such as laser scanners and infrared and ultrasound
sensors. The decision-maker is usually a computer wich makes decisions based on what its mission
is and what information it receives along the way. Regarding actuations a motor of some kind is
usually at the heart of the actuator.
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Automation

Includes various types of automated devices and it started in the late 40s. A machine tool is
automatic when it’s capable of producing parts repititively without and operator’s assistance. The
first example of automatic and semi-automatic machine tools were tracer lathes and numerically
controlled machines. Nowadays computers are used in technology for several applications in
controlling machines and two important developments in automation have been CNC machine tools
and CAD/CAM.

First steps: The earliest forms of NC were developed in the 50s. Early systems were limited by the
lack of detailed analysis for the geometrical drawings of the components to be manufactured, later
on this problem was overcome when computers were developed that could describe geometrical
tool movements as functions of a part-programming language. A significant development was the
Sketchpad which made it possible to draw designs using a light-pen and a keyboard, then this
system was connected to a computer. An NC system controls the actions of a machine, the system
automatically interprets the data, the instructions are written in coded form on a program
manuscript.

CNC machines: CNC machine tools are easier to operate and more versatile than NCs. They are
cheaper to maintain, more accurate and their program is simpler. Many are equipped with graphic
displays that plot the shapes of the components being machined. CNC machines are controlled by a
set of instructions based on numbers. For example, CNC lathes the slides are moved by special
motors called stepper motors. On a CNC lathe you write a computer program and this controls the
lathe as it makes the part and you can make as many identical parts as you want from it. When
writing a program, first the operations involved are listed, then the computer simulates the act of
machining on the computer screen. This makes it possible to detect program errors immediately,
avoiding waste of both time and material. CNC has determined radical changes in the approach to
the control of a machine tool.

Impact of new technology on companies

The introduction of automation in the manufacturing sector led to a massive reduction of the
workforce required for the production process. In addition manual labour was no longer needed but
a workforce of support technicians who ensure that the computers and robots perform assembly
functions at the optimum rate and efficiency. This has led to the employment of an increasing
number of women in the electronics industry and has created job opportunities for the disabled.
Manufacturing companies now require a minimum level of education that must continue beyond
traditional schooling as advances in technology require more and greater skills. It’s also necessary
for workers to become multiskilled so they can move between operations so the worker boredom is
reduced as the task is constantly changing. In conclusion automation has increased the
microtechnology industry which supplies the needs of automatic manufacturing activities.