Robotics Programming Project - Lab Report Example

Your college Robotics Project Report Your 28th April Robotics project report This is project report for a robotics programming project that enables a robot to perform the task of picking up a ball. This is a step by step execution of a program to accomplish the task. The accomplishments of the project were in enabling the robotic arm to move through a space within set constraints of avoiding the black lines in the experiment. The software for the robotic arm is executed by the machine to achieve the objectives of the project. However some technical problems such as weight of the arm and unforeseen parameters of the robot going out of the maze were encountered in execution of the project. The objective of the project is to enable a robot to look for a ball and pick it up while avoiding black lines. The goal is divided into a logical sequence that enables the robot to achieve its goal. The sequence flow is as follows. The necessary parameters for the robot are set, these include the sensors and motors that enable the robot to move. The robot then looks for a ball. It then estimates and determines the distance to the ball. It moves through the distance and then picks up the ball. The robot does all this while avoiding the black lines using the accompanying sensor light. Robotics programming is a developing technology that utilizes principles from varying fields of science. These include mechatronics, electrical engineering, psychology and computer science .The merging of these fields of study produces the fictionalized concept of a robot that has intellect and a nature of its own and works hand in hand with man. Creation of robots from the programming aspects to the development of the mechanical parts has a very diverse effect on man-kind than any other technology that has come about. Robotics poses different arguments from a range of different perspectives that affects human beings. These effects are experienced in global, societal, economic and environmental views that determine the advancement and integration of robotic technology in day to day human lives. These aspects have raised arguments and debates in these fields that have seldom been settled. Advancement in robotics is only brought about by regarding these aspects in humanity. As with every technology, the economic aspect is highly regarded. The robotics project’s possibility of making work easier for people and at the same time improving the livelihoods of the same people is the most important part of the economic view of new technology. Robotics programming has many varied views both positive and negative with regard to the effects and results of robotic technology. Positive aspects of robotic engineering within industrial and commercial aspects include automation of manufacturing, easing the hard labour for people and speeding up the process of delivery of products to the market. Robotic automotive technology and application of mechatronics principles can also improve the creation of safety systems especially in cars which can automatically and intelligently detect dangerous situations and react accordingly (Schweitzer,2). This helps save lives. However with the integration of robotics, the most negative economic aspect is the replacement of human beings by robots. This increases cases of unemployment and thus making robotics technology highly unpopular among operational and technically skilled people. Thus the development of intelligent machines is highly limited to jobs that human beings cannot do or will not do and also be based on a foundation of no competition with human beings(Schweitzer,5). The machines should be able to assist and not remove people from work. Robots built for services to people such as robots for lawn mowing and cleaning are beneficial to people as they speed up these services. The economic view more or less dictates the advancement of robotic technology. If it does not improve the lives of people and merely takes their jobs away and replacing them, it would be highly unlikely for the robots to take precedence while human beings suffer. However business demands make it harder for business owners who want faster production and delivery of the product to market. Therefore an unsettled debate rages on of robots taking human jobs. This problem is prevalent and leads to more debate and views on robots on a societal level. Societal aspects of robotics programming project vary widely with respect to its influences on human life and the benefits it brings to them. The ethical aspect related to society in large is more often than not regarded with suspicion and a conservative attitude to the new technology. It is very difficult for a medical patient undergoing surgery to ignore the experienced trusting hands of a well-trained surgeon to a robotic arm that conducts the surgery. The most prevalent question on this matter is, to whom will the blame be placed on, if the operation goes wrong, therefore use of robots in such situations is highly unlikely. The only exception for most people though will be the use of a robotic assistant within the surgery room for menial tasks that do not affect the patient ultimately. However use of robotic arms for human prosthetics is more than welcome to many unfortunate amputees and can be a reliable substitute for a lost limb. Robotic audio and vision sensing are also welcome but the use of technical implants are to some point unethical but also provide grounds for saving more lives with the advancement and improvement of the materials used in making the implants. The materials used for the creation of these implants affect human beings as well as the environment. If the materials can be used within the human body and not cause any more problematic issues then the materials used can be used for the more touchy issue of the environment where questions regarding pollution and green machines that do more in conserving the environment than damaging it, are raised. Environmental aspects have influenced the development of robotics projects and its integration within the system. Robots are highly effective in the management of energy and resources. Use of robots in highly dangerous situations such as mining and other activities that might harm human beings, is most beneficial. However for now, robots are bulky machines are require a large amount of space to work in. This, definitely, is not beneficial in the long term. Most robots are made of materials that might be harmful to the environment and bring about pollution which in time harms people. The rust from the iron parts cause pollution. Disposal of obsolete machines also poses a huge problem environmentally. Recycling of the materials for making robots is highly costly both in terms of energy and money to clean up the environment effectively. In case of nuclear disasters that harm the environment and people as well, robots are used for management of such disaster prone areas. The Massachusetts based company , iRobot, has built a highly expensive robot, the Packbot, that deals with nuclear disasters and saves human beings the damaging radioactive effects of nuclear material. The environmental problem and benefits provided by the robots also creates a more vigorous debate on a global scale that resolutely determines the development and integration of robotics to human life. The global aspect of robotics project is a matter viewed from different perspectives. The perspectives range with the change in the fields of profession that many different people partake in. The global perspective mostly deals with the continuous need for man to develop, to learn and discover the secrets of nature. Global issues such as exploration into different knowledge domains, different environmental grounds, determine the advancement and integration of robotic technology. The use of robots, greatly advances man’s reach. For example the use of robots in space explorations as seen in recent times in the exploration of Mars and the moon. Robots can also advance knowledge of the underwater world. This is achieved by deploying unmanned robots that can withstand the amazing pressure of the ocean at a very deep level. Nano-robots can be used to explore the world at bacterial and viral level. The use of robots therefore is geared towards activities that are highly difficult for humans to achieve and are costly in the case of sending human beings to space. The program was working though there were some difficulties encountered in the project. These include physical and mechanical problems in the design of the machine that executes the commands of the program. The weight of the robotic arm posed a problem for the project. The weight affected its movement and execution of commands. The robot while executing the commands to pick up the ball, had a tendency of going out of the maze when trying to avoid the black lines. The result of the program is that there was movement in the robotic arm however due to mechanical problems and overlooked constraints in the development of the program, the robotic arm went out of its maze when trying to avoid the black lines. In conclusion to the robotic programming project, the primary development and implementation of the program to drive the robotic arm was the most prominent feature of the entire project. However, for successful development of robots, the design of the hardware should be highly considered and placed as a priority in development of robots. Failure to oversee and manage the weight of the material used to build the robot could lead to a failure in execution of the entire project. Thus hardware and software should be carefully designed in compliance with each other for effective development of the technology. Works cited Schweitzer, Gerhard. “Robotics-Chances and challenges of a key science”. Zurich, ETH Zurich,HUT,8092 Zurich ,Switzerland. Web. 28th April.2013 Read More