Since self-realization, man has always been looking for ways to make work easier. Whether this is out of laziness or in quest of efficiency is a debate for another day. The fact remains that man has made great strides in inventing alternative sources of intelligence. A good example is a robot. There are different types of robots with varying levels of intelligence and different purposes. I will highlight the different types of robots in this article and layout clearly where these differences come from.
Types of Robots
Humanoid Robots
According to builtin.com, humanoid robots are those that resemble and imitate humans. They look, act, and try to think like humans. There are some activities described as human. For instance, free movement like walking or running is considered human.
Humanoid robots are made to do everything man does. Humans also have feelings and react to stimuli. This can be through emotions like laughter, cries, or even laughs. Other robots do not possess such qualities. Humanoid robots have been designed in such a way to mimic human nature.
It is amazing humanoid robots can jump or even carry things around. Some can make human expressions as good as a human being could.
Augmenting Robots
As technological advances come, humans change. As work becomes easier and technical at the same time, so makes human nature advances. In the process, man loses some abilities and gains some. They become weaker in some aspects while gain strength in others. This in itself is a form of inconsistency, and robotics comes to tackle such.
Augmenting robots comes in to cover human inefficiencies. It may not be a loss of ability but maybe a total inability to do some things like heavy weight lifting. Such daunting tasks can be energy-intensive, causing health problems to the human body. Besides, it makes humans wear out and lose even their competencies sometimes. These types of robotics come in to ensure this does not go on.
Pre-Programmed Robots
Robots rely on artificial intelligence. Technically, this means they need a set of programs for them to work effectively. Still, it depends on the environment and tasks the subject robot is to be assigned. Different programs work in varying environments. Pre-programmed robots are meant for tedious and monotonous works. Their role is to do the same task again and again.
If you’ve been to a manufacturing company, you’ve seen how operations go. You’ve probably seen a robot do one specific task. Then, others do other tasks. In essence, pre-programmed robots are set to do repeated tasks and form some specialization. This saves time and ensures a more effective production of goods.
Pre-programmed robots do tasks that are tiring and monotonous. Imagine a human being doing such tasks. They would get bored and tired. At that point, their productivity would massively drop and performance decline gradually. When mistakes start to happen endlessly, it affects the organization’s revenue. This may mean a loss of business and jobs in the long run.
Tele-operated Robots
Nature can be extreme sometimes. Through weather, geography, or human interference, sometimes the weather chooses to treat humans abnormal. On seeing this, man invented teleoperated robots to go to extreme weather conditions and geographical locations to work.
Think about a battlefield. Landmines and time bombs are a common occurrence. No commander would want to give up their soldiers. For that reason, they use robots to get to these places. In most cases, drones are used. The robot would travel and try detecting explosives. Once things are clear, soldiers may now move freely.
These kinds of robots are not humans to lose a life. That is why no one prevents themselves from using this kind of robot. They stand-in for the man in situations where human life is threatened. Besides, these robots are well known for consistency as long as they are well maintained. They can work for hours without dropping in neither intensity nor output.
Autonomous Robots
Most robots are human-dependent. Or, better yet, they are human-controlled. Autonomous robots have a sense of direction and self-control. This group of robots undertakes tasks by themselves, although they have an aspect of programming that guides them on when to start, pause or stop.
Autonomous robots are mostly deployed in open fields or spaces. Remember, they are just robots and can be faulty sometimes. Even if that happens, havoc can be averted if it is an open field. It is easier to work in open fields without supervision. These robots use sensors to know when to stop.
Components of a Robot
Mechanical parts
Just like a human being has a body, robots are made mechanically. They are a collection of parts with the potential to move when certain things are triggered. This feature allows a robot to work and deliver as programmed to do. Not just work, but consistently work and produce results. Some robots are made in human-like bodies, while others take the shape of other machines and working tools. Either way, a robot has to be made out of a certain material.
Programming
The idea of robotics is humanizing machines. This is to allow them to make decisions by themselves as well as carry out tasks. The programming aspect of robotics makes this realization true. Different types of robots are made of varying levels of intelligence. Still, they are all programmed to a certain degree to allow them to function without human supervision.
Electrical aspect
Without power, the programming part of a robot will never work. It is the link between the program set in a robot and the material used. With power, a robot can process, work, move and do more tasks.
Conclusion
Robots are a great human invention. Built to perform different tasks, these creations come in different types. The difference occurs due to differences in intelligence levels, autonomy, programming, and ability to imitate humans. Even with these differences, recently created robots are becoming closer and closer to human abilities.