What Do We Need Robots For - fischertechnik Mobile Robots II Manual De Instrucciones

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1 What Do We Need Robots for?

Before we deal with the practical aspects of robot technology, we want to
try to answer the slightly provocative question in the heading.
The term "Robot" was first used in the novel "Golem" by Carel Capek in
1923. This gloomy, artificially created figure was supposed to replace human
work with its capabilities.
As often with literary figures, it is subject to compulsive behavior and we
regard the figure with a certain degree of distrust. Robots became more
of a kind of automatic device in the 30s and 40s of the twentieth century.
Various attempts to give them external human characteristics, e.g., a head
with blinking lights as eyes or primitive speech output via a loudspeaker,
seem naive from today's point of view. Apparently, the fears of potential
domination by robots over people cannot be refuted so easily.
But little mobility, not to mention intelligence, can be seen in these first
simple experiments with the constructed machines. The building of robots
only became realistic with the invention of electronic circuits.
The problem of required control principles is closely linked with actual robot
technology. This question about the "intelligence" of robots is the object of
research and investigation of many companies, institutes and universities
today.
The first solution strategies were seen in cybernetics. The term "cybernetics"
is derived from the Greek word Kybernetes. Kybernetes was the navigator
on Greek deep-water ships. He had to determine the ship's location and
calculate the necessary course.
Consequently, it is clear that cybernetics should make robots "intelligent."
How can we imagine such intelligent behavior in general?
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We want to try to make this clear by experimenting with our imagination.
Each of us has already observed the behavior of a moth in the light cone of
a lamp. The moth detects the light source, flies toward it, and then avoids
the lamp shortly before crashing into it. It is clear that the moth has to
detect the light source, determine the path to it and then fly to it in order
to behave as it does. These abilities are based on the instinctive, intelligent
behavior patterns of the insect.
Now let's try to transfer these abilities into a technical system. We have to
detect the light source (optic sensors), perform movement (control motors),
and we need to establish a meaningful relation between detection and
movement (the program).
Our experiment with our imagination then combines an optic sensor with a
motor and logic, so that this motor controls the vehicle to always move in
the direction of the light source. This vehicle would then act exactly like a
moth, wouldn't it?
A British man named Walter Grey conducted the described experiments with
such technology in the 50s. Using simple sensors, monitors and electronic
circuitry, he created several "cybernetic" animals, which had very specific
behavior such as a moth.
These machines represent an important step on the path to modern, mobile
robots. The sensors (photoelectric resistance, detectors, etc.) of the machines
controlled the actuators (motors, relays, lamps, etc.) using their electronics,
so that (apparently?) intelligent behavior resulted. The picture shows a copy
of the "cybernetic" turtle, which is displayed in the Smithsonian Museum,
Washington, D.C.
Based on these considerations, we are going to create corresponding
"behavior patterns" and try to make them comprehensible to a robot in
the form of programs.
But how can be answer the question about the benefits of mobile robots
asked at the beginning of this text? To answer this question concretely, let's
try to apply the previously rather abstract behavior of our "imagined moth"
to technical issues. A simple example of this is the search for light. We
modify the light source in that we place a bright strip, a guiding line, on the
floor and direct the sensors down instead of forward as previously. Using
such guidelines, mobile robots can be given a sense of orientation in a
warehouse, for example. Additional information, e.g., in the form of a
barcode at specific spots of the line cause the robot to perform further
operations at such positions, e.g., to pick up or put down pallets.
Such robot systems actually already exist. In large hospitals, there are
sometimes very long transport routes for consumables such as sheets.
Transport of these materials by nurses or other care-givers takes a lot of
time and involves hard manual labor in part. In addition, such work uses
up the time available for caring for patients.
Consequently, we can see that mobile robots can take an important place
in modern society. But what is the relation of this to fischertechnik
construction kits?
In addition to sensors and actuators for a robot, we need many mechanical
parts to construct a model. The fischertechnik construction kit Mobile Robots II