As one of the greatest inventions of mankind in the 20th century, robotic technology has made great progress after more than 40 years of development since its advent in the early 1960s.
In the manufacturing industry, industrial robots have even become indispensable core equipment. There are nearly a million industrial robots in the world fighting side by side with workers and friends on various fronts. The emergence of robots is inevitable for social and economic development. Its rapid development has improved social production levels and human quality of life.
Service robots can provide you with medical treatment, health care, cleaning and security; underwater robots can help salvage sunken ships and lay cables; engineering robots can go up mountains and into the ground, dig holes and build roads; agricultural robots can cultivate, sow, fertilize and remove. Insects; military robots can charge into battle, clear mines and bombs... In real life, some jobs can cause harm to the human body, such as spray painting, heavy object handling, etc.; some jobs require high quality and are difficult for people to perform for a long time, such as automobile welding, precision work, etc. Assembly, etc.; some workers cannot be immersed in the situation, such as volcano exploration, deep-sea exploration, space exploration, etc.; some jobs are not suitable for people to do, such as some harsh environments, some boring and monotonous repetitive work, etc... These people Fields that cannot be done or cannot be done well have become a stage for robots to show their talents
Answer: jyr4321 - Doorman Level 3 4-8 12:59
The definition of a robot
In the world of science and technology, scientists will give a clear definition to every scientific term. However, decades after the advent of robots, the definition of robots still differs from person to person, and there is no unified opinion. One reason is that robots are still developing, and new models and new functions are constantly emerging. The fundamental reason is mainly because robots involve the concept of human beings and become a philosophical question that is difficult to answer. Just like the word robot was first born in science fiction novels, people are full of fantasies about robots. Perhaps it is precisely because of the vague definition of robots that it gives people ample room for imagination and creation.
Classification name
Brief explanation
Operational robot
Can be automatically controlled, reprogrammed, multi-functional, and has several freedoms Degree, can be fixed or moving, used in related automation systems.
Programmable robot
Control the mechanical movements of the robot in sequence according to the pre-required order and conditions.
Teaching and reproducing robots
Through guidance or other methods, first teach the robot movements, input the work program, and the robot will automatically repeat the operation.
CNC type robot
It is not necessary to make the robot move. The robot is taught through numerical values, language, etc., and the robot performs operations based on the taught information.
Sensation-controlled robots
Use information obtained from sensors to control the robot's movements.
Adaptive control robot
The robot can adapt to changes in the environment and control its own actions.
Learning-controlled robots
Robots can "experience" work experience, have certain learning functions, and use the "learned" experience at work.
Intelligent robot
A robot that uses artificial intelligence to determine its actions.
Based on the application environment, robot experts in our country divide robots into two major categories, namely industrial robots and special robots. The so-called industrial robots are multi-joint manipulators or multi-degree-of-freedom robots oriented to the industrial field. Special robots are various advanced robots other than industrial robots that are used in non-manufacturing industries and serve humans, including: service robots, underwater robots, entertainment robots, military robots, agricultural robots, robotic machines, etc. Among special robots, some branches are developing rapidly and have a tendency to form independent systems, such as service robots, underwater robots, military robots, micro-operation robots, etc. At present, international roboticists divide robots into two categories based on their application environment: industrial robots in manufacturing environments and service and humanoid robots in non-manufacturing environments. This is consistent with our country's classification.
Aerial robots are also called drones. Among the military robot family, drones have been the field with the most active scientific research activities, the greatest technological progress, the largest investment in research and procurement funds, and the richest practical experience in recent years.
For more than 80 years, the development of drones in the world has basically been driven by the United States. The United States ranks first in the world in terms of technical level and types and quantities of drones.
"Einsatzgruppe" UAV
Throughout the history of the development of UAVs, it can be said that modern warfare is the driving force for the development of UAVs. And drones have an increasing impact on modern warfare. During World War I and World War II, although drones appeared and were used, they did not play a significant role due to their low technological level. During the Korean War, the United States used unmanned reconnaissance aircraft and attack aircraft, but in limited numbers. In the subsequent Vietnam War and Middle East war, drones have become an indispensable weapon system. In the Gulf War, the Bosnian War and the Kosovo War, drones became the main type of reconnaissance aircraft.
French "Kestrel" UAV
During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Air Force suffered heavy losses. 2,500 aircraft were shot down and more than 5,000 pilots died. Public opinion in the United States was in an uproar. For this reason, the U.S. Air Force uses drones more frequently. For example, the "Buffalo Hunter" drone has performed more than 2,500 missions over North Vietnam, taking photos at ultra-low altitudes, with a damage rate of only 4%. The AQM-34Q 147 Firebee UAV has flown more than 500 times, conducting electronic eavesdropping, radio jamming, throwing metal chaff and opening channels for manned aircraft.
High-altitude unmanned reconnaissance aircraft
During the Battle of the Bekaa Valley in 1982, the Israeli army discovered it through aerial reconnaissance. Syria has concentrated a large number of troops in the Bekaa Valley. On June 9, the Israeli army dispatched the US-made E-2C "Hawkeye" early warning aircraft to monitor the Syrian army. At the same time, it dispatched more than 70 sorties of "Scout" and "Dog" unmanned aerial vehicles every day to target the Syrian army's air defense positions and The airport conducts repeated reconnaissance and transmits the captured images to early warning aircraft and ground command. In this way, the Israeli army accurately identified the location of the Syrian army's radar, and then launched "Wolf" anti-radar missiles, destroying many of the Syrian army's radars, missiles and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, forcing the Syrian army's radars not to turn on. The conditions were created for the Israeli military's manned aircraft to attack targets.
Phantom UAV
When the Gulf War broke out in 1991, one of the first problems the U.S. military faced was to find Iraq’s hidden Scud missile launchers in the vast sea of ??sand. If a manned reconnaissance aircraft is used, it will have to fly back and forth over the desert and be exposed to the anti-aircraft firepower of the Iraqi army for a long time, which is extremely dangerous. For this reason, drones have become the main force of the US military’s aerial reconnaissance. During the entire Gulf War, the "Pioneer" drone was the most used type of drone by the US military. The US military deployed 6 Pioneer drone companies in the Gulf region, with a total of 522 sorties dispatched, and the flight time Up to 1640 hours. At that time, no matter day or night, there was always a Pioneer drone flying over the bay every day.
In order to destroy the strong defenses built by the Iraqi army along the coast, the USS Missouri battleship sailed to the offshore area at night on February 4. The Pioneer drone took off from its deck and took pictures with an infrared reconnaissance device. Images of ground targets are acquired and transmitted to the command center. A few minutes later, the 406mm naval gun on the battleship began to bombard the target, and at the same time, the drone continued to calibrate the naval gun. Afterwards, the battleship USS Wisconsin took over from the USS Missouri, and continued the bombardment for three days, completely destroying the Iraqi army's artillery positions, radar network, and command and communication hub. During the Gulf War, Pioneer UAVs took off from two battleships alone in 151 sorties and flew more than 530 hours, completing tasks such as target search, battlefield warning, maritime interception, and naval artillery support.
Launching the Brevel drone
In the Gulf War, the Pioneer drone became the pioneer of the US Army. It conducted aerial reconnaissance for the Army's 7th Army, photographed a large number of images of Iraqi tanks, command centers, and missile launch sites, and transmitted them to helicopter units. Then the U.S. military dispatched "Apache" attack helicopters to attack the targets. , artillery units can also be called for fire support when necessary. The survivability of the Pioneer aircraft is very strong. Among the 319 flights, only one was hit, and 4 to 5 crashed due to electromagnetic interference.
In addition to the US military, Britain, France, and Canada have also dispatched drones. For example, the French "Fawn" division is equipped with a "Marte" drone platoon. When the French army went deep into Iraq to fight, they first sent drones to detect the enemy's situation. Based on what they detected, the French army avoided the Iraqi army's tanks and artillery positions.
During the 1995 Bosnian War, due to the urgent need of troops, the "Predator" drone was quickly transported to the front line. The "Predator" played an important role in NATO air strikes on the supply lines, ammunition depots, and command centers of the Serb forces. It first conducts reconnaissance, guides manned aircraft to attack after discovering the target, and then evaluates the results of the battle. It also provides UN peacekeeping forces with the movement of military vehicles on major roads in Bosnia and Herzegovina to determine whether the parties are complying with the peace agreement. The US military therefore calls the Predator a "low-altitude satellite on the battlefield." In fact, satellites can only provide instantaneous images of the battlefield, while drones can hover over the battlefield for a long time, thus providing continuous real-time images of the battlefield. Drones are also much cheaper than using satellites.
On March 24, 1999, NATO, headed by the United States, began indiscriminate bombing of Yugoslavia under the guise of "maintaining human rights," and the "Kosovo War" broke out that shocked the world. During the 78 days of bombing, NATO forces dispatched 32,000 aircraft, deployed more than 40 ships, and dropped 13,000 tons of bombs, causing unprecedented havoc in Europe since World War II.
The mountainous and forested terrain of Yugoslavia and the climatic conditions of rainy days have greatly affected the reconnaissance effects of NATO reconnaissance satellites and high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. The Serbian army’s anti-aircraft firepower is very fierce, and manned reconnaissance aircraft Not daring to fly low, the NATO air force was unable to identify and attack targets below the clouds. In order to reduce casualties, NATO uses drones extensively. The Kosovo War was the war in which the largest number of drones were used and the role of drones was greatest among local wars in the world. Although UAVs fly slowly and fly at low altitudes, they are small in size, have small radar and infrared characteristics, are well concealed, and are not easy to be hit. They are suitable for medium and low-altitude reconnaissance and can clearly see satellites and manned reconnaissance aircraft. Invisible target.
In the Kosovo War, the United States, Germany, France and the United Kingdom dispatched more than 200 drones of 6 different types. They include: the U.S. Air Force's "Predator" ), the Army's "Hunter" and the Navy's "Pioneer"; Germany's CL-289; France's "Crecerelles", "Hunter", and the British "Phoenix" Wait for the drone.
UAVs mainly completed the following tasks during the Kosovo War: medium and low-altitude reconnaissance and battlefield surveillance, electronic jamming, battle results assessment, target positioning, meteorological data collection, leaflet distribution and pilot rescue, etc.
The Kosovo War not only greatly improved the status of drones in war, but also attracted the attention of governments of various countries to drones. The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee requires that within 10 years, the military should prepare a sufficient number of unmanned systems so that one-third of low-altitude attack aircraft are drones; within 15 years, one-third of ground combat vehicles should be unmanned aerial vehicles. human system. This is not about using unmanned systems to replace pilots and manned aircraft, but to use them to supplement the capabilities of manned aircraft so that pilots are used as little as possible on high-risk missions. The development of drones will surely promote the development of modern warfare theory and unmanned warfare systems.
Robot Police
The so-called ground military robots refer to robot systems used on the ground. They can not only help police remove bombs and complete security tasks in important areas in peacetime, but also in wartime. They can also perform various tasks such as mine clearance, reconnaissance and attack on behalf of soldiers. Today, the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Japan and other countries have developed various types of ground military robots.
British “Trolley” Robot
In Western countries, terrorist activities have always been a headache for the authorities. Due to national conflicts, the United Kingdom was severely threatened by explosives, so it successfully developed an explosive disposal robot as early as the 1960s. More than 800 units of the crawler-type "Trolley" and "Super Trolley" explosive disposal robots developed in the UK have been sold to military and police agencies in more than 50 countries. Recently, the United Kingdom has optimized the trolley robot and developed two remote-controlled electric explosive disposal robots, Marmot and Bison. The British Royal Engineers use them to detect and deal with explosives in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. The marmot weighs 35 kilograms and has two cameras mounted on its mast. The bison weighs 210 kilograms and can carry a load of 100 kilograms. Both use radio control systems, with a remote control distance of about 1 km.
"Marmot" (right) and "Bison" (left) explosive disposal robots
In addition to bombs planted by terrorists, in many war-torn countries in the world, there are Scattered were unexploded ordnance of all kinds. For example, Kuwait after the Gulf War was like an ammunition depot that could explode at any time. In the area of ??more than 10,000 square kilometers on the Iraq-Kuwait border, there are 250,000 landmines, 850,000 artillery shells manufactured by 16 countries, and 25 million minelaying bombs and submunition bullets dropped by multinational forces, of which at least 20% are not explode. And to this day, unexploded bombs and landmines from World War I and World War II still exist in many countries. Therefore, the demand for explosive ordnance disposal robots is huge.
There are wheeled and crawler robots for removing explosives. They are generally small in size and have flexible steering, making them easy to work in narrow places. Operators can use radio or Fiber optic cables control its activity. The robot vehicle is generally equipped with multiple color CCD cameras to observe explosives; a multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator can use its claws or clamps to unscrew the fuse or detonator of the explosive and transport the explosive away ; The vehicle is also equipped with a shotgun, which can destroy the timing device and detonation device of explosives after aiming with a laser pointer; some robots are also equipped with high-pressure water cannons that can cut explosives.
Germany’s explosive disposal robot
In France, the air force, army and police department have all purchased the TRS200 medium-sized explosive disposal robot developed by Cybernetics. The RM35 robot developed by DM Company was also selected by the Paris Airport Authority. The German peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina is equipped with Telerob’s MV4 series robots. The PXJ-2 robot developed by my country's Shenyang Automation Institute has also joined the ranks of the public security forces.
The Andros series of robots from the American company Remotec are welcomed by military and police departments in various countries. The White House and the Capitol Police Department have purchased such robots. Before the South African presidential election, the police purchased four AndrosVIA robots, which performed more than 100 tasks during the election process. The Andros robot can be used for the disposal of small random explosives. It is the only robot used on U.S. Air Force passenger aircraft and buses. After the Gulf War, the U.S. Navy also used this robot to clear landmines and unexploded ordnance at air bases in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The U.S. Air Force also sent five Andros robots to Kosovo to clean up explosives and sub-shells. Every active EOD team and aviation rescue center in the Air Force is equipped with an Andros VI.
The explosive disposal robot developed in our country
The explosive disposal robot can not only dispose of bombs, but also use its reconnaissance sensors to monitor the activities of criminals. Surveillance personnel can observe criminals day and night from a distance, listen to their conversations, and have a clear understanding of the situation without exposing themselves.
In early 1993, the Waco Manor Mission Case occurred in the United States. In order to understand the activities of the Puritans, the FBI used two types of robots. One is Remotec's AndrosVA and Andros MarkVIA robots, and the other is the STV robot developed by RST. STV is a 6-wheel remote control vehicle that uses radio and optical cable communications. The vehicle has a stand that can be raised to 4.5 meters, which is equipped with a color stereo camera, day sight, low-light night vision sight, binaural audio detector, chemical detector, satellite positioning system, and target tracking Forward looking infrared sensor, etc. The car requires only one operator and has a remote control distance of 10 kilometers. In this operation, the police dispatched three STVs. The operators remotely controlled the robot to stop 548 meters away from the manor, raised the bracket on the vehicle, and used cameras and infrared detectors to peer into the windows. The FBI The officials gathered around the fluorescent screen to observe the images sent back by the sensors, and could clearly see the activities in the room.
Robot command
In fact, it is not that people do not want to give a complete definition of robots. Since the birth of robots, people have been constantly trying to explain what a robot is. However, with the rapid development of robotics technology and the advent of the information age, the content covered by robots is becoming more and more abundant, and the definition of robots is also constantly enriched and innovated.
In 1886, French writer Lil Adam named a human-looking machine "Android" in his novel "The Eve of the Future". It consists of 4 parts:
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1. Life system (balance, walking, vocalization, body swing, feeling, expression, regulating movement, etc.);
2. Modeling solution (metal covering that allows joints to move freely, a kind of armor);
3. Artificial muscles (the above-mentioned armor has various forms of the body such as flesh, veins, gender, etc.);
4. Artificial skin (containing skin color, mechanics, contours, hair, vision, teeth, claws, etc.).
In 1920, Czech writer Karel Capek published the science fiction script "Rosam's Universal Robot". In the script, Capek wrote the Czech word "Robota" as "Robot", and "Robota" means slave. The play foretells the tragic impact of the development of robots on human society, which has attracted widespread attention and is regarded as the origin of the word robot. In the play, robots work silently according to the orders of their masters, without feelings and emotions, and perform heavy labor in a dull manner. Later, Rossam's company succeeded in making robots have emotions, which led to a rapid increase in the application sectors of robots. Robots have become indispensable in factories and household chores. The robots found that humans were very selfish and unfair, and finally rebelled. The robots had excellent physical and intellectual abilities, so they destroyed humans.
But the robots didn't know how to make themselves and thought they would soon become extinct, so they started looking for human survivors, but to no avail. In the end, a pair of male and female robots with better perception than other robots fell in love. At this time, robots evolved into humans, and the world came back to life.
What Capek raised was the issue of robot safety, perception and self-reproduction. The advancement of science and technology is likely to cause problems that humans do not want. Although the science fiction world is just an imagination, human society will likely face this reality.
In order to prevent robots from harming humans, science fiction writer Isaac Asimov proposed the "Three Principles of Robotics" in 1940:
1. Robots should not harm humans;
< p>2. Robots should obey human orders, except those that violate the first article;3. Robots should be able to protect themselves, except those that conflict with the first article.
This is the ethical program given to robots. The robotics academic community has always regarded these three principles as guidelines for robot development.
At the first robotics academic conference held in Japan in 1967, two representative definitions were proposed. The first is what Masahiro Mori and Shuhei Ada put forward: "A robot is a flexible machine with seven characteristics: mobility, individuality, intelligence, versatility, semi-mechanical and semi-human nature, automation, and slaveness." Starting from this definition, Masahiro Mori proposed using 10 characteristics to express the characteristics of robots, including automation, intelligence, individuality, semi-mechanical and semi-human, operability, versatility, information, flexibility, limitedness, and mobility. image. The other one proposed by Ichiro Kato is that a machine with the following three conditions is called a robot:
1. An individual with three elements: brain, hands, and feet;
2. Contact sensors (receiving distant information with eyes and ears) and contact sensors;
3. Sensors with balance sense and intrinsic sense.
Ceremonial robot
This definition emphasizes that the robot should be human-like, that is, it relies on its hands to operate, its feet to move, and its brain to complete the unified command function. Non-contact sensors and contact sensors are equivalent to human facial features, allowing robots to recognize the external environment, while balance sense and intrinsic sense are indispensable sensors for robots to perceive their own status. What is described here is not an industrial robot but an autonomous robot.
The definition of robots is diverse, and the reason is that it has a certain degree of ambiguity. Animals generally have the above elements, so while robots are understood as human-like machines, robots can also be understood in a broad sense as animal-like machines.
In 1988, Espio of France defined robots as: "Robotics refers to the design of a pre-planned operating system based on sensor information, and the use of this system as the research object."
In 1987, the International Organization for Standardization defined industrial robots: "An industrial robot is a programmable operating machine with automatic control of operation and movement functions that can complete various tasks."
The definition of robots by Chinese scientists is: "A robot is an automated machine. The difference is that this machine has some intelligent abilities similar to humans or living things, such as perception, planning, action and collaboration. , is an automated machine with high flexibility." In the process of researching and developing robots operating in unknown and uncertain environments, people gradually realize that the essence of robotics technology is the combination of perception, decision-making, action and interaction technology. As people's understanding of the intelligent nature of robot technology deepens, robot technology has begun to penetrate into various fields of human activities. Combining the application characteristics of these fields, people have developed a variety of special robots and various intelligent machines with sensing, decision-making, action and interaction capabilities, such as mobile robots, micro-robots, underwater robots, medical robots, military robots, Aerial space robots, entertainment robots, etc. The adaptability to different tasks and special environments is also an important difference between robots and general automation equipment. The appearance of these robots has been far away from the shape of the original humanoid robots and industrial robots. They are more in line with the special requirements of various application fields. Their functions and intelligence have also been greatly enhanced, thus opening up more new possibilities for robotics technology. Broad space for development.
Song Jian, President of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, pointed out: "The progress and application of robotics is the most convincing achievement of automatic control in the 20th century, and it is automation in the highest sense of the contemporary world." Robot technology integrates the development results of multiple disciplines and represents the development frontier of high technology. Its continuous expansion in the application fields of human life is causing the international community to re-understand the role and influence of robotic technology.
Classification of robots
There is no unified international standard on how to classify robots. Some are classified according to load weight, some according to control methods, and some according to degrees of freedom. , some are divided by structure, and some are divided by application fields. The general classification methods are shown in the table:
Classification name
Brief explanation
Operational robots
can be automatically controlled and can be programmed repeatedly. Multifunctional, has several degrees of freedom, can be fixed or movable, and is used in related automation systems.
Programmable robot
Control the mechanical movements of the robot in sequence according to the pre-required order and conditions.
Teaching and reproducing robots
Through guidance or other methods, first teach the robot movements, input the work program, and the robot will automatically repeat the operation.
CNC type robot
It is not necessary to make the robot move. The robot is taught through numerical values, language, etc., and the robot performs operations based on the taught information.
Sensation-controlled robots
Use information obtained from sensors to control the robot's movements.
Adaptive control robot
The robot can adapt to changes in the environment and control its own actions.
Learning-controlled robots
Robots can "experience" work experience, have certain learning functions, and use the "learned" experience at work.
Intelligent robot
A robot that uses artificial intelligence to determine its actions.
Based on the application environment, robot experts in our country divide robots into two major categories, namely industrial robots and special robots. The so-called industrial robots are multi-joint manipulators or multi-degree-of-freedom robots oriented to the industrial field. Special robots are various advanced robots other than industrial robots that are used in non-manufacturing industries and serve humans, including: service robots, underwater robots, entertainment robots, military robots, agricultural robots, robotic machines, etc. Among special robots, some branches are developing rapidly and have a tendency to form independent systems, such as service robots, underwater robots, military robots, micro-operation robots, etc. At present, international roboticists divide robots into two categories based on their application environment: industrial robots in manufacturing environments and service and humanoid robots in non-manufacturing environments. This is consistent with our country's classification.
Ancient Robots
The emergence of the word robot and the advent of the world's first industrial robot are both in recent decades. However, people's fantasy and pursuit of robots has a history of more than 3,000 years. Humans hope to create a human-like machine that can complete various tasks in place of humans.
Robot Carriage
During the Western Zhou Dynasty, Yanshi, a skilled craftsman in my country, developed an actor who was good at singing and dancing. This was the earliest recorded robot in our country.
In the late Spring and Autumn Period, Lu Ban, a famous carpenter in my country, was also an inventor in machinery. According to the "Mo Jing", he once made a wooden bird that could fly in the air for "three days." , embodies the wisdom and wisdom of our country’s working people.
In the 2nd century BC, the ancient Greeks of Alexander's time invented the most primitive robot-the automaton. It is a moving statue powered by water, air and steam pressure. It can open doors on its own and sing with the help of steam.
In the Han Dynasty 1800 years ago, the great scientist Zhang Heng not only invented the seismometer, but also invented the gili drum cart. Every time the drum cart travels one mile, the wooden man on the car beats the drum once, and every ten miles the bell strikes.
During the Three Kingdoms period of the Later Han Dynasty, Zhuge Liang, the Prime Minister of Shu, successfully created the "Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse" and used it to transport military supplies and support frontline wars.
In 1662, Japan's Takeda Omi used clock technology to invent an automatic machine doll and performed it at Dotonbori in Osaka.
In 1738, the talented French technician Jack de Vaxon invented a robotic duck that could quack, swim, drink, eat and excrete. Waxon's original intention was to mechanize biological functions for medical analysis.
Writing Robot
Among the automatic dolls at that time, the most outstanding ones were the Swiss watchmaker Jack Dauros and his son Leigh-Louis Dauros. In 1773, they successively launched automatic writing dolls, automatic playing dolls, etc. The automatic dolls they created were made using the principles of gears and clockwork. Some of them painted with brushes and colors, and some used goose feathers dipped in ink to write. Their structures were ingenious and their costumes were gorgeous, and they were all the rage in Europe. Due to the technical limitations of the time, these dolls were actually giant toys one meter tall. The earliest robot preserved today is a girl doll in the Nusatier Historical Museum in Switzerland. It was made two hundred years ago. The ten fingers of its two hands can press the keys of the organ to play music. It is still played regularly today. For visitors to enjoy, it shows the wisdom of ancient people.
In the mid-19th century, automatic dolls were divided into two schools, namely the science fiction school and the mechanical production school, and each found its own place in literature, art and modern technology. In 1831, Goethe published "Faust" and created the artificial human being "Homicide"; in 1870, Hoffmann published the work "Coppelia" with an automatic doll as the protagonist; in 1883, Collodi's "Puppet" "Adventures" came out; "The Eve of the Future" came out in 1886. In terms of mechanical manufacturing, in 1893 Moore built the "Steam Man", which relied on steam to drive its legs to move around in a circle.
After entering the 20th century, the research and development of robots has received more attention and support. Some practical robots have come out one after another. In 1927, Wentzley, an engineer from the American Westinghouse Company, built the first robot. "Telegraph Box" and exhibited at the World's Fair in New York. It is an electric robot equipped with a radio transmitter that can answer some questions, but the robot cannot move. In 1959, the first industrial robot (programmable, circular coordinate) was born in the United States, ushering in a new era of robot development.
Modern Robots
The research on modern robots began in the mid-20th century. Its technical background is the development of computers and automation, as well as the development and utilization of atomic energy.
Robot automobile welding production line
Since the advent of the first digital electronic computer in 1946, computers have made amazing progress, developing towards high speed, large capacity and low price.
The urgent need for mass production promoted the progress of automation technology, and one of the results was the birth of CNC machine tools in 1952. Research on control and mechanical parts related to CNC machine tools has laid the foundation for the development of robots.
On the other hand, the harsh environment of atomic energy laboratories requires certain operating machinery to handle radioactive materials instead of humans. Against the background of this demand, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission's Argonne Research Institute developed a remote-controlled manipulator in 1947 and a mechanical master-slave manipulator in 1948.
Riveting robot
In 1954, Dai Vol in the United States first proposed the concept of industrial robots and applied for a patent. The key point of this patent is to use servo technology to control the joints of the robot and use human hands to teach the robot movements. The robot can record and reproduce the movements. This is the so-called teaching reproduction robot. Almost all existing robots adopt this control method.
The earliest practical models (teaching reproduction) of robot products were the "VERSTRAN" launched by the American AMF Company in 1962 and the "UNIMATE" launched by the UNIMATION Company. The control methods of these industrial robots are roughly similar to CNC machine tools, but their appearance characteristics are very different. They are mainly composed of human-like hands and arms.
In 1965, MIT's Robots demonstrated the first robot system with a vision sensor that could identify and locate simple building blocks.
Robot Dog
In 1967, Japan established the Artificial Hand Research Association (now renamed the Biomimetic Mechanism Research Association), and the first Japanese Robotics Academic Conference was held in the same year.
The first International Industrial Robot Academic Conference was held in the United States in 1970. After 1970, robot research became rapidly and widely popularized.
In 1973, Richard Haun of Cincinnati Milacron built the first industrial robot controlled by a small computer. It was hydraulically driven and could lift a payload of up to 45 kilograms. .
It was not until 1980 that industrial robots became truly popular in Japan, so that year was called the “Year of Robots”.
Subsequently, industrial robots have developed greatly in Japan, and Japan has won the reputation of "the kingdom of robots".