cnr notes

1.1 What is a Robot?

  • History: First invented in 1954 by the American engineer George Devol.

  • Definition: Specialised machines distinguished from other machine types by specific operational features.

1.2 Features of a Robot

All robots possess four primary features that work in conjunction:

  • Sensing & Perception: Provides data for processing.

  • Actuators: Enable mobility and environmental manipulation.

  • Programming: The operational code.

  • Operator Interface: Allows user input and instruction.

1.3 Types of Robots

  1. Industrial

    • Used in mass manufacturing to produce goods rapidly without human intervention.

    • Example: Robotic arms in automotive plants.

  2. Domestic

    • Used in the home for specialized tasks.

    • Example: Robotic vacuum cleaners.

  3. Research & Medical

    • Perform specialized tasks for scientific advancement.

    • Example: NASA's Mars Rover.

1.4 The Impact of Robotic Technology

  • Environment: Possesses both positive environmental impacts and negative consequences.

1.5 Robotic Engineering
Branches of Engineering

  • Chemical: Production, transformation, and transportation of materials (solids, liquids, gases).

  • Civil: Physical infrastructure design (buildings, roads, waste management).

  • Electrical: Generation and application of electrical energy (power production to ICT).

  • Mechanical: Systems related to movement and machinery.

  • Industrial: Integrated systems combining people, resources, information, and energy.

Primary Fields of Robotic Engineering

  • Electrical Engineering:

    • Hardware: Design and construction of physical electronic components.

    • Software: Non-physical components, including system programming.

  • Mechanical Engineering:

    • Design and construction of structural components and actuators controlling movement (levers, gears, hydraulic, and pneumatic systems).