Robots and their influence on the world

Lajuan Rogers
H-08
10/22/09
Informational Technologies
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Robots have revolutionized the word because of the ability to do whatever job given to them

with amazing results. Robots are useful for many different industrial fields. Robots take the

instruction that was given by a human and the robot applies it. Each time a robot completes its

task, great excitement comes over us because it is like seeing a baby take its first steps. What is

even more amazing is how far humans have come to improve robots over small amounts of time.

During the 1900’s robots were mere thoughts of scientific stories and theories. Writers like

Mary Shelly would write stories about a robotic life form created by a mad scientist. Now today

she is well known for the story called Frankenstein. Shelly was not the only one who came up

with stories. By 1941 science fiction writer Isaac Asimov was the first to use the term “robotics”

(Timeline of Robots, 1) to describe the making of robots. Isaac Asimov is also known for his

three laws of robotics which are very popular and commonly used today.

The term robot originates from the Czech word robota meaning slave like labor. The first

person to use the term robot was Karel Capek a Czech writer. Capek used it in his play called

“Rossum’s Universal Robots” which was about a robot being created and taking over the humans

lives. Plays and stories always seemed to have this kind of plot every time robots were thought

of. Surprisingly though humans have always thought about robots even during the 1400’s.

Leonardo da Vinci an artist, even was creative enough to think of robots. In 1495 Leonardo

da Vinci designed the first humanoid robot. His sketches were hard to make out whether or not

he had a blue print of a robot. It took until 1950 when some scanning was done for a professor

from the University of California to suggest that some of Leonardo’s sketches were for a robot.

Then later research was made and was discovered that Leonardo “designed his robot to open and

close its jaw, sit up, wave its arms and move its head” (Robot, 2). The robot was an armored

knight which was used to amuse royalty. If Leonardo did get his robot to move he might have

used water and weights, but Leonardo still started off with a good idea. During this time robots

were for entertainment but then the idea for robots to be much more started to show.

William Grey Walter started to build robots to mimic human behavior, and he would use

simple electronics to do so. Then in 1946 George Devol patented over forty million inventions.

By 1954 the first industrial robot was created which was called Unimate. “George Devol became
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known as the father of robotics” (History and Benefits, 1). Everything turned out so well that by

1956 “George Devol and Joseph Engelberger formed the world’s first robot company” (Timeline

of Robots, 1). Once this company started manufacturing robots, many other companies followed

their lead. Robots stared to become more popular than before.

As humans developed robots, the robots themselves started to be broken into three main

categories. Industrial, research, and education became the main branches and everything else

broke off from them. Each type of robot became very complex and they convenience humans

more and more. Whether the robots enhances our vision, help us learn or just protect us, they

continue to advance past our own capabilities. Even though it takes a while to improve the robot

the little steps still helps us to do better in the future.

The Rancho Arm was the first robotic arm to be controlled by a computer in 1963. They were

designed to aid the handicapped. Then the Tentacle Arm was developed by Marvin Minsky.

These were used to lift people and maybe heavy objects. The Silver Arm was made in 1974 and

it “performed small parts assembly using feedback from touch and pressure sensors” (Timeline

of Robots, 1). Now these robotic arms started to spread and they really influenced the automotive

companies.

In the 1980’s the automotive companies invested in the robotic companies. One company

spent over forty billion dollars on new technology, but because they did not understand how to

use it the machines destroyed things. Factories all over the globe now have these, arm like robots

and they bring many advantages. The products are made much faster with accuracy and

consistency. The robots can even now do jobs that would be hazardous to humans. Extreme

heavy lifting can be done by the robots. They can enter into extreme temperatures whether they

are high or low temperatures.

That is just the start of all things, now looking at what robots can do in the medical field is

even more amazing. In the field of medicine “extreme precision and delicacy is necessary and

the margins for error slim” (Robots in Medicine, 1) so the doctors must be careful. During

surgery robots perform major operations without causing the patient too much trauma, and it

allows fewer infections with less healing time needed. Robots have become so advanced that
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they allow doctors to perform heart surgery without opening a patient’s chest. It is amazing how

robots can actually do this without making things worse.

In London at Guy’s hospital a robotic machine is used to do surgery. This time it is removing

a prostate gland from a cancer patient. “The robot’s dexterity and range of motion is far greater

than the human hand. The robot is so precise that the surgeon could in theory use the machine to

peel a grape” (Latest surgical of robots at work, 1). The doctor is in the other room with a

console, and the robot follows the instruction. The robot is not yet smart enough to do this

procedure by itself. While doing this operation the doctor has three D view of what is going on.

This keyhole surgery is done through a tiny incision. The tubes that carry out the surgery have

two cameras which give a perfect view for the surgeon. The surgery is a success and the patient

can go home in about twenty-four hours. A doctor without this machine would have caused

unnecessary damages but this robot finished the job without any problems.

Robots also have more than one job at the hospital. They support the nurses in everything

they do. The nurses give them medicine not needed, send them on deliveries and have them visit

patients in the hospital. Robots are starting to become the hospitals daily functioning system. The

Mckesson robot-rx stores and dispenses drugs. While the pharmacists put the prescription into

the computer the robot organizes it. So the hospital has something preventing medication errors

and it gets rid of other tedious tasks. Some robots allow the doctor to virtually visit their patients.

The doctor is able to examine patients from continents away face to face. The doctor uses a

joystick and wireless technology to do their examinations. With these robots advancing they are

ready for other things.

Research is another thing robots have helped us accomplish. One of the places we send robots

that we can not survive in is space. Space is one of the hardest places to explore. For humans it

can be fatal exploration, but for robots it can be no problem. The only thing that must be done is

that the engineers have to build the robot suitable for space. For example the Conceptual robot

has twenty- one independent joints. Its body has a high fault tolerance as well. So if several

joints fail it can keep going.

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The hardest thing with these types of robots is to get them moving and ready to take anything

thrown at them. The humanoid or little crawler has to be able to move around. If it has fingers it

has to be able to pick things up or move them. Asimo a humanoid is a great example of moving

around. He can walk up steps, keep his balance, answer the phone, and open doors. Space is a

rough place so the robot has to be very advanced. Once movement is taken care of adding a

camera will be easy. It would be like putting everything that a robot can do now into the one that

can move around. Robot advancement has come a long way since the 1800’s.

Robot intelligence has really increased over the years. Robots at first were not even moving

people were just coming up with stories. Then when robots were moving they had limitations.

They could not do as much, but at least they were flexible. At first the robots were arms on

wheels. It took awhile before humanoids started to get built. Now everything is up to date, the

sensors are working together with the computer. This is allowing it to move on its own. Not only

does it move on its own the robot has perfect balance. It can even tell whether or not something

is in front of it.

The sensors to a robot are very sensitive now. The motor and feedback sensors have a desired

position to be in. If it is not in the proper position it will turn until it is. It can be compared to

being “hungry” (Motion control, 1). The closer the machine is in the right position the less

hungry it will become. The ability that humans provided for robots alone shows how clever

humans have become over the years. Humans have built many things to help provide for a better

and safer life. The robots that are built help us learn new things, and it helps us improve what we

already have in our lives. The best part is that things will always become more advanced and it

will never stop.

Robots have changed the way humans see things in technology. It was not easy trying to

figure out how to get these devices to work. At first robots were just stories, forms of

entertainment. Then slowly it found its way into technology. Robots have evolved and they will

continue to evolve until it can no longer do so. Just like Devol someone will be coming up with

more and more ideas. There are so many possibilities in robotics and technology that it will not
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be hard to come up with new ideas. So then, robotics will continue to revolutionize the world and

continue to aid humans in the journey called life.

Works Cited

History and benefits of Industrial Robots, 20 Oct. 2009 http://wwww.used-robots.com/robots-

Education.

Latest surgical robots at work, 22 Oct. 2009 http://www.euronews.net.

Motion control, 22 Oct. 2009 http://www.learnaboutrobots.com/motioncontrol.htm.

Robot, 20 Oct. 2009 http://www.lairweb.orgnz/leonardo/jib.html.

Robot Education, 13 Oct. 2009 http://www.robots.com/articles.

Robots in Medicine, 22 Oct.2009 http://www.used-robots.com/robot-education.

Robots in Space, 22 Oct. 2009 http://www.learnaboutrobots.com/space.htm.

Timeline of Robots, 19 Oct. 2009 http://www.inventorsabout.com/od/roboticsrobot/a/Robo

Timeline.htm.
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