International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research Volume 2, Issue 8, August-2011 1

ISSN 2229-5518

Advancements in Robotics and Its Future

Uses
Tennyson Samuel John

Abstract--The future is not written yet and who knows whether robots are dangerous or not. What is for sure is that humans, being
the curious beings, will develop new advanced generations of robots. Robots and other high-performance inventions have always
been of a vast interest for humanity. A great number of scientists have spent the whole life in their laboratories with one aim “ to
work out innovative schemes, develop them and create some highest qualitative ranking robot”. This engrossing process has
reached its peak with the technical push that took place due to the endeavors of a number of brilliant and clear intellects of
scientists all over the world. The most striking fantasies in this sphere are brought successfully into reality and a great number of
robots are in service of people in order to make the process of work or manufacturing automatic. It happens so that people and
robots go together in this life side by side, in some spheres of life they are even interchangeable and who knows into what this
opposition “Human and Robots” will translate. The future of robots is mere speculation, but judging from developments in recent
years, the continued advancements in technology are a foregone conclusion. Robots will likely continue to impact various aspects
of our lives, and scientists and philosophers continue to debate the possibilities for the human race. As artificial intelligence
continues to develop, there may be a point in which robots become superior to mankind. No matter the future holds, robots will
have a place in it.

Index Terms— LEMUR; Robotics; Robots; Robocup; Military bots; Social bots; Swarm Robotics;

——————————  ——————————

1. INTRODUCTION TO ROBOTS
But what exactly is a robot?
What is the first thing that comes to mind
when you think of a robot? As strange as it might seem, there really is no
standard definition for a robot. However, there are
some essential characteristics that a robot must
For many people it is a machine that imitates a
have and this might help you to decide what is
human—like the androids in Star Wars,
and what not a robot is. It will also help you to
Terminator and Star Trek: The Next Generation.
decide what features you will need to build into a
However much these robots capture our
machine before it can count as a robot.
imagination, such robots still only inhabit Science
A robot has these essential characteristics:
Fiction. People still haven't been able to give a
 Sensing First of all your robot would
robot enough 'common sense' to reliably interact
have to be able to sense its surroundings. It would
with a dynamic world.
do this in ways that are not similar to the way that
The type of robots that you will encounter most
you sense your surroundings. Giving your
frequently are robots that do work that is too
robot sensors: light sensors (eyes), touch and
dangerous, boring, onerous, or just plain nasty.
pressure sensors (hands), chemical
Most of the robots in the world are of this type.
sensors (nose), hearing and sonar sensors (ears),
They can be found in auto, medical,
and taste sensors (tongue) will give your robot
manufacturing and space industries. In fact, there
awareness of its environment.
are over a million of these type of robots working
 Movement A robot needs to be able to
for us today.
move around its environment. Whether rolling on
———————————————— wheels, walking on legs or propelling by thrusters
 Tennyson Samuel John is currently pursuing bachelors degree a robot needs to be able to move. To count as a
program in electronic and instrumentation in Velammal robot either the whole robot moves, like the
Engineering College, Chennai, India. E-mail:
tennyson005@gmail.com Sojourner or just parts of the robot moves, like the
Canada Arm.
 Energy A robot needs to be able to power
itself. A robot might be solar powered, electrically
powered, battery powered. The way your robot
gets its energy will depend on what your robot
needs to do.
 Intelligence A robot needs some kind of
"smarts." This is where programming enters the
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International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research Volume 2, Issue 8, August-2011 2
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pictures. A programmer is the person who gives reliably predicting, swarm behavior, given only
the robot its 'smarts.' The robot will have to have features of the individual swarm members. Here,
some way to receive the program so that it knows video tracking is an essential tool for
what it is to do. systematically studying swarm-behavior, even
though other tracking methods are available.
So what is a robot? Recently Bristol robotics laboratory has developed
an ultrasonic position tracking system for swarm
Well it is a system that contains sensors, control research purposes.
systems, manipulators, power supplies and
software all working together to perform a task. 3. FUTURE OF ROBOTICS - ROBOTS USES,
Designing, building, programming and testing a TRENDS, APPLICATIONS
robots is a combination of physics, mechanical The bots until a decade back, used to be just fun
engineering, electrical engineering, structural and were more toys for tinkerers and scientists
engineering, mathematics and computing. In some (except in Japan of course). But now the robots are
cases biology, medicine, chemistry might also be beginning to be seen in many social places. We are
involved. A study of robotics means that students used to chuckling at stories from Japan of robots
are actively engaged with all of these disciplines in serving coffee and greeting visitors to homes. But
a deeply problem-posing problem-solving know what, these mechanical humans are here
environment. with us now, in London, in New York and whoa!
even in my country, India. And when I read about
2. SWARM ROBOTICS predictions that robots in future could love and
Swarm robotics is a new approach to the gasp!, go even one step beyond, I felt it was time I
coordination of multirobot systems which consist compiled a list of resources for what the future
of large numbers of relatively simple held in store for robotics. What are scientists
physical robots. The goal of this approach is to predicting for the bots' future? What do the
study the design of robots (both their physical experts think? And who do those always
body and their controlling behaviors) such that a fascinating sci-fi writers and futurists say after
desired collective behavior emerges from the inter- gazing at their crystal balls?
robot interactions and the interactions of the
robots with the environment, inspired but not 4. INDUSTRIAL, PROFESSIONAL & MILITARY
limited by the emergent behavior observed in APPLICATIONS
social insects, called swarm intelligence. It has
been discovered that a set of relatively primitive Robots: The Future is now - Robots are already a
individual behaviors enhanced with part of our lives. Industrial robots widely used in
communication will produce a large set of manufacturing. Military and police organizations
complex swarm behaviors. use robots to assist in dangerous situations. Robots
Unlike distributed robotic systems in general, already have a significant role in medicine. Robots
swarm robotics emphasizes a large number of are helping doctors achieve more precision in the
robots, and promotes scalability, for instance, by operating room, performing safer, less invasive
using only local communication. Local techniques
communication is usually achieved by wireless
transmission systems, using radio frequency or Future of Robotics for Civil Use -
infrared communication. Caterpillar plans to develop remote controlled
Potential application for swarm robotics include machines and expects to develop fully
tasks that demand for extreme miniaturization autonomous heavy robots by 2021. Some cranes
(nanorobotics, microbotics), on the one hand, as already are remote controlled It was demonstrated
for instance distributed sensing tasks in that a robot can perform a herding task. Robots are
micromachinery or the human body. On the other increasingly used in manufacturing (since 1960s).
hand, swarm robotics is suited to tasks that In auto industry they can amount for more than
demand for extremely cheap designs, for instance half of the "labor". There are even "lights off"
a mining task, or an agricultural foraging task. factories such as an IBM keyboard manufacturing
Artists are using swarm robotic techniques to factory in Texas that are 100% automated. Robots
realize new forms of interactive art such as HOSPI are used as couriers in hospitals,
installation.Both miniaturization and cost are hard etc. Other hospital tasks performed by robots are
constraints that emphasize simplicity of the receptionists, guides and porters helpers, (not to
individual team member, and thus motivate a mention surgical robot helpers such as Da Vinci)
swarm-intelligent approach to achieve meaningful Robots can serve as waiters and cooks.
behavior on swarm-level.
Further research is needed to find Bots on The Ground - The most effective way to
methodologies that allow for designing, and find and destroy a land mine is to step on it. This

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International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research Volume 2, Issue 8, August-2011 3
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has bad results, of course, if you're a human. But Robotic Rats Will get a Sense of Touch - An
not so much if you're a robot and have as many international team composed of robot designers
legs as a centipede sticking out from your body. and brain researchers is looking at nature to
That's why Mark Tilden, a robotics physicist at the develop a new generation of robots with active
Los Alamos National Laboratory, built something touch sensing abilities. The BIOTACT (Biomimetic
like that. technology for vibrissal active touch) project is
developing whiskered robot rats which might help
Surgical Robotics - Surgical Robots in rescue or search missions under conditions of
towards autonomy: restricted visibility, and even for planetary
* Current surgical robots are tactical: every move research
authorized by a surgeon
* Telesurgery already requires local autonomy Home Robots Grow In Popularity - We are moving
* Miniaturization and new MIS techniques lead to beyond the stage where robots were used only in
strategic robots controlled and therefore relatively simple factory
* Robotics will become ubiquitous in future environments. The home and the surgical
operating table are both much more complicated
Applications for Robot: Applications for environments with more unplanned and
robot insects unexpected elements that can show up. Recent
* Tasks on terrain unsuitable for wheeled robots advances in robotic vehicles demonstrate the
* Animal modeling potential for robotic systems to handle complex
* Remote handling environments outside of factories. The success of
* Remote location exploration robots in the mass market will provide revenue
* Entertainment/home projects flows to fund the development of more robotic
* Robot insects could be used for tasks that involve products. We should expect the introductions of
transportation, exploration and surveillance, new kinds of home and workplace robots in the
especially for tasks that are inhospitable for next few years. Robots are a growing part of our
humans. everyday lives.

Mobile Robot Suits Material Handling Robot Future Poses Hard Questions - Scientists
Applications - Employing Industrial Mobile have expressed concern about the use of
Robotics technology, vision-guided Model GT3 autonomous decision-making robots. As they
moves through manufacturing, warehousing, and become more common, these machines could also
distribution operations utilizing stereo cameras to have negative impacts on areas such as
build 3D map of environment. It then uses map surveillance and elderly care, the roboticists warn.
and its own reasoning ability to navigate The development and eventual deployment of
predetermined path to complete assigned autonomous robots raises difficult questions. The
transport task. Designed to free up skilled more pressing and serious problem is the extent to
employees, GT3 pulls carts, delivers palletized which society is prepared to trust autonomous
materials, and positions supplies without wire robots and entrust others into the care of
guides, magnets, or lasers. autonomous robots
Military Robots of the Future - Since Robby the
Robot first appeared on screen in 1956’s Forbidden Future Vision: Cheap Robots Change the World
Planet, science fiction in print, film and on Virtual Travel: People will be able to visit each
television has pushed the limits of our imagination other without traveling. They will do this by
regarding machines of the future and their abilities taking control of a robot at their desired vacation
to perform human tasks. destination, and use the Internet to transmit all the
sensory information back and forth
5. SOCIAL BOTS * Housekeeping
Robots! More robots! And they’re in Your * Machines will do the routine chores around the
House! house
Robots of the future will look nothing like * Robots will be inexpensive
R2D2 in Star Wars, but resemble computer chips
embedded in everyday appliances, such as 6. EXOTIC STUFF
vacuum cleaners and cell phones, if companies like Self-healing Mini Robots for Search and
Evolution Robotics Inc. have anything to do about Rescue Operations - It is believed that the self-
it. With the vision-based robotic technology you healing robots will be able to dock with each other,
can point your cell phone at a movie poster, take a share energy, and co-operate to maximise their
picture, and the technology will go out to the Web abilities to achieve different tasks. Researchers
and download the movie's trailer to your phone. from 10 universities are associated with the
project. They say that future applications include

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International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research Volume 2, Issue 8, August-2011 4
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search and rescue missions, space exploration, and The Robot World Cup Initiative is an attempt to
medicine. "A swarm could be released into a foster AI and intelligent robotic research by
collapsed building following an earthquake. They providing a standard problem, playing soccer,
could form themselves into teams searching for where wide range of technologies can be
survivors or to lift rubble off stranded people". integrated and examined.
Multi-agent systems represent a growing area
Robots Fly into Antarctic Skies - A pair of of research in the AI community, but mostly due
lightweight, robotic planes have made the first to the variety of applications in which multi-agent
unmanned flights over Antarctica's icy expanses. systems have been used, contacts and exchanges
Driven by propeller, the machines made 20 low- between groups of researchers working in this
altitude sorties, including four over the Weddell domain have not been so frequent. The RoboCup
Sea. The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were offers the possibility to confront and exchange
launched by catapult but flew autonomously until ideas in a common domain and encourages
landing. During some of the test flights the researchers to establish and keeping contacts with
machines were fitted with miniaturized each other.
instruments to collect data for use in predictive In several European countries, soccer clubs use
climate models Artificial Intelligence technology when
administering physical examinations to players to
Brain Machine Interface - In January, Miguel A. help trainers and coaches determine the likelihood
L. Nicolelis announced that his team completed of a player developing an injury. The machine
the first steps toward a brain machine interface collects the player's biomedical data and compiles
that might make it possible for paralyzed people to it with other records and signs of illness. Once the
walk by directing devices with their thoughts. The information is analyzed, the technology can spot
team's monkey, in North Carolina, demonstrated injuries, or potential injuries, much more quickly
the power of the technology when she used her and effectively than a doctor or coach may be able
brain signals to make a robot in Japan walk. to. Athletes’ personalities and psychological
Robots in the field of MUSIC profiles can also be stored in the machine, and can
Many regard music as the universal language. But be used to guess the way people will act or
getting robots to speak any language is harder perform in different situations. Some scientists are
than it seems. Eric Singer , a musician who also still skeptical, wondering how accurate the
holds an electrical and computer engineering hollistic, cut-and-dried decisions made by robots
degree , founded LEMUR, or the League of will be when dealing with atypical or complicated
Electronic Musical Urban Robots, in 2000 as a situations. However, most agree that the
means of combining musical instruments and technology has potential as long as the computer
robotics. The group, according to Singer, has “had and the coaches use actual soccer experience to
about 100 members in the form of contributing judge players’ physical and mental fitness.
artists, technologists, and apprentices.” It has Not only are robots used to examine human
already created a variety of robotic instruments. players, but some also actually play the sport as
Some of the most memorable include GuitarBot, a well. The RoboCup is an international competition
four-stringed robot that plucks strings — the pitch in which competing teams—usually from
can be altered by moving sliders up and down the universities—create teams of robots that play
strings. In addition, some robots can be soccer against each other. The robots have to be
manipulated by humans. Many of his instruments autonomous and self-propelled. The creators
have intrigued musicians looking for something cannot use any kind of remote control to operate
new. Besides musical instruments, one can the robots. The contest includes several categories,
program performance systems that interact with including humanoid, four-legged, small, and
live performances. One, called Cyclops controls a middle-sized, and it has taken place in many
variety of stage equipment including cameras, different countries including Japan and Germany.
audio, video, and robotics. Younger students can participate in the RoboCup
.One of the goals of LEMUR is to find new ways Junior competition and compete against other
to create music. The current reality is that 99 primary and secondary school students. The
percent of the music that is created involves the RoboCup Junior was designed to teach younger
use of electronics and technology in some way or children about robotics and Artificial Intelligence.
another. Short of beating drums around a bonfire, The ultimate goal of this international program
musicians are going to use technology in some is to have a team of fully autonomous humanoid
part of recording, performing, or creating music. robots beat a human world champion team by
The main focus is on exotic and lesser-known 2050. The robot-sportsmen must incorporate many
instruments, and also non-musical objects. different types of technology and strategy in order
Robots in Sports:- to be successful.

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7. FUTURE PREDICTIONS: development of vision systems for specific jobs

Bill Gates Stumps for Robotic Future - such as inspection.
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates lays out the robotic
future in the cover story of January's Scientific The Future of Robotics - From vacuum cleaners
American magazine, which has a C-3PO type and lawnmowers to military landmine detectors,
robot on the cover. In the story, Gates argues that robots are becoming increasingly present in our
the robot industry is akin to the PC industry 30 daily lives. MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial
years ago. Robots lack standards and don't have a Intelligence Laboratory possess a humanoid robot
common OS, processor or code base. And guess named Domo, its creator, PhD student Aaron
who wants to be that standard OS? Microsoft. Elsinger, and the man behind all the magic, CSAIL
director Rodney Brooks. Israel is developing a
Robotics - What Next? - The robotics robot the size of a hornet to attack terrorists. And
industry, while in development for half a century, although the prototype will not fly for three years,
is still relatively in its infancy and faces a number killer Micro Air Vehicles, or MAVs, are much
of challenges in the years ahead. Besides the closer than that.
technological and cultural hurdles to overcome,
questions remain unanswered regarding their How Robots Will Affect Future Generations -
economic and environmental impacts as well as The future for robots is bright. But, how will
the ethical issues of human and robot interaction. robots affect future generations? Sometimes you
What is obvious is that robots, whatever form they can get ideas for the future by looking into the past
take, will increasingly play a role in societies and thinking about the changes we've seen as a
around the world and that the ecosystem of result of other great inventions, like the cotton gin,
services and capabilities will offer increasing airplane or Internet. Perhaps one day we will have
opportunities for designers in the years to come true robotic ''helpers'' that guide the blind, assist
the elderly. Maybe they'll be modular devices that
Bots with Brains: Future Robotic can switch from lawn mower to vacuum cleaner,
Overlords? - Science fiction has portrayed to dish washer and window washer.
machines capable of thinking and acting for
themselves with a mixture of both anticipation and What Does the Future Hold for Robot
dread, but what was once the realm of fiction has Applications?
yet again become the subject of serious debate as If you ride in a car, an industrial robot helped
robots become more intelligent. In 1981, Kenji build it. If you eat cookies, such as the Milano
Urada hopped a safety fence at a Kawasaki plant brand from Pepperidge Farm, there are robot
to carry out maintenance work on a robot. While assembly lines to help make and pack them. The
working on the machine, the robot reached out computer you use to send e-mails and use for
and pushed 37-year-old Japanese factory worker research almost certainly owes its existence, in
into a grinder with its powerful hydraulic arm. part, to industrial robots. Industrial robots are
Urada’s death is often said to mark the first even used in the medical field, from
recorded victim to die at the hands of a robot, pharmaceuticals to surgery.
although Robert Williams was killed by a robot
two years earlier. Since both deaths, and despite 8. CONCLUSION
the introduction of improved safety mechanisms,
there have been many more gruesome industrial It is evident from the above provided details
fatalities involving robots crushing humans, that the robots have proved time and again that
smashing their heads and even pouring molten they can do the impossible. Man’s short stay in this
aluminum over them. So will the robots be our planet is influenced by these machines created by
future overlords, overstepping the bounds that the human brain. Hopefully in a few years these
humans had prescribed for them? man-made machines or the so called “Brain child
of mankind” doesn’t dominate and overpower its
Robotics Technology Trends - Despite the own creator. In conclusion, we need to draw a
wishes of robot researchers to emulate human boundary between humans and machines such
appearance and intelligence that simply hasn't that we prevent any kind of hick-ups during our
happened. In most robots versatile and rapid cameo on earth.
object recognition is still not quite attainable. And
there are very few examples of bipedal, upright
walking robots such as Honda P3, mostly used for
research or sample demonstrations. Today, simple
pattern matching vision sensors can be purchased
for under $2,000. The price reductions reflect
today's reduced computing costs, and the focused

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International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research Volume 2, Issue 8, August-2011 6
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REFERENCES
[1] Sensors for Mobile Robots: Theory and Application. A. K.
Peters.
[2] Robots: From Science Fiction to Technological
Revolution..Ken Kincaid, trans., New York: Harry N.
Abrams
[3] http://www.futureforall.org/robotics/robotics.htm

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