Robotics

What is Robotics?
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, and application of robots as well as computer systems for their control, sensory feedback, and information processing. Contemporary robots are used for jobs that are boring, dirty, or dangerous; or for tasks that require more speed, precision, or endurance than a human can provide. They perform almost all welding, painting, and assembly tasks in the automotive industry and have become a basic element of production in industries ranging from electronics to wood products. According to World Robotics, a 2008 report published by the International Federation of Robotics, the estimated number of industrial robots installed worldwide is more than one million50% in Asia and Australia, 33% in Europe, and 17% in North America.

Origin of Robotics
Fully autonomous robots only appeared in the second half of the 20th century. The first digitally operated and programmable robot, the Unimate, was installed in 1961 in a General Motors Assembly Line at their New Jersey plant to lift hot pieces of metal from a die-casting machine and stack them.

Evolution of Robotics
1495: Around 1495 Leonardo da Vinci sketched plans for a humanoid robot. 1700 1900: Between 1700 and 1900 a number of life-sized automatons were created including a famous mechanical duck made by Jacques de Vaucanson that could crane its neck, flap its wings and even swallow food.

1920: Karel Capek coins the word robot to describe machines that resemble humans in his play called Rossums Universal Robots. The play was about a society that became enslaved by the robots that once served them. 1932: The first true robot toy was produced in Japan. The Lilliput was a wind-up toy which walked. It was made from tinplate and stood just 15cm tall. 1941: Legendary science fiction writer Isaac Asimov writes the short story Liar! in which he describes the Three Laws of Robotics. His stories were recompiled into the volume I, Robot in 1950 later reproduced as a movie starring Will Smith. Asimovs 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 any 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.

1950: Alan Turing proposes a test to determine if a machine truly has the power to think for itself. To pass the test a machine must be indistinguishable from a human during conversation. It has become known as the Turing Test. 1954: George Devol and Joe Engleberger design the first programmable robot arm. This later became the first industrial robot, completing dangerous and repetitive tasks on an assembly line at General Motors (1962).

1969: The U.S. successfully uses the latest in computing, robotic and space technology to land Neil Armstrong on the moon.

1986: The first LEGO based educational products are put on the market and Honda launches a project to build a walking humanoid robot.

1994: Carnegie Universities eight-legged walking robot, Dante ll, successfully descends into Mt Spur to collect volcanic gas samples.

1997: The first Robocup tournament is held in Japan. The goal of Robocup is to have a fully automated team of robots beat the worlds best soccer team by the year 2050.

1999: Sony releases the first version of AIBO, a robotic dog with the ability to learn, entertain and communicate with its owner. More advanced versions have followed.

2000: Honda debuts ASIMO, the next generation in its series of humanoid robots.

2004: Epsom release the smallest known robot, standing 7cm high and weighing just 10 grams. The robot helicopter is intended to be used as a flying camera during natural disasters.

2005: Researchers at Cornell University build the first self-replicating robot. Each robot is made up of a small tower of computerized cubes which link together through the use of magnets.

2008: After being first introduced in 2002, the popular Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner has sold over 2.5 million units, proving that there is a strong demand for this type of domestic robotic technology.

Issues
Robot workers vs. Human workers Privacy Issues Trust Issues Legal Issues

Future Trends
A future robotics growth arena is Intelligent Assist Devices (IAD) operators manipulate a robot as though it were a bionic extension of their own limbs

with increased reach and strength. This is robotics technology not replacements for humans or robots, but rather a new class of ergonomic assist products that helps human partners in a wide variety of ways, including power assist, motion guidance, line tracking and process automation. The convergence of technologies involving computing, communication, and intelligent interfaces with autonomous robotics suggests that networks of intelligent, autonomous robots may become the next disruptive technology. Autonomous mobile robots may one day perform complex medical procedures, including surgery, on patients in dangerous or remote locations from battlefields to space, with little human guidance. Advances in miniaturization and bio nanotechnology could lead to a new generation of Nano robots, which would revolutionize the medical industry. Nanobots may provide treatment at the cellular level, perhaps clearing clogged arteries, repairing genes, battling cancer cells, and delivering drugs. Cognitive robots can become available as office helpers or as robotic companions for guiding the blind and assisting the elderly. General-purpose anthropomorphic robots, with human-like hands, can be used in transforming manufacturing from resource-intensive to knowledge-intensive, and creating totally unmanned factories. Agricultural robotic scouts may roam the fields of the future to care for the plants, use sensors to provide detailed real-time information about the status of the crop, and apply data fusion techniques for making management decisions.

Barcode
What is Barcode?
A barcode is an optical machine-readable representation of data relating to the object to which it is attached.

Origin of Barcodes
The first patent for a bar code type product (US Patent #2,612,994) was issued to inventors Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver on October 7, 1952. The Woodland and Silver bar code can be described as a "bull's eye" symbol, made up of a series of concentric circles. Bar code was first used commercially in 1966, however, it was soon realized that there would have to be some sort of industry standard set. In June of 1974, the first U.P.C. scanner was installed at a Marsh's supermarket in Troy, Ohio. The first product to have a bar code included was a packet of Wrigley's Gum.

Evolution of Barcode
1930 1940 The concept of the linear bar code was first developed in the midthirties. 1948 This year marked the beginning of the current bar code when two college students, Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver, overheard a request made to the dean of their school at a local food fair. 1949 Woodland and Silver file for a patent describing both the linear and bulls eye type bar code systems. They also patented what would be necessary have the ability to read the codes. 1952 Woodland and Silver are issued a patent for the first bar code product. The patent was later purchased by Philco and later sold to RCA.

1966 The National Association of Food Chains first utilized bar code technology because they wanted a faster way to check out customers. 1967 Bar code standard is adopted by the Association of American Railroads and is used on the entire fleet of equipment. 1969 Computer Identics Corp., started by David Collins, is the first company whose entire line of products is based on bar code technology. 1973 Committee on Uniform Grocery Product Code suggests that bar code technology should be used on products throughout the United States. 1974 The Code 39 was produced by Dr. David Allais. Code 39 is the first alphanumeric bar code symbology. 1981 Department of defense launches a program using code 39. This system, which is called the Logistics Applications of Automated Marking and Reading Symbols. It is still used by the Department of Defense today. 1982 Normand introduces the first CCD scanner, Dallas hosts Scan Tech, the first AIT trade show and Symbol Technologies launch the first handheld scanner. 1984 Europe holds the first Scan Tech convention. Scan Tech is a manufacturer and distributor of bar code products and has been in business since 1979. 1994 Peter Collins founded A2B Tracking Solutions. The Checkerboard symbology Data Matrix is invented, and the first bar code software for mobile computing is also invented. 1999 QR codes were registered in Japanese Industrial Standards. The codes were also adopted as the standard two-dimensional symbol.

2005 Airlines implement a typical bar code on boarding passes. A few years later the bar code would be updated to include mobile phone symbologies and, in 2009, it was updated additionally to contain a field for digital signatures. Eventually bar codes used in airlines will be updated to the format of near field communications. 2008 Mobile phones are equipped with the technology to allow two-dimensional bar codes, which can be, used as electronic boarding passes.

Issues
Barcodes that have been printed using incorrect colour combinations, often red bars on a pale background, which will not scan. Reversed out images where the bars are white against a coloured background, are again not scan able. Missing bars (when printing in picket fence) or horizontal white lines crossing the bar code (when printing in ladder) because of faulty printheads being used for on demand printing. Labels that are peeling off as a result of extremes of heat, label degradation through age or simply the wrong adhesive for the application.

Trends
Barcode Technology and Healthcare: With an aging population, its more important than ever for medical facilities to perform swiftly and accurately. As the number of hospital patients grows, so does the opportunity for spread of disease and risk of patient tracking or medical record errors. Barcode Technology and Consumer Habits: Mobility drives many aspects of our lives today. Retailers have noticed, and are leveraging that driver to increase sales. During peak shopping seasons, consumers see QR codes offering them deals and coupons. Super-savvy shoppers seek ways to make price comparisons while in-store. Barcode Technology and Manufacturing: Manufacturers want to adopt real-time inventory management solutions that are not only easy to use, but also wireless. Mobile solutions will allow manufactures to work faster and more efficiently, thus

staying ahead of their competition. And we all know that staying ahead of the competition is one of the keys to success.

Artificial Intelligence
What is Artificial intelligence?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the intelligence exhibited by machines or software, and the branch of computer science that develops machines and software with intelligence. Major AI researchers and textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chances of success.

Origin of Artificial Intelligence

In the 1940s and 50s, a handful of scientists from a variety of fields (mathematics, psychology, engineering, economics and political science) began to discuss the possibility of creating an artificial brain. The field of artificial intelligence research was founded as an academic discipline in 1956. SNARC (Stochastic Neural Analog Reinforcement Calculator) is a neural net machine designed by Marvin Lee Minsky. It is a randomly connected network of Hebb synapses. It was implemented by Minsky while he was a student, in hardware using vacuum tubes, and was possibly the first artificial self-learning machine.

Evolution of Artificial Intelligence

The 1956 Dartmouth conference was the moment that AI gained its name, and is widely considered the birth of AI. 1950: In 1950, Alan Turing published a landmark paper in which he speculated about the possibility of creating machines with true intelligence. The Turing Test was the first proposal in the philosophy of artificial intelligence. Important Timeline of AI Year Development 1915: Leonardo Torres builds Chess automation 1941: Konrad Zeus builds first program-controlled computer 1945: Evolution of Game theory in AI 1950: Alan Turing proposes the Turing Test. To pass the test a machine must be indistinguishable from a human during conversation.

1956: AI introduced worldwide from Dartmouth Conference 1957: GPS demonstrated by Newell, Shaw and Simon. General Problem Solver (GPS) was a computer program created intended to work as a universal problem solver machine like geometric problems and chess. 1958: John McCarthy invented LISP programming language 1965: Edward Feigenbaum initiated Dendral. Dendral was an influential pioneer project in artificial intelligence (AI) of the 1960s, and the computer software expert system that it produced. Its primary aim was to study hypothesis formation and discovery in science. 1993: Polly (a behavior based robot) by Ian Horswill. Polly was the first mobile robot to move at animal-like speeds (1m per second) using computer vision for its navigation. 2007 Blue Brain, a project to simulate brain at molecular level. The Blue Brain Project is an attempt to create a synthetic brain by reverse-engineering the mammalian brain down to the molecular level.

Issues
If the AI becomes self aware, it might try to destroy its creators, in this case man. There are other ethical issues like if a driverless car collides, whose fault is it?

Trends
Smart Driverless Cars Honda has created a helmet-like device that can read human brain waves and transmit them to humanoid robot. A person can make the robot perform simple tasks, including moving Its arm.