Relevancy+and+Summary

Robotic Relevancy and Summary of Robotic Technology

Relevancy (Why This Technology is Important)
There are many ways to show the relevancy of robotics in technology and how it is important. Robotics is in everyone’s life today whether we like it or not. Just a few ways that robotics is out-spoken in people’s lives is through automation, the medical field, and in space exploration.

Automation is using a technology of making an object move automatically. The use of robotics and automation has many important features that can help humanity. Automation is used in making cars, construction, and in many manufacturing plants. It is important because it can increase profit in a business, keep people unharmed, and makes a business more competitive. The robotics part of automation helps produce quick and efficient production without error. They quicker and more products a business puts out on the market them more money they make. Using robotics in automation can also reduce an overall operating cost and reduce the amount of waist that is made in production. This also helps with inventory and not having to order as much items which also cuts on the cost (Mitchell, 2011).

Taking the high risk jobs to keep people uninjured while on the job. Robotics can take over the jobs that are in harsh and hazardous areas so humans don’t have too. This also helps the company keep their skilled employees healthy and on the job and not have to worry about health benefit (Mitchell, 2011).

Competiveness is a key feature to survive in today’s job market. If a person wants to own a successful business they will have to have an edge on the technologies they use. An increase in the use of robotics might just be an answer to help give a business a little extra boost in the competitive world. robotics are cutting the cost of making items which leads to lower costs on the market and more business now have to compete (Mitchell, 2011).

As one can see that robotics serves a very important role in today’s society. Robotics in automation serves multiple purposes that are very important to our society. The world’s life is so much more simpler with the invention of robotics.

 Robotics will continue to aid humans in many ways throughout the years to come. Having robotics in the medical field is important and can save many lives in many ways. Robotic technology is improtant in the medical field because it can be use in robotic surgery, robotic treatment/recovery and artificial functions.

The medical field is advancing in many ways and using technology is helping it succeed. Robotic surgery is one of those many ways to help surgeons with the really difficult surgeries. Having robotics in the surgery room gives the patient an advantage. Robotic surgery can be used for many things such as coronary artery bypass, cutting cancerous tissue from sensitive body parts such as blood vessels and important body parts, major surgeries such as hip replacement, and many more.

In treating patients technology comes and plays a major role. Doctors and nurses use robotics to assist them in helping patient recover from surgery. There are certain medical robots that are used to simulate daily movements a recovering patient might experience throughout a daily basis so that it can monitor how movements affect the surgical stitches (Medical Fields, n.d.). By creating a robot that can do this can speed up a patient’s recovery time.

Robotics has even helped when it comes to helping people after surgery. Sometimes the unthinkable happens and the only way someone can live is if they have an amputation. Prosthetic Limbs have gotten so advance that they are starting to look like real human limbs. == ==

As one can see that the importance on robotics in the medical field can do many more things than save lives. It help with recovery and treatment of a patient so they get better faster and even give someone their life back. As will be discussed further, on the future of robotics in the medical field will keep on advancing even more.

Space exploration is very important to human’s modern day existence. Especially when in today’s world there are many people that cannot live without their cell phone, computers, and GPS systems. If humans never went into space there would never be any satellites’ to provide service for all these devices so they work. The reason why using robotics is important in space exploration is because robots can withstand all types of uncomfortable, dangerous, and even airless conditions that might be too risky for humans.

There are human like robots that will make trips to space to assist the astronauts with their duties and tasks when they go into space. Robonaut 2 (R2), seen in picture, consists of two arms, two hands, and a torso designed to be a crew member at space stations. Eventually all of R2 features will be able to exist in space and be a permanent member in space (NASA to launch, n.d). By having this extra help in space when an astronaut goes up there it will save them time on mundane and risky tasks and help them focus on their primary objectives whatever that may be.

Robotic technology is also used to find life on other planets. So far NASA has accomplished several missions of pitting rovers on Mars to see if there was at any point in time was life. They were also sent to establish if the plant can sustain human life or even have a chance to visit. The new rover called Curiosity is expect to land on Mars in August 2012 (Sinseri, 2011).



**‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍Future of Robotics ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍**
Robots, as imagined by man, are someday going be more than just programmed machinery, built to do repetitive, primitive tasks. The robot of the future will be expected to fill the role of friendly companion as well as function in its capacity to assist man. The key to building ever-more intelligent and advanced robots that have the capacity to realistically mimic human and animal behaviors lay in our rapid development of computing power ("The future of robotics", 2011). Once processor speed and memory capacity increase coupled with advancing technology in cameras, sensors, and energy efficient batteries, it seems logical that robotics will gain many benefits from this trend. Now that we have gone over and have an understanding of what robotics have to offer and what the current state of the art is, let us take a look into the future of robotics sitting on the shoulders of the world’s leading engineers and designers.

Although the general trend has seen robots that have specialized tasks with no decision making ability, the future robot will be able to do a wide array of tasks, both in the public sector and in household settings, and also seek to be as humanlike as physically possible. Categories that are seeing great potential for the future are **medicine, exploratory, military and companionship/socialization.** Below are some examples of where robotic technology is going to take us in the not so distant future.

**Medicine**

 * Telesurgery** – Also called remote surgery, is a system where the physician sits across the room (or planet) working on the patient in a video game environment sitting in front a screen, controlling robotic arms and miniature cameras and capable of operating through tiny incisions. "On February 28, 2003, the first hospital-to-hospital teleroboticassisted surgery took place in Ontario, Canada, over a distance of 250 mi" ("Telesurgery", n.d., para. 9). The obvious benefit being the ability for doctors to be able to work on patients miles away and perhaps be able to do more as a result.


 * Nanomachines** – Using small robots, engineered to the nanometer, to repair, reconstruct, monitor and control the human body at the molecular level. ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍The hope is to to use the same idea behind the functionality of larger machines and adapt them to the microscopic level. These robots will navigate the blood stream in search of disease (Whitesides, 2001). Ideally, they will resemble the naturally occuring nanomachines already in the body such as this biochemical rotary motor below:

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 * Exploratory**

Built to go places and do tasks too dangerous and/or extreme for their human counterparts. Scientists are already developing robots for the trip to Mars with hopes of preparing the way for human exploration. ExoMars Rover will be the field biologists on Mars. "The mission requires entirely new technologies for self-controlled robots, built-in autonomy and cutting-edge visual terrain sensors." according to the (European Space Agency, 2006). This particular robot is designed to travel distances scouting for any life forms and taking samples of the surroundings. Ever advancing in technology one can expect the succeeding generations of robots to be able to make decisions based on A.I. software and be much more refined than todays robots.



Le Petit Prince was designed by Martin Miklica and is a finalist in the [|Electrolux Design Lab 2009] Used to grow plants on mars ("Robots to help grow plants on mars", 2009)‍‍. Thoug ‍‍h in its conceptual phase, this robot is an example of the coming applications of explorer robots and their capabilities.

The technology involved in reducing the human casualty in war through the use of robotics is ever increasing. Todays military robots serve many purposes and are mainly designed to assist in information gathering and sending units in areas too dangerous for humans. The setbacks are mainly making robots smart to their environment. Once the robot is able to distinguish between friend and foe and navigate its environment autonomously, then we will see the next generation of robots.
 * Military**






 * Companionship**

Household – Robots used in a butler role and capable of holdeing conversation, playing instruments for entertainment, or even cooking. Perhaps the area that will see the most developement in the future will be the companion robot. This particular robot will be able to assist a human being in ways unheard of unless in popular movies such as iRobot. Toyota has already developed Partner Robots designed for elder care. []





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Androids – A robot or synthetic organism designed to resemble humans will take this concept to a whole new level once mastered. The future androids will not only be indistinguishable from their human counterparts, they will interact almost seamlessly with the human population.

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Half human/half robot will be the trend of the future as more and more people start replacing the ailing parts with robotic limbs and organs. Just as plastic surgery is appealing today so will robotics be in the future.



Summary of Main Points
Throughout this wiki our intent was to give the reader an accurate representation of what a robot has been and what it is going to be. Thorough research revealed its humble beginnings expressed through the imagination of man, its present state of the art and, of course, the next generation of robotic technology. In this summary we will go over the main points and recap on what we’ve learned.

Robots can be seen in their first form as mechanical instruments that contained movable parts as early as 270 B.C., although robots as we know them today came about around 1941 by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov. As with all technology the innovation of robotics came as a result of cultural and political as well as other factors all coming together to push forward the technology. In WWII the Soviet’s Teletanks were a statement of technological power as they were advanced for the time as well as unmanned, radio controlled robotic tanks. Another important milestone was the robotic arm used in factories. The arm was also a result of the right timing boosted by growing demand in manufacturing assemblies. Able to serve a purpose, robotics are here to stay, however there are issues and impacts that come with any technology and robotics are no exception.

There are many implications of robotic technology and some that are at the forefront are issues dealing with productivity, competitiveness, employment and budget. Ultimately these affect all areas and industries that choose robotics as an option. The functionality of a robot has much to do with its programmed capabilities. The more advanced the robot the more expensive, so in order to have a state of the art robot you will have to be able to afford it. As technology increases, so will the availability of robots that do more for less.

Another aspect of this technology is the human interaction that eventually will be involved. We can expect robots to be integrated more and more into our social interaction from school to the workplace, thus new ways of looking at robots will have to take place. Ultimately, the deciding factor will be the functionality of the robots because that is what’s going to make people tolerant.

Employment is another implication of wide spread robotic use as robots tend to replace low level jobs and with the ever advancing state of technology higher level jobs will be done by robots someday as well. This has and will continue to cause a shift in the type of work people will do in the future as robots become more prevalent. The robots ability to work long hours and still maintain quality is where it outperforms a human being and is ultimately the reason for its demand.

Military use will always have its disadvantages and advantages when dealing with robotic technology. The obvious advantages being the reduction of human casualties and injuries while performing in the field of battle. The disadvantages however are abundant and need to be addressed before any full scale roll out of robot soldiers. Ethical issues such as accountability of robot actions must be addressed and situations where the opposing side does not have any robots will create ethical issues when sending in robotic forces.

Robotics will continue to impact all areas of industry and will become more commonplace in our everyday lives as technology is refined. The implications are numerous when you consider the operational, socio-cultural, safety, and unemployment issues that arise from the technology, but as stated earlier in the wiki all new technology will have side effects. Depending on the relevance of robotics in our modern world, the problems and issues will eventually be dealt with if not too troublesome, for instance, for every job a robot takes three more are made to maintain the robot.

In conclusion, the relevancy of robotics will be based on its contribution to the human experience. Looking at the potential for a more efficient and accurate worker is always enticing for production purposes and the bottom line, however like all other technologies, we will have to deal with unintended side effects not always visible over the horizon. With robots revolutionizing industries such as manufacturing, medical, military and exploration we can safely say they are here to stay. The question is, will they help improve the world we live in or will they just add to the problems?

Transition statement:

This concludes our presentation of robotic technology and all the many affects it has on human life as we know it. Hope you enjoyed it.