ROBOT

A robot is a computer programmable machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions
automatically with the help of controls embedded within or with limited external assistance.

Robots may or may not be designed in human form as their primary objective is to perform a pre-
designated task and have no regard whether they look in human form or not. Eg: Autonomous one arm
machines with a CPU in an assembly line, autonomous machines that move on wheels, mini helicopter
drones etc.

(Robots that visually mimic humans are known as Humanoids, designed with vertical torso
having two legs, two arms with bi-ped locomotion(walking in two legs), head roughly on top,
laterally symmetrical etc.

Humanoids that specifically look as human as possible like an exact replica of humans are known
as Androids. It may be hard to distinguish androids from real humans when they blend in human
society.

All androids are humanoid robots, but not all humanoid robots are androids. Similarly all
androids and humanoids are robots while all not all robots are humanoids and androids.

Cyborg (Cybernetic Organism) is a being with both biological and artificial (electronic, mechanical
or robotic) parts. A cyborg is at least partially organic; so a human with grafted cybernetic
components is a cyborg.)

The term “ROBOT” comes from a Czech word, robota, meaning "forced labor"

Robots have replaced humans in performing repetitive and dangerous tasks which humans prefer not to
do or are unable to do because of size limitations or which take place in extreme environments such as
outer space, the bottom of the sea, bomb detection & deactivation, high heat, exposure to poisonous or
hazardous chemicals, radiation etc

ROBOTICS

The interdisciplinary branch of science, engineering & technology that deals with the design,
construction, operation and application of robots is called robotics. It also includes computer systems
used for the control, sensory feedback and information processing of robots.

Robotics overlaps with Mechanical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Mechatronics, Information

Engineering, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Nanotechnology, Bio-Engineering, Bionics,
Biomimmetics etc

ROBOTICS IN MANUFACTURING

Robots score better than employees in terms of accuracy, 24x7 uninterrupted labor, flexibility, and
compliance.

Robotics is changing the way the manufacturing industry works, being a key driver in fourth industrial
revolution era.
Manufaturing floors are heftly being populated by robots leading to exponential growth in productivity.

Recent trends have been the concept of collaborative workforce or Cobotics (concept of direct
interaction between a robot and a human on a dedicated workstation) striking balance between humans
and robots, leading to well synchronized, human-machine collaborative production process.

The main applications of robotics in manufacturing are Industrial Robots and Robotic Process
Automation(RPA).

a) Industrial robot is a robot system which are automated, programmable and capable of
movement on three or more axis; used for manufacturing. Typical applications of robots include
welding, painting, assembly, pick and place for printed circuit boards, packaging and labeling,
palletizing, material handling, product inspection, and testing; all accomplished with high
endurance, speed, and precision.
b) Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is the use of software with artificial intelligence (AI) and
machine learning capabilities to handle high-volume; repeatable tasks that previously required
humans to perform. These tasks can include queries, calculations and maintenance of records
and transactions.

RPA technology consists of software robots (bots) that can mimic a human worker. RPA bots can
log into applications, enter data, calculate and complete tasks and then log out. RPA
technologies can be divided into three broad categories: probots, knowbots and chatbots.

i. Probots are bots that follow simple, repeatable rules to process data.
ii. Knowbots are bots that search the internet to gather and store user-specified information.
iii. Chatbots are virtual agents who can respond to customer queries in real time.

What distinguishes RPA from traditional IT automation is the ability of the RPA software to be
aware and adapt to changing circumstances, exceptions and new situations. Once RPA software
has been trained to capture and interpret the actions of specific processes in existing software
applications, it can then manipulate data, trigger responses, initiate new actions and
communicate with other systems autonomously.

The advent of robotics in manufacturing is such that it led to a new manufacturing

philosophy/mehodolgy called “Lights-Out Manufacturing”

It involves factories that are fully automated and require no human presence on-site. Thus,
these factories can run "with the lights off".

Many factories are capable of lights-out production, but very few run exclusively lights-out,
because typically, workers are necessary to set up tombstones that hold parts to be
manufactured and remove completed parts.

As the technology necessary for lights-out production becomes increasingly available, many
factories are beginning to use lights-out production between shifts (or as a separate shift) to
meet increasing demand or save money.

An automatic factory is a place where raw materials enter and finished products leave with little
or no human intervention.
Real World Examples of Lights Out Manufacturing:

FANUC, the Japanese robotics company, has been operating a "lights out" factory for robots
since 2001. Robots are building other robots at a rate of about 50 per 24-hour shift and can run
unsupervised for as long as 30 days at a time. Gary Zywiol, Vice President at FANUC says that
"Not only is it lights-out; we turn off the air conditioning and heat too."

Philips, Netherland; uses lights-out manufacturing to produce electric razors, with 128 robots
from Adept Technology. The only humans are nine quality assurance workers at the end of the
manufacturing process.

ROBOTS

HUMANOIDS
ANDROIDS

CYBORG