Central Philippine University College of Engineering EE/ECE Department

A Report on Robotics ECE 4207 Digital Signal Processing

Report Outline: Topic Introduction Discussion -what is a robot -what is robotics -a brief history of robotics -Joseph F. Engelberger

P A R History T Father of Modern Robotics 1 P Basics A R Laws T Types and Applications 2

-components -principles -Three Laws of Robotics -Zeroth Law

Part 1
"A reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move material, parts, tools, or specialized devices through various programmed motions for the performance of a variety of task." Robot Institute of America, 1979 "Robotics is that field concerned with the intelligent connection of perception to action." Mike Brady Robotics is an interdisciplinary field merging together at least mechanical engineering, electronics engineering and computer science. Often, however, other fields such as biology, cognitive science and others are involved. I can't define a robot, but I know one when I see one. Joseph Engelberger, developer of the Unimate, Father of Robotics Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, and application of robots, as well as computer systems for their control, sensory feedback, and information processing. The design of a given robotic system will often incorporate principles of Mechanical engineering, Electronic engineering and Computer science particularly Artificial intelligence. The study of biological systems often plays a key role in the Systems engineering of a project and also forms the field of Bionics. The mathematical expression of a biological system may give rise to control algorithms for example, or by observing how a process is handled by nature, for example the bifocal vision system, an analogous system may be formed using electronics.

What is a robot?
Well it is a system that contains sensors, control systems, manipulators, power supplies and software all working together to perform a task. Designing, building, programming and testing robots is a combination of physics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, structural engineering, mathematics and computing. In some cases biology, medicine, chemistry might also be involved. A study of robotics means that students are actively engaged with all of these disciplines in a deeply problem-posing problem-solving environment. A robot has these essential characteristics: Sensing First of all your robot would have to be able to sense its surroundings. It would do this in ways that are similar to the way that you sense your surroundings. Giving your robot sensors: light sensors (eyes), touch and pressure sensors (hands), chemical sensors (nose), hearing and sonar sensors (ears), and taste sensors (tongue) will give your robot awareness of its environment. Movement A robot needs to be able to move around its environment. Whether rolling on wheels, walking on legs or propelling by thrusters a robot needs to be able to move. To count as a robot either the whole robot moves, like the Sojourner or just parts of the robot moves, like the Canada Arm.

Energy A robot needs to be able to power itself. A robot might be solar powered, electrically powered, battery powered. The way your robot gets its energy will depend on what your robot needs to do. Intelligence A robot needs some kind of "smarts." This is where programming enters the pictures. A programmer is the person who gives the robot its 'smarts.' The robot will have to have some way to receive the program so that it knows what it is to do.

Early Conceptions of Robots One of the first instances of a mechanical device built to regularly carry out a particular physical task occurred around 3000 B.C.: Egyptian water clocks used human figurines to strike the hour bells. In 400 B.C., Archytus of Taremtum, inventor of the pulley and the screw, also invented a wooden pigeon that could fly. Hydraulically-operated statues that could speak, gesture, and prophecy were commonly constructed in Hellenic Egypt during the second century B.C. In the first century A.D., Petronius Arbiter made a doll that could move like a human being. Giovanni Torriani created a wooden robot that could fetch the Emperor's daily bread from the store in 1557. Robotic inventions reached a relative peak (before the 20th century) in the 1700s; countless ingenius, yet impractical, automata (i.e. robots) were created during this time period. The 19th century was also filled with new robotic creations, such as a talking doll by Edison and a steam-powered robot by Canadians. Although these inventions throughout history may have planted the first seeds of inspiration for the modern robot, the scientific progress made in the 20th century in the field of robotics surpass previous advancements a thousandfold. The first modern robots The earliest robots as we know them were created in the early 1950s by George C. Devol, an inventor from Louisville, Kentucky. He invented and patented a reprogrammable manipulator called "Unimate," from "Universal Automation." For the next decade, he attempted to sell his product in the industry, but did not succeed. In the late 1960s, businessman/engineer Joseph Engleberger acquired Devol's robot patent and was able to modify it into an industrial robot and form a company called Unimation to produce and market the robots. For his efforts and successes, Engleberger is known in the industry as "the Father of Robotics." Academia also made much progress in the creation new robots. In 1958 at the Stanford Research Institute, Charles Rosen led a research team in developing a robot called "Shakey." Shakey was far more advanced than the original Unimate, which was designed for specialized, industrial applications. Shakey could wheel around the room, observe the scene with his television "eyes," move across unfamiliar surroundings, and to a certain degree, respond to his environment. He was given his name because of his wobbly and clattering movements.

No need to present TIMELINE:

1495 Around 1495, before he began work on the Last Supper, Leonardo Da Vinci designed the first humanoid robot. 1727 The word "android" is entered in the Chambers Cyclopdia recording German philosopher and alchemist Albertus Magnus (c1200-1280) attempts to create an androides . (An automaton resembling a human being. artificial being.). 1801 Joseph Jacquard builds an automated loom that is controlled with punched cards. Punch cards are later used as an input method for some of the 20th centurys earliest computers. 1822 Charles Babbage demonstrates a prototype of his "Difference Engine" to the Royal Astronomical Society. He continues his work by designing an even more ambitious project the Analytical Engine" that reportedly was to use punch cards inspired by Joseph Jacquard's invention. 1899 Nikolai Tesla demonstrates the first remote-controlled vehicle. The remote-control boat could be commanded to go, stop, turn left and right, turn its lights on and off, and even submerge. The public was not impressed. Press reports spoke of mind control, which didn't help Tesla's scientific reputation. 1921 The word ROBOT is used for the first time in the context of mechanical people in a play called "R.U.R (Rossum's Universal Robots) by Czech dramatist Karel Capek. These are intelligent machines meant to serve their human makers. But the play ends dramatic as robots took over the world and destroyed humanity. Capek called these powerful beings "Robota" meaning slave or forced labour. He distinguishes the robot from man by the absence of emotion. 1926 Fritz Lang's movie "Metropolis" is released. "Maria" the female robot in the film is the first robot to be projected on the silver screen. Maria is considered the precursor to Star War's C-3PO.

1942 Issac Asimov is generally credited with the popularization of the term "Robotics" which was first mentioned in his story "Runaround" in 1942. His most important contribution to the history of the robot is the creation of his Laws of Robotics. 1946 First presentation of the concept of a stored program (John von Neumann) and generic re-programmability of computers. The first general-purpose digital computer, dubbed Whirlwind, solves its first problem at M.I.T. 1947 The transistor is invented by Shockley, Bardeen and Brattain. 1948 British robotics pioneer William Grey Walter creates autonomous machines called Elmer and Elsie that mimic life-like behaviour with very simple circuitry. These are the first turtle robots. 1950 Alan Turing publishes Computing Machinery and Intelligence in which he proposes a test to determine whether or not a machine has gained the power to think for itself (The "Turing Test"). Since then each year a contest is held between various software developers to determine how close they have come to the true Turing Machine. 1952 The first Numerically Controlled (NC) machine is built at MIT by John T. Parsons. It is connected to Whirlwind (See 1946). It was used to make ashtrays for visiting guests. 1954 George Devol and Joe Engleberger design the first programmable robot "arm". This development led to the development of the first industrial robot UNIMATE in 1961. 1961 The first industrial robot (UNIMATE) is installed in a General Motors automobile factory in New Jersey. The assembly line robot is controlled step-by-step by commands stored on a magnetic drum; the 4,000-pound arm sequenced and stacked hot pieces of die-cast metal.

1963 The first artificial robotic arm to be controlled by a computer is designed at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital in Downey, California as a tool for the handicapped. The Rancho Arms six joints gave it the flexibility of a human arm. 1965 Homogeneous transformations first applied to robot kinematics. 1969 Victor Scheinman, a Mechanical Engineering student working in the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab (SAIL) creates the Stanford Arm. It was the first successful electrically powered, computer-controlled robot arm. By 1974, the Stanford Arm could assemble a Ford Model-T water pump, guiding itself with optical and contact sensors. 1970 Shakey created at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI). It is the first mobile robot controlled by artificial intelligence. Equipped with sensing devices driven by a problem-solving program called STRIPS, the robot could find its way around by applying information about its environment to a route. Shakey used a TV camera, laser range finder, and bump sensors to collect data, which it then transmitted to a DEC PDP-10 and PDP-15. The computer radioed back commands to Shakey who then moved at a speed of 2 meters per hour. 1977 Star Wars is released. George Lucas' movie introduces viewers to R2D2 and C3PO. The movie creates the strongest image of a human future with robots since the 1960's and inspires a generation of researchers. ASEA, a European robot company, offers two sizes of electric powered industrial robots. Both robots use a microcomputer controller for programming and operation. 1980 Seymour Papert publishes Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas where he advocates constructivism, or learning through doing. 1981 Takeo Kanade builds the direct drive arm. It is the first to have motors installed directly into the joints of the arm. This development makes joints faster and much more accurate than previous robotic arms.

1982 Fanuc of Japan and General Motors form a joint venture: GM Fanuc. The new company is going to market robots in North America. 1986 LEGO and the MIT Media Lab collaborate to bring the first LEGO-based educational products to market. Honda begins a robot research program that's starts with the premise that the robot "should coexist and cooperate with human beings, by doing what a person cannot do and by cultivating a new dimension in mobility to ultimately benefit society". They start with the experimental E-series between 1986 and 1991. 1989 A walking robot named Genghis is unveiled by the Mobile Robots Group at MIT. It becomes known for the way it walks, popularly referred to as the "Genghis gait". 2000 The Robotics Group updates its flagship mobile robot to the B21r. Honda debuts a new humanoid robot ASIMO, the next generation of its series of humanoid robots. See 1986 and 1991 for the earlier series. October, The UN estimates that there are 742,500 industrial robots in use worldwide. More than half of these are being used in Japan. 2001 Built by MD Robotics of Canada, the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) is successfully launched into orbit and begins operations to complete assembly of International Space Station. The Robotics Group jointly receives a VC's grant to develop a prototype, portable, field DNA processing system. Sumo Sam, a 2-servo walking robot used by students at The University of Auckland. Sumo Sam used the worlds cheapest servos. His name comes from his distinctive walking style. 2002 Honda's ASIMO was the first robot that could walk independently with relatively smooth movements and could climb the stairs. Honda's ASIMO robot rings the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Sumo Sam at the University of Auckland was extended to include a vision system. The DARPA Grand Challenge race for autonomous ground vehicles is

announced. The first race is scheduled for March 2004. 2003 The Robotics lab at the University of Auckland use their B21r research robot for navigation research. Augmented reality research begins at the University of Auckland, Robotics lab. A UN report predicts vacuuming robots will number 400,000 by 2006. The International Federation of Robotics report the global market for Intelligent Service Robots is valued at $US400 million. 2004 Epson releases the smallest flying robot. Weighing 0.35 ounces (10 grams) and measuring 2.8 inches (70 millimeters) in height, the Micro Flying Robot is unveiled as the world's lightest and smallest robot helicopter. The Robotics lab at the University of Auckland begin using their latest teaching robotthe Shuriken. This 3-wheeled robot can move in any direction and can rotate. Student Luke Gumbley describes the Shuriken as Cool. The first DARPA Grand Challenge race is held. This race for autonomous ground vehicles over 143-miles in the desert south-west of the United States is called off after the most successful team made it only 7 miles. Hondas ASIMO visits Big Boys Toys in Auckland. The UNECE estimates the number of installed robots to be around 800,000 (Not counting small service or entertainment robots.). The millionth Roomba vacuuming robot is shipped blowing away the 2003 UN prediction of 400,000 by 2006. 2005 The University of Auckland Robotics Group acquires a new, dedicated laboratory, and seed funding for 7 new Pioneer robots, which complement the B21r and various other research robots, as well as robot visualisation equipment and human-robot interaction equipment. It is generally acknowledged that the Robotics Lab has the best toys in the sandpit. Researchers at Cornell University claim to have built the first selfreplicating robot using an array of computerized cubes. The Shuriken robot gets an upgrade at the University of Auckland. It now has optical odometry, a magnetic compass and a second processor. A new Robotics and Intelligent Systems elective is introduced for postgraduate and final year undergraduate students. A New Zealand entry (Grand Challenge New Zealand) is one of 195

teams to enter the DARPA Grand Challenge 2005 race. They achieve a quarter final placing after 4 months of work. In October the second DARPA Grand Challenge was held. Robotic cars travelled autonomously across 140 miles of desert race track. See www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge More than 20 postgraduates have now completed their theses in the Robotics Group. According to the International Federation of Robotics the global market for intelligent service robots is expected to be $US 2.2 billion. 2006 A second robotics paper is introduced in semester 2: Advanced Intelligent Systems. Sony retires the AIBO and QRIO household service robots. 2007 The DARPA Grand Challenge: Urban challenge will see robotic cars compete in various challenges in simulated urban environments. New Zealands entry is the Grand Challenge Nomadz. 2010 Japan's Mitsubishi Research Institute believes household robots will begin to penetrate the market in earnest in 2010. Predictions on the size of the Intelligent Service Robot industry in 2010 $US20billion (Japan Machinery Federation); $US24.3billion (International Federation of Robotics); $US70 billion (Korea's Ministry of Commerce). 2020 The Intelligent Service Robot industry grows to the same size as the IT industry in 2005 (Think of the number of jobs in IT now. The same number of jobs will be available in Robotics by 2020.) Japan's Mitsubishi Research Institute predicts that each household would own at least one robot by 2020.

Major/Important Robots in History:

Around 350 BC: The Pigeon That's right--the first robot is really that old. Archytas, the Greek philosopher, astronomer, mathematician, and statesman, may very well have laid down the principle of mathematical mechanics. Why? One of his many projects was a wooden mechanical bird, dubbed The Pigeon, which was propelled by steam and could apparently fly for up to 200 meters. This feat might not only be the first robot ever created, but also one of the first flying contraptions. 1495: Leonardo's Robot A model of the interior and exterior of the knight. [Photo: Erik Mller]Even Leonardo Da Vinci is responsible for part of robotics history--he made the first human-like bot. In 1495, he created a robotic knight which, according to sketches, would stand, sit, lift his visor, and move its arms. Using the original sketches, modern-day designers managed to recreate the robot. The replica can perform all the aforementioned movements, which indicates that the original probably could too. 1738: The Duck French inventor Jacques de Vaucanson created a number of autonomous robots in his time, but The Duck is one of his his more revered works. FrdricVidoni's replica of The Digesting Duck [Photo: Philippe Sayous] The mechanical duck had over 400 different parts, which isn't too surprising considering what it could do. It could flap its wings, and it could eat, digest, and subsequently defecate. That's a pretty impressive robot! How Caucanson managed to make the robot digest and defecate by installing various compartments to chemically decompose the grain. Only now, 274 years later, do we see modern-day robots with the similar abilities, such as Ecobot--although Ecobot is purely one big digestive system, unlike The Duck, which performs other fun "tasks". Unfortunately, nobody knows what happened to the Digesting Duck. There is, however, a museum in Grenoble that has a replica on display, made by a clock-maker. 1898: Tesla's Remote-Controlled Boat While you probably know Nikola Tesla more for his incredible electric coils, he actually has another accomplishment next to his name in the field of robots. When Nikola was looking for a way to demonstrate his wireless transmission system (what we now know as radio waves), he placed an iron boat in the water at Madison Square Garden during a conference and controlled it with a remote--the boat simply picked up the radio signals from the remote and carried out the commands from Nikola. Sadly, at the time,

nobody quite realized how significant the remote-controlled boat would be to future robotics, toys, radio, and other devices we take for granted today. 1962: The Unimate In the 1960s, researchers put a lot of work into developing robotic arms, but one of the most important was The Unimate arm. It was one of the first industrial robots, and was fitted on General Motors' assembly line to reduce the likelihood of injuries and deaths on the production floor. The arm would stack pieces of hot die-cast metal and weld the parts to car bodies. Unimate is now listed in the Robot Hall of Fame with the likes of R2-D2 and HAL. 1966: Shakey the Robot Shakey was the first free-thinking robot. [Photo: Marshall Astor]Shakey the Robot by SRI International was one of the first truly successful artificial intelligence robots. It was capable of understanding its own actions--that is, if you gave Shakey a task to complete, it could break down how to complete it by itself, unlike most other robots of the time, which needed specific instructions. Shakey demonstrated its ability to think and then react by navigating itself around rooms and corridors, turning lights on and off, opening and closing doors, and pushing certain objects around. It is now happily retired and on display in Mountain View's Computer History Museum. 1989: Genghis Ever wondered which robot was one of the first to walk properly? Check out Genghis. This six-legged autonomous botby the Mobile Robots Group over at MIT Labs was not only known for its walking ability, but also for how quickly and cheaply it was produced. However, it did need four microprocessors, 22 sensors, and 12 servomotors to function. The way it walked on its six legs also coined (and some other hexapod robots) the term "the Genghis Gait". 1997: NASA Mars Pathfinder and Sojourner NASA, of course, has had its fair share of incredible robots, but one that really stands out is the Mars Pathfinder mission and its rover, Sojourner. Its main purpose was to demonstrate the kind of technology required to send an efficient, freeranging robot to Mars, but in a relatively cost-effective way. The Pathfinder managed to enter Mars's atmosphere with a parachute and airbags for protection, and the Sojourner sent plenty of useful data about the Red Planet back to Earth for later use.

What's more, both machines outlived their design's estimated life--the Pathfinder by three times, and the Sojourner by almost 12! Check out a full size replica of the Sojourner to see just how small it was.

1998: Lego Mindstorms This wouldn't be a GeekTech feature without a bit of Lego. In all seriousness, though,Mindstorms kits, a series of Lego set that contain programmable software and hardware, were one of the cheapest and easiest ways for anyone to make their own robot. Mindstorms kits were inspired by Seymour Papert's book, Mindstorms: Children, Computers, And Powerful Ideas, in which the mathematician recommends the simple theory of learning by doing. 2000: ASIMO Say hello to ASIMO! [Photo: Honda]Back in 1986, Honda announced it would undertake a project to create a human-like robot capable of not only co-existing with humans, but also eventually surpass their abilities for the benefit of society (which may not be the brightest idea). A few prototypes later, Honda announced the ASIMO, one of the most impressive machines in robotics. It can emulate different human gaits and turns on most surfaces, use its arms, talk and listen, see, and recognize people or objects. Of course, the ASIMO still has a way to go before it can surpass human abilities, but Honda already has plenty of ideas for future builds.

Part2 Basics of Robotics:

A moveable body -- Robots may have wheels, limbs connected by mechanical joints, or other types of moveable segments. An actuator -- In order to be activated, robots may use an electric motor, a hydraulic system, a pneumatic system or a combination of all three. A power source -- A robot needs a power source to drive its actuators. Electric robots use batteries or extension cord. Hydraulic robots need pumps to pressurize the hydraulic fluid, and pneumatic robots need air compressors. An electrical circuit -- The electrical circuit powers the electric motor, solenoid or valves that control hydraulic or pneumatic systems. A reprogrammable brain (computer) -- The computer controls all other components. In order to change the robot's behavior, you just have to reprogram the computer. A sensory system -- Some robots have the ability to collect information about their environment and react to it. Mechanical Structure The robot structure consists basically of the robot body that includes arms and wheels. Some force such as electricity is required to make the arms and wheels turn under command. One of the most interesting aspects of robot in general is its behavior, which requires a form of intelligence. Motors A variety of electric motors provide power to robots, making them move with various programmed motions. The efficiency rating of a motor describes how much of the electricity consumed is converted to mechanical energy. DC motors. Permanent-magnet DC motors require only two leads, and use an arrangement of fixed- and electro-magnets (stator and rotor) and switches. These form a commutator to create motion through a spinning magnetic field. AC motors. These motors cycle the power at the input-leads, to continuously move the field. Stepping motors. They are like a brushless DC or AC motor. They move the rotor by applying power to different magnets in the motor in sequence (stepped). Stepping motors are designed for fine control and will not only spin on command, but can spin at any number of steps-persecond (up to their maximum speed). Servomotors. Servos are simple DC motors with gearing and a feedback control system. They adjust themselves until they match the signal. Servos are used in radio control airplanes and cars.

Mechanisms Gears and chains. Gears and chains are mechanical parts that provide a mechanism to transmit rotational motion from one place to another with a possibly of changing it along the way. The speed change between two gears depends on the number of teeth on each gear. Pulleys and belts. Pulleys and belts, two other simple machines used in robots, work the same way as gears and chains. Pulleys are wheels with a groove around the edge, and belts are the rubber loops that fit in that groove. Gearboxes. A gearbox operates on the same principles as the gear and chain, without the chain. Examples of gearboxes are found on the transmission in a car and the paper-feed of a printer. Sensors Robots operate according to a basic measurement, requiring different kinds of sensors. A sense of time is usually built-in through perceptual hardware and software, which updates quickly. Sensors interact with external environment and transforms the energy associated with what is being measured (sound, light, pressure, temperature, etc.) into another form of energy. Common sensors used in robotics include light sensors, touch sensors, sound sensors, and acceleration sensor. A sound sensor is installed at the ear position of the robot in order to detect the voice of a subject. An acceleration sensor is installed in the body to detect shaking. A touch sensor is installed in the forehead of the robot to detect touch Power Supply In general, power supply is provided by two types of sources: batteries that are used once only and then discarded; and rechargeable batteries that operate from a reversible chemical reaction and can be recharged thousand times. The first use of a rechargeable battery gives up to 4 hours of continuous operation in an application. Control System There are two main systems to control robots: logic circuit and a microcontroller. Logic Circuit A digital logic circuit controls the mechanical system. The circuit is usually coupled to the mechanical structure through a bridge relay. A control signal generates a magnetic field in the relay's coil that mechanically closes a switch. transistors, for example, are good silicon switches, available in many technologies to control the mechanical systems. Microcontroller Microcontrollers are intelligent electronic devices that are used inside robots. They deliver functions similar to those performed by a microprocessor (CPU) inside a personal computer. Microcontrollers are slower and have less memory than CPUs, but are designed for real-world control problems. One of the major differences between CPUs and microcontrollers is the

number of external components needed to operate them. Microcontrollers may run with no external parts, and typically need only an external crystal or oscillator. There are three main characteristics of a microcontroller for consideration: speed, size, and memory. Speed is designated in clock cycles, and is usually measured in millions of cycles per second (Megahertz, MHz). Size specifies the number of bits of information the Microcontroller can process in one step (for example, 4-, 8-, 16-, and 32-bits). Microcontrollers count most of their read-only memory (ROM) in thousands of bytes (kB) and random access memory (RAM) in single bytes.

The Three Laws of Robotics

(Often shortened to The Three Laws or Three Laws) are a set of rules devised by the science fictionauthor Isaac Asimov. The rules were introduced in his 1942 short story "Runaround", although they had been foreshadowed in a few earlier stories. The Three Laws are: 1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2. A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. Zeroth Law 0. A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.

Robot types & applications

Aerospace The activity of the Robotics Lab in relation to Aerospace is focused in two completely different areas: visual navigation of autonomous satellites and simulation of some general systems of the Eurofighter Aircraft Assistive Robots Assistive robot is one of the most promise robotic application in near future. Since 2000, Robotics Lab developes a robot for disable and elderly people assistant (MATS), general interactive intelligent assistant (PRA), and general humanoid assistant (Rh-

Climbing Robots Research in the field of climbing robots started in 1995. Since this date several robots had been developed: Roma 1 for inspection steel-based structures, Roma 2 for travel along concrete, wood, etc., and Mats robot allows moving in domestic environments.

Humanoids Humanoid robots program of the RoboticsLab started on 2001 by developing the 7 DOF bipedal robot Leroy. Since 2002 Rh-0 project, and later Rh-1 one, had the objective of development a 21 DOF full size robot.

Industrial Automation In the last fwe days, sevaral colaborations have been established in Industrial Automation field as automatization of construcction processes and several task for automotion industries.

Mobile Manipulators The objective of this research line is to develop advanced mobile manipulators able to operate in human environments. Manfred integrates perception, control, local and global planning in order to cope with a wide spectrum of typical tasks required for a s

Mobile Robots Mobile Robotics is one of the most research fields of the Robotics Lab. Our group works are focused in control architectures, topological navigation, multimodal interaction and emotions in robotics. Current robots are present mainly in factories. Future robots will be also in our homes as personal companions to entertain and help us in our daily life

Robots in Construction The R&D activities of the RoboticsLab in the field of robotics & automation in construction started in earlies 90s. Several industrial and EU projects related with automation of the prefab parts, and modular building design & erection had been done.

References: http://www.galileo.org/robotics/intro.html http://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~eroberts/courses/soco/projects/199899/robotics/history.html http://robotics.ece.auckland.ac.nz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31 http://www.g9toengineering.com/resources/robotics.htm

http://www.techhive.com/article/253664/historys_10_most_influential_robots.html

http://roboticslab.uc3m.es/roboticslab/aplicaciones.php