Robots key objects
Freddy the Robot
What is it?
Freddy was the world's first
thinking robot. She was designed to perform specific tasks in the
way a young child would. She was built by researchers at the
University of Edinburgh in the early 1970s.
Background information
Freddy was one of the earliest artificial intelligence (AI) systems
to integrate perception and action. The robot was built in the
1970s at Edinburgh University to demonstrate the feasibility of
robotic assembly using vision and touch.
The robot was stationary with a moving TV 'eye' and a pincer
'hand' able to recognise a variety of objects (including a hammer,
a cup and a ball, with about 95% accuracy) and even assemble simple
objects. Recognising one object took several minutes of computing
time.
When the parts for a wooden toy car or ship were dumped in a
random heap in Freddy's workspace, the Versatile Assembly Program
enabled Freddy to identify and locate the parts then assemble them
using hand/eye co-ordination.
A wide angle camera was used to locate the parts. Freddy's video
cameras then acquired a digital image of the parts which appeared
as light objects on a dark background. A narrow angle camera
examined each cluster of parts and any that were recognised were
put in their reserved area on the workspace.
The unrecognised parts were treated as "heaps". To separate
parts from a heap Freddy employed one of three strategys. The first
was to look for a projecting part and try to grasp it, the second
was to grab at the heap and if that failed Freddy would "bulldoze"
through the heap.
Any parts removed from the heap and identified were placed in
their reserved area on the workspace. Once all the necessary parts
had been identified, the programe would start the assembly using a
force sensor to guide insertions.
Due to the limited computational power in the 70's Freddy was
slow moving and took about 16 hours to assemble both. Even with the
advances in technology and computing getting a robot to do this
kind of thing is fairly complex and ambitious.
In the 70's when everything had to be designed and built
including the programing system it was a pioneering feat. Envisaged
applications for robots like Freddy included production-line
assembly work and automatic parcel handling.
Robots key interactives
Alpha-bot
What is it?
An interactive which lets you interact with our Alphabot! Type your
name on a keyboard and watch the robot spell it out.
Background information
A robot is a
machine or device which operates automatically or under some degree
of human control. They are capable of performing a variety of human
tasks, often difficult or undesirable ones.
To perform these tasks they must be 'told what to do'. Robots
that work under human control are given commands when they are
working. Robots operating automatically are given a set of
instructions “programmed” in advance.
The Alpha-bot robot operates automatically. It has been given a
set of instructions (programmed) that allows it to respond to the
names being typed into the keyboard. For each letter typed the
program tells the robot which building block to pick up.
For example, if you type A it will always go to the first
building block, if you type B it will go to the second building
block, and so on until you type Z, when it will go to the last
building block. After the name has been spelled out the robot must
always return the building blocks to the same position.
If the building blocks were mixed up with A in place of Z and
you asked Alpha-bot to spell AT it would spell ZT. The arm would
still go to the first position for A, but it would pick up Z
instead. Unlike humans Alpha-bot can't see the letters on the
building blocks and think for itself.
It only knows where to find the building blocks because it has
been given instructions on where they are. If the sequence of
letters changes Alpha-bot must be re-programmed.
Can we create a robot that thinks and acts like a human? At
present, robots are designed and programmed to carry out specific
tasks.
Unlike humans, robots don't think for themselves but carry out
the instructions we have given them. As technology becomes more
advanced robotic behaviour also advances. Today robots can learn
and make choices but they still rely on a human to give them their
initial instructions.
Learning outcomes
- Robots only do what we tell them to.
- Encourages visitors to think about whether robots can "make
mistakes".
- How does Alpha-bot find the right blocks? It knows where to
find each block and always returns it to the same spot. If you
scrambled the blocks, it couldn't spell your name.
Design a robot
What is it?
In this computer interactive you can design a robot to carry out
different tasks e.g. companion robot or bomb disposal.
First decide why you need a robot. Then decide on the various
components or characteristics your needs. You can then test your
design.
Background information
Robots are devices which are used to carry out tasks either
autonomously or under some degree of human control. They are
usually used to conduct a multitude of tasks which humans find
undesirable (e.g., too dangerous).
For example, robots have been used to explore the surface of
Mars, detect mines, work on factory assembly lines and even vacuum
carpets.
At present, robots are mostly designed for a specific purpose;
they are not yet like the multi-tasking androids we see in science
fiction e.g. ‘Data’ from ‘Star Trek’. A robot on an assembly line
couldn't explore the surface of Mars for example.
Learning outcomes
- Robots can be useful for a number of different tasks.
Robot explorer
What is it?
In this interactive you can programme a robot to find its way
across the surface of an alien planet.
Background information
Robots are devices which are used to carry out tasks either
autonomously or under some degree of human control. They are
usually used to conduct a multitude of tasks which humans find
undesirable (e.g. too dangerous).
One of the tasks humans use robots for is to explore places
where we cannot go -- e.g. deep under water, or other planets.
One of the challenges when designing a robot for exploration is
that the terrain is unknown. A human operator has to see pictures
of the landscape before they can give the robot instructions to
move safely.
Most exploration robots send back pictures of their environment
(with an on board camera) to the operator, and the operator can
then send back instructions to the robot. However, it isn't always
practical to rely on this method of navigation alone.
For example, images can sometimes be difficult to interpret or,
in the case of Mars lander robots, the communication time delay
between Earth and Mars was 10 minutes. In these situations the
robot may encounter a hazard that the operator hasn't seen or been
able to tell the robot to avoid in time.
The robot is on its own and has to have programming which allows
it to operate (semi-) autonomously. Sojourner (the first “smart”
Mars lander) had a hazard avoidance system that allowed it to
change direction if it calculated an obstacle was too high to climb
(risking tipping).
Artificial intelligence (AI) systems like this allow robots to
complete more complex tasks without requiring every tiny detail to
be anticipated and pre-programmed by an operator.
Learning outcomes
- How to give instructions to a robot.
- A non-AI robot needs very precise instructions which can be
hard to give in an unknown environment.
Robot ships
What is it?
Robot ships is a unique
projection interactive based on current research carried out at the
University of York. It lets you interact with virtual robots.
In this table top activity you work with virtual ocean tankers
and robots. If the tankers crash into islands they leak their cargo
of toxic goo into the sea.
Autonomous seeker robots search the tabletop ocean, navigating
around the moveable islands, in search of toxic spills. Once found,
a spill is cleaned up by cleaning ships.
You can help or hinder the progress of the tankers, seeker
robots and cleaning ships by moving the islands around the
tabletop.
Background information
Can we create a
robot that thinks and acts like a human? Why do we want robots, and
what are they good for?
Instead of building one, extremely complicated and intelligent
robot some researchers are programming groups of simple robots
which can follow simple rules to work together and solve more
complex problems.
A major focus of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI)
research over the past 15 years has been biologically-inspired
adaptive robots. Their design and programming is inspired by real
biological systems (e.g. ant colonies) which allows simple,
autonomous individuals to develop strategies to get out of problems
and cooperate with each other.
Whilst this technology is not as mature as the better known
fully-programmed robots used in car assembly, for example, these
robots are much more able to adapt to unforeseen circumstances.
Bio-inspired robots are truly “lifelike”, not in the sense of
anthropomorphic features such as eyes, nose and ears, but by
displaying similar behaviours to all types of animate
creatures:
- they move
- they sense their environment and react to it in real time
- they have clear goals
- they are not fully deterministic
- they take steps to protect themselves
Much of the work in this field has concentrated on understanding
what can be done with such robots. The robots themselves can be
real or, as in the case of this interactive, simulations to allow
exploration of different programming options.
Learning outcomes
- Artificial intelligence (AI) can enable robots to adapt their
behaviour and solve problems.
- Robot researchers are looking at how to make 'colonies' of
small simple robots that work together.
- In future, the programing that has been developed for this
virtual simulation could be used to control real robots on search
and retrieve missions.
Reaction timer
What is it?
This fast moving interactive challenges you to test your reaction
speed and then gives feedback about how fast contemporary computers
can ‘think’ . The results might surprise you!
Background information
How fast can robots
think and move compared to people? Early robots were limited by
computational power. Today robots are more limited by the
complexity of the task. For example, computers and robots now
perform many tasks faster than humans, such as calculations and
processing information.
When robots are built to act like humans they are slowed down by
the number of instructions they must process to do the task. For
example, when we see the reaction timer light we 'automatically'
press the button. We don't have to think about raising our arm and
pushing the button.
This is something we have learned to do as a child and we now do
it automatically - without consciously thinking about it. When the
robot 'sees' the light it needs to follow instructions telling it
how to raise its arm and press the button, which takes longer.
Can we create a robot that thinks and acts like a human? Robots
don't think for themselves but carry out the instructions with
which we program them. As technology becomes more advanced the way
robots are constructed and behave also advances. Today we have
robots with 'artificial intelligence' whose programs allow them to
learn and make choices.
However, building robots that think and act like humans is not
necessarily the way forward. Adaptive robots that move, sense their
environment and react to it, including unforeseen circumstances, in
real time are probably more useful.
Learning outcomes
- Computer processing speeds are amazingly fast however the
amount of 'thinking' required by a humanoid robot to just move
around means they actually move very slowly.