Mylett 1

Annotated Bibliography for Robotic Research

Compilation RoboCup 2013 Video - YouTube
RoboCup is a competition with the main sport being soccer between different
types of robots. Researchers and developers from all over the world come together to
compete with the chance of their robots coming in first place. The game of soccer was
chosen because it allowed a challenged for the field of software and mechatronics.
The idea of robots playing a sport such as soccer is such a remarkable
advancement in technology. These machines were originally just used in factories and
manufacturing but are now being used to do the same things that humans do.
Honda. Asimo.honda.com
Honda took years of challenging research to create an incredibly advanced robot
named Asimo. Many scientific fields were used to develop this robot such as
Mathematics, Physics, and Anatomy. Asimo is the most advanced humanoid robot there
is today. Honda began their research in 1986 with intentions of creating a walking robot.
Today, Honda presents this advanced robot to students all around the world to encourage
and inspire the study of science. This robot demonstrates how far technology and robot
research has come thus far and makes individuals think of what could possibly be next in
the study of robots.
This is one of the most fascinating robots that there is today. The fact that Asimo
is able to jump, do flips, and walk up stairs on its own is mind-blowing. I believe that it
Mylett 2

will be very useful to demonstrate this robots capability to students around the world to
help them understand where robot technology is headed.

Iida, Mai. Robot Niche Expands in Senior Care. Japan Times, June 19, 2013
In Japan, a shortage of caregivers influences an effort to provide robots to aid the
elderly with daily tasks and to also help the short staff. These robots are able to track the
elderly if they happen to wander off, assist them in the bathroom, and help them move
from room to room in the care centers. These machines can also understand and
communicate with the elderly if there is ever a problem.
The senior citizen rate is expected to increase in china by about 7.09% in the next
45 years which means 30% of the population will be the elderly. With this being said, I
think it is very important that these robots are being utilized in nursing homes and care
centers.
iRobot. http://www.irobot.com/us/learn/home/roomba.aspx
The company iRobot is one that provides basic cleaning tools for your household.
They sell many different useful machines such as the Roomba, which is a circular
vacuum that roams around your house picking up dirt. Another robot they carry is called
the Scooba. This machines acts as your own mop and bucket without the manual labor.
They also offer a machine that is able to clean out your gutters or your pool with only the
touch a finger.
Mylett 3

I find these machines to be especially useful for people today and actually own a
Roomba and a Scooba myself. These robots can take a load off ones time and can help
clear up a busy schedule.
Markoff, John. Skilled Work Without the Worker; New Wave of Daft Robots is Changing Global
Industry. New York Times. Aug 18, 2012.
Around the world today, a wave of highly developed robots are taking the place
of workers in factories and on assembly lines. These robots are held behind a glass wall
to separate them from the human supervisors because of how quickly they work. These
robots can continue to work for just about 24 hours per day and 7 days per week to
provide as much productivity as possible.
Although these advancements are beneficial for productivity in factories,
individuals are getting worried that their jobs will be lost and they will be out of work.
Markoff, John. Making Robots More Like Us. New York Times, October 28, 2013
This article explains how robots are not just only used in manufacturing and
factories, but how they are expanding their uses to serve humans by being able to do the
same tasks that we can do. Most robots are now able to complete chores and duties
without human control. Although robots are unable to think on their own just yet,
researchers believe that they will soon be used as therapists, caregivers, guides and
security guards.
This article is beneficial to readers who are uneasy about the idea of robots
because it explains how they will be used more as partners to humans rather than
Mylett 4

replacements. I find it interesting how countless robots are becoming so incredibly
intelligent that they are able to perform the same tasks as humans. It is a step up in
technology and will be the start of something huge for generations to come.
Shouhei Shirafuji, Shuhei Ikemoto and Koh Hosoda .The International Journal of Robotics
Research: The Development of a tendon-driven robotic finger for an anthropomorphic
robotic hand. Periodical published February 19, 2014
Robot technology is becoming more advanced every day and this is proven in The
Journal of International Robotics Research. In the February 19
th
periodical, is thoroughly
explained how the authors propose a highly advanced tendon driven robotic finger which
is based off the works of a human hand. Their goal is to make the robotic hand just as
functional and able to do the same things as a human. This would be done by using a
non-stretch branching tendon grounded from the human extensor mechanism and make a
robotic muscle that is similar to the one in a human hand. With this research, the authors
intend on building a prototype to demonstrate their research.
I find it incredibly impressive how far robot technology has come based off this
periodical. It can almost be a little scary how robots are able to function the same way
humans do.
Seto, Mae El. Marine Robot Autonomy. New York, NY: Springer, 2013
This insightful book examines the history of the autonomy of marine robots and
the different types that are used today. Some matters that are discussed are machine
learning, fault tolerance, and path planning. These underwater missions can be difficult
and complex when using autonomous marine robots and because of this, the author offers
Mylett 5

solutions such as case studies of the robots to perform underwater simultaneous
localization and mapping.
The information provided in this book can be very useful to researchers and
engineers that are interested in the topic area. It also goes to show how many different
tasks robots are made to handle and how many unique robots there are.