Robot Overview
Practically speaking, a robot is a machine device that automatically performs work. Robots can accept human command, execute pre-programmed programs, or act according to principles and programs formulated with artificial intelligence technology. Robots perform tasks that replace or assist human work, such as manufacturing, construction, or hazardous work.
Robots can be the product of advanced integration of cybernetics, mechatronics, computers, materials and bionics. Currently, it has important uses in fields such as industry, medicine and even military.
European and American countries believe that robots should be computer-controlled automatic machines with multi-functions that can be changed through programming, but Japan does not agree with this statement. The Japanese believe that "a robot is any advanced automatic machine", which includes manipulators that still need to be controlled by a person. Therefore, many Japanese concepts of robots are not what Europeans and Americans define.
Now, the international concept of robots has gradually converged. Generally speaking, people can accept this statement that a robot is a machine that relies on its own power and control capabilities to achieve various functions. The United Nations Organization for Standardization has adopted the definition of a robot from the American Robotics Association: "A programmable and multi-functional manipulator used to transport materials, parts, and tools; or a programmable and programmable machine to perform different tasks. Specialized system for action. ”
The evaluation criteria for robot abilities include: intelligence, which refers to feeling and perception, including memory, operation, comparison, identification, judgment, decision-making, learning and logical reasoning; function, which refers to flexibility. property, versatility or space occupancy, etc.; physical energy refers to force, speed, continuous operation capability, reliability, interoperability, lifespan, etc. Therefore, it can be said that robots are spatial three-dimensional coordinate machines with biological functions.
History of the development of robots
In 1920, Czechoslovak writer Karel Capek, in his science fiction novel "Rosam's Robot Universal Company", based on Robota (Czech) , originally meaning "labor, hard work") and Robotnik (Polish, originally meaning "worker"), created the word "robot".
Elektro, a home robot manufactured by Westinghouse Electric Company, was exhibited at the 1939 New York World's Fair. It is controlled by cables, can walk, can speak 77 words, and can even smoke, but it is still far from being able to actually do housework. But it makes people's vision of home robots more concrete.
In 1942, American science fiction master Asimov proposed the "Three Laws of Robotics". Although this was just a creation in science fiction novels, it later became the default R&D principle in academia.
In 1948, Norbert Wiener published "Cybernetics", which elaborated on the consistent laws of communication and control functions in machines and human nervous and sensory functions, and was the first to propose a computer-centered system. automated factory.
In 1954, American George DeVore built the world's first programmable robot and registered a patent. This kind of manipulator can perform different tasks according to different programs, so it is versatile and flexible.
At the Dartmouth Conference in 1956, Marvin Minsky proposed his view of intelligent machines: Intelligent machines are “capable of creating abstract models of their surroundings and, if they encounter problems, can Finding solutions in abstract models”. This definition affects the research direction of intelligent robots in the next 30 years.
In 1959, DeVore teamed up with American inventor Joseph Engelberg to create the first industrial robot. Subsequently, the world's first robot manufacturing factory, Unimation Company, was established. Due to Ingeberg's development and promotion of industrial robots, he is also known as the "Father of Industrial Robots."
In 1962, the American AMF company produced "VERSTRAN" (meaning universal handling), which became a truly commercial industrial robot like the Unimate produced by Unimation Company and was exported to countries around the world, setting off a worldwide response. A boom in robots and robotics research.
The application of sensors in 1962-1963 improved the operability of robots. People have tried to install various sensors on robots, including the tactile sensor used by Ernst in 1961, the pressure sensor used by Tomovich and Boney in the world's earliest "dexterous hand" in 1962, and McCarthy In 1963, he began to add visual sensing systems to robots, and in 1965, he helped MIT launch the world's first robot system with visual sensors that could identify and locate building blocks.
In 1965, the Beast robot was developed by the Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University. Beast can already correct its position according to the environment through sonar systems, photoelectric tubes and other devices. Since the mid-1960s, robotics laboratories have been established one after another at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States, Stanford University, and the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom. The United States has begun to research the second generation of sensor-equipped, "sentient" robots and is moving towards artificial intelligence.
In 1968, the Stanford Research Institute in the United States announced their successful robot Shakey. It has a vision sensor that can detect and grab building blocks based on human instructions, but the computer that controls it is as big as a room. Shakey can be regarded as the world's first intelligent robot, kicking off the development of the third generation of robots.
In 1969, the laboratory of Ichiro Kato of Waseda University in Japan developed the first robot that walked on two legs. Kato Ichiro has long been committed to the research of humanoid robots and is known as the "Father of Humanoid Robots". Japanese experts have always been good at developing humanoid robots and entertainment robots. Later, they went a step further and gave birth to Honda's ASIMO and Sony's QRIO.
In 1973, the world's first robot and small computer worked together, and the robot T3 of the American Cincinnati Milacron company was born.
In 1978, the American company Unimation launched the general industrial robot PUMA, which marked the complete maturity of industrial robot technology. PUMA is still working on the front line of the factory.
In 1984, Ingeberg launched Helpmate, a robot that could deliver meals, medicines, and mail to patients in hospitals. In the same year, he also predicted: "I will let the robot clean the floor, cook, go out and wash my car for me, and check the safety."
In 1998, the Danish Lego Company launched the robot (Mind-storms) kit, which made robot manufacturing as easy as building blocks. It was relatively simple and could be assembled at will, and robots began to enter the personal world.
In 1999, Sony Corporation of Japan launched the dog-shaped robot AIBO, which was sold out immediately. Since then, entertainment robots have become one of the ways for robots to enter ordinary households.
In 2002, the Danish company iRobot launched Roomba, a vacuum cleaner robot that can avoid obstacles, automatically design its travel route, and automatically drive to a charging base when the battery is low. Roomba is currently the largest-selling and most commercial home robot in the world.
In June 2006, Microsoft launched Microsoft Robotics Studio. The trend of robot modularization and platform unification is becoming more and more obvious. Bill Gates predicted that home robots will soon sweep the world.
Robot Classification
As 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.
Operational robots: can be automatically controlled, can be programmed repeatedly, are multi-functional, have several degrees of freedom, can be fixed or movable, and are 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, the robot movements are first taught, the work program is input, and the robot automatically repeats the operation.
CNC 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 robot: Uses 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 robot: The robot can "understand" the work experience, has a certain learning function, and uses the "learned" experience at work.
Intelligent robot: a person who uses artificial intelligence to determine his 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.
Robot Varieties
"Einsatzgruppe" UAV
Looking at the history of the development of UAVs, it can be said that modern warfare promotes the development of UAVs power. 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.
The 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 US 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 UAV
In the Gulf War, the Pioneer UAV became the pioneer of the U.S. 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, finds the target, guides manned aircraft to attack, 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, led 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 effect of NATO reconnaissance satellites and high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. The Serbian army’s anti-aircraft firepower is very fierce, and the 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 replacing pilots and manned aircraft with unmanned systems, but using 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.