Robotics Technology - Thesis Example

The paper "Robotics Technology and Artificial Intelligence" is a good example of an essay on technology. This paper presents the robotics technology, including the history of its development, the need for development, and its design process. Their economic impacts on the economy are clearly stated. Robotics has a wide range of applications. The design of a robot requires a proper balance of battery power, size, and motor power. They have gained a wide application in made fields including manufacturing industries, vehicle factories, nuclear bombs, medicine, and nanotechnology (Thrun, et al. 2005). Introduction Robotics refers to both the study and the application of robots in performing a particular task.

A robot is a mechanical device that looks like a human being and mimics the operations are done by a human being but in a more complex way through the use of commands. They are widely used in today’s manufacturing environment due to their high precision, endurance, and processing speed (Thrun, et al. 2005). They are becoming more flexible, smarter, and autonomous with the ability to work independently from human beings and make decisions. The history of the development of robots began a long time ago in 1954 when the first early industrial robot was developed by George Devol.

It was used for shifting objects from one place to another. In 1960, Johnson and Milenkovic designed the robot Versatile (Thrun, et al. 2005). Famulus robot was designed in 1973 by KUKA, a German robotic industry, which contained six axes that were electromechanically driven. Modern industrial robots began from 1980 to the present day. They include Motoman ERC Control System, the Intelligent Robot, Repair, and Maintenance Robot, and The welding Robot. According to Thrun, et al. (2005), the development of Robots began due to different societal needs.

The need for automatic processing led to the adaptation of robotic processing. The welding process also needed to be automated hence robotic welding was implemented. Robotic dispensing is applied by spraying, applying adhesives, painting, and gluing because it makes the process accurate and repeatable. There are some operations that are risky to be handled by a human being, therefore, robots are employed to perform these tasks in place of human beings. Robotics has also used the assembly process whose tasks includes press-fitting, inserting, fixing and disassemblingMethod The robotic design includes the hardware and the software that has commands which control the mechanical parts.

There are six categories of electronic components of a robot. They include motor control that controls the movement of servos and motors. Sensor reading obtains information from the sensors and supplies information to the controlling unit. Communication is another category that gives a link between an external PC and a controller, remote control or another robot (Thrun, et al. 2005). The controller, which makes some, decisions depending on the program and the sensor inputs. Power management circuits monitor battery status.

The last one is the glue logic, which allows the interconnections of different parts. The design process is subdivided into six stages. The first one is the problem definition. In this stage, the overall purpose of construction and specific requirements are identified. In stage two, researching and designing are done. It involves information gathering, identification of specific design details that must be satisfied, identification of possible design solutions or possible alternatives, and structure design using drawings (Thrun, et al. 2005). The third stage entails prototype creation that involves the design, testing, and troubleshooting.

Building the actual robot is the fourth step. This is followed by programming and testing of the robot. Lastly, the evaluation of the robot is done, which involves an evaluation of both the design and the planning process. After all these stages, the robot is installed ready for use in the manufacturing process (Thrun, et al. 2005).Discussion There are many jobs in the industry that need a high degree of precision and speed. In early times, humans were carrying out all these tasks. With the introduction of robotic technology, many industrial processes were sped up and done with very high precision using robots.

Initially, the robots were applied in repetitive and specialized jobs only which could be executed with simple and precise instructions. As technology improves, industrial robots that are more complex are being designed. Some tasks are very dangerous to be handled by human beings. They include defusing bombs, servicing nuclear reactors, space exploration, and investigation of the ocean depth. These problems prompted scientists and engineers to design robots so that they can handle these risky and dangerous tasks rather than human beings (Thrun, et al. 2005).Conclusion The introduction of robotics and artificial intelligence in the manufacturing sector has enormously increased the profit level.

The increase in automation has led to increased productivity. Enhanced quality control, repeatability, labor reduction and integration with another business system that is in existence have given companies an upper hand through a reduction in production costs which increases revenue and production output. However, the initial cost of acquiring technology is high therefore, there is an increased maintenance cost. Despite these drawbacks, robots have had an overall positive impact on economic development over the years.