Editing Robot (section)

== Modern robots ==
[[File:Laproscopic Surgery Robot.jpg|thumb|A [[laparoscopic]] robotic surgery machine]]

=== Mobile robot ===
{{Main|Mobile robot|Automated guided vehicle}}
Mobile robots<ref>{{Cite book |doi = 10.1109/ROSE.2011.6058520|chapter = Adaptive manipulation of a Hybrid Mechanism Mobile Robot|title = 2011 IEEE International Symposium on Robotic and Sensors Environments (ROSE)|pages = 113–118|year = 2011|last1 = Moubarak|first1 = Paul M.|last2 = Ben-Tzvi|first2 = Pinhas|isbn = 978-1-4577-0819-0|s2cid = 8659998}}</ref> have the capability to move around in their environment and are not fixed to one physical location. An example of a mobile robot that is in common use today is the ''automated guided vehicle'' or ''automatic guided vehicle'' (AGV). An AGV is a mobile robot that follows markers or wires in the floor, or uses vision or lasers.<ref name="seegrid"/> AGVs are discussed later in this article.

Mobile robots are also found in industry, military and security environments.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ge-cDgAAQBAJ&q=Mobile+robots+are+also+found+in+industry%2C+military+and+security+environments.&pg=PA224|title=Real-life Applications with Membrane Computing|last1=Zhang|first1=Gexiang|last2=Pérez-Jiménez|first2=Mario J.|last3=Gheorghe|first3=Marian|date=5 April 2017|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-3-319-55989-6}}</ref> They also appear as consumer products, for entertainment or to perform certain tasks like vacuum cleaning. Mobile robots are the focus of a great deal of current research and almost every major university has one or more labs that focus on mobile robot research.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yuSrDwAAQBAJ|title=Autonomous Mobile Robots and Multi-Robot Systems: Motion-Planning, Communication, and Swarming|first1=E.|last1=Kagan|first2=N.|last2=Shvalb|first3=I.|last3=Gal|publisher=John Wiley and Sons|year=2019|isbn=978-1-119-21286-7}}PP 65-69.</ref>

Mobile robots are usually used in tightly controlled environments such as on [[assembly line]]s because they have difficulty responding to unexpected interference. Because of this most humans rarely encounter robots. However [[domestic robot]]s for cleaning and maintenance are increasingly common in and around homes in developed countries. Robots can also be found in [[military robot|military]] applications.<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9077791|chapter=A Survey On Autonomous Military Service Robot|first1=Deepack|last1=Patic|first2=Munsaf|last2=Ansari|first3=Dilisha|last3=Tendulkar
|first4=Ritesh|last4=Bhatlekar|first5=Vijaykumar|last5=Naik|first6=Pawar|last6=Shailendra|title=2020 International Conference on Emerging Trends in Information Technology and Engineering (Ic-ETITE)|publisher=IEEE International Conference on Emerging Trends in Information Technology and Engineering|year=2020|pages=1–7|doi=10.1109/ic-ETITE47903.2020.78|isbn=978-1-7281-4142-8|s2cid=216588335}}</ref>

=== Industrial robots (manipulating) ===
{{Main|Industrial robot|Manipulator (device)}}
[[File:Automation of foundry with robot.jpg|thumb|left|A pick and place robot in a factory]]

Industrial robots usually consist of a [[jointed arm]] (multi-linked manipulator) and an [[robot end effector|end effector]] that is attached to a fixed surface. One of the most common type of end effector is a [[Robot end effector|gripper]] assembly.

<!--''This keeps getting added onto the next sentence. DO NOT confuse the issue – the def in the next sentence is not general for "robot":'' It is difficult to compare numbers of robots in different countries as there are different definitions of what a "robot" is. -->The [[International Organization for Standardization]] gives a definition of a <!-- Please refrain from removing the "industrial" from this sentence. The def in ISO 8373 clearly states "Manipulating industrial robots -- Vocabulary"  --> manipulating industrial robot in [[ISO 8373]]:

"an automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose, manipulator programmable in three or more axes, which may be either fixed in place or mobile for use in industrial automation applications."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dira.dk/pdf/robotdef.pdf |title=Definition of a robot|publisher=Dansk Robot Forening|access-date=10 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070628064010/http://www.dira.dk/pdf/robotdef.pdf |archive-date=28 June 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

This definition is used by the [[International Federation of Robotics]], the European Robotics Research Network (EURON) and many national standards committees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.euron.org/resources/standards.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060617082835/http://www.euron.org/resources/standards.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 June 2006 |title=Robotics-related Standards Sites |publisher=European Robotics Research Network |access-date=15 July 2008 }}</ref>

The industrial robots in food and drink processing plants are used for tasks such as feeding machines, packaging, and palletizing, which have replaced many manual, physical tasks. The complexity of digital skills required by workers varies depending on the level of automation and the specific tasks involved.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lloyd |first=Caroline |last2=Payne |first2=Jonathan |date=November 2023 |title=Digital skills in context: Working with robots in lower-skilled jobs |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0143831X221111416 |journal=Economic and Industrial Democracy |volume=44 |issue=4 |pages=1084–1104 |doi=10.1177/0143831X221111416 |issn=0143-831X|hdl=2086/21987 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> <!-- See talk page as RIofA is in disute: The Robotics Institute of America (RIA) uses a broader definition: a robot is a "re-programmable multi-functional manipulator designed to move materials, parts, tools, or specialized devices through variable programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks."<ref name="Lee 2005" />  The RIA subdivides robots into four classes: devices that manipulate objects with manual control, automated devices that manipulate objects with predetermined cycles, programmable and servo-controlled robots with continuous point-to-point trajectories, and robots of this last type which also acquire information from the environment and move intelligently in response. -->

=== Service robot ===
{{Main|Service robot}}
Most commonly industrial robots are fixed robotic arms and manipulators used primarily for production and distribution of goods. The term "service robot" is less well-defined. The [[International Federation of Robotics]] has proposed a tentative definition, "A service robot is a robot which operates semi- or fully autonomously to perform services useful to the well-being of humans and equipment, excluding manufacturing operations."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ifr.org/service-robots/ |title=Service Robots |website=International Federation of Robotics |date=27 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100218054027/http://www.ifr.org/service-robots/ |archive-date=18 February 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Educational (interactive) robots ===
{{Main|Educational robotics}}
Robots are used as educational assistants to teachers. From the 1980s, robots such as [[turtle (robot)|turtles]] were used in schools and programmed using the [[Logo (programming language)|Logo]] language.<ref name="gainesvillesun turtle">{{cite news | title='Nova's' 'Talking Turtle' Profiles High Priest of School Computer Movement | work=Gainesville Sun | date=25 October 1983 | author=Mitgang, Lee}}</ref><ref name="observerreporter games learning">{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=W4diAAAAIBAJ&pg=1326,3744066&dq=logo+turtle+robot&hl=en | title=Robots In School: Games Or Learning? | work=Observer-Reporter | date=29 January 1985 | access-date=7 March 2012 | author=Barnard, Jeff | location=Washington | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150922181442/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=W4diAAAAIBAJ&sjid=s3cNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1326,3744066&dq=logo+turtle+robot&hl=en | archive-date=22 September 2015 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}</ref>

There are [[robot kit]]s like [[Mindstorms NXT|Lego Mindstorms]], [[Robotis Bioloid|BIOLOID]], OLLO from ROBOTIS, or BotBrain Educational Robots can help children to learn about mathematics, physics, programming, and electronics. Robotics have also been introduced into the lives of elementary and high school students in the form of [[robot competition]]s with the company [[For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology|FIRST]] (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). The organization is the foundation for the [[FIRST Robotics Competition]], [[FIRST Tech Challenge]], [[FIRST Lego League Challenge]] and [[FIRST Lego League Explore]] competitions.

There have also been robots such as the teaching computer, Leachim (1974).<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,904056,00.html |title=Education: Marvel of the Bronx |magazine=Time |access-date=19 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524113018/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,904056,00.html |archive-date=24 May 2019 |url-status=live |date=April 1974 }}</ref> Leachim was an early example of speech synthesis using the [[Speech synthesis#Diphone synthesis|Diphone synthesis]] method. [[2-XL]] (1976) was a robot shaped game / teaching toy based on branching between audible tracks on an [[8-track tape]] player, both invented by [[Michael J. Freeman]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://cyberneticzoo.com/tag/leachim/|title=Leachim Archives|date=13 September 2010|website=cyberneticzoo.com|access-date=29 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190528193904/http://cyberneticzoo.com/tag/leachim/|archive-date=28 May 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Later, the 8-track was upgraded to tape cassettes and then to digital.

=== Modular robot ===
{{Main|Self-reconfiguring modular robot }}
Modular robots are a new breed of robots that are designed to increase the use of robots by modularizing their architecture.<ref>P. Moubarak, et al., Modular and Reconfigurable Mobile Robotics, Journal of Robotics and Autonomous Systems, 60 (12) (2012) 1648–1663.</ref> The functionality and effectiveness of a modular robot is easier to increase compared to conventional robots. These robots are composed of a single type of identical, several different identical module types, or similarly shaped modules, which vary in size. Their architectural structure allows hyper-redundancy for modular robots, as they can be designed with more than 8 degrees of freedom (DOF). Creating the programming, [[inverse kinematics]] and dynamics for modular robots is more complex than with traditional robots. Modular robots may be composed of L-shaped modules, cubic modules, and U and H-shaped modules. ANAT technology, an early modular robotic technology patented by Robotics Design Inc., allows the creation of modular robots from U- and H-shaped modules that connect in a chain, and are used to form heterogeneous and homogenous modular robot systems. These "ANAT robots" can be designed with "n" DOF as each module is a complete motorized robotic system that folds relatively to the modules connected before and after it in its chain, and therefore a single module allows one degree of freedom. The more modules that are connected to one another, the more degrees of freedom it will have. L-shaped modules can also be designed in a chain, and must become increasingly smaller as the size of the chain increases, as payloads attached to the end of the chain place a greater strain on modules that are further from the base. ANAT H-shaped modules do not suffer from this problem, as their design allows a modular robot to distribute pressure and impacts evenly amongst other attached modules, and therefore payload-carrying capacity does not decrease as the length of the arm increases. Modular robots can be manually or self-reconfigured to form a different robot, that may perform different applications. Because modular robots of the same architecture type are composed of modules that compose different modular robots, a snake-arm robot can combine with another to form a dual or quadra-arm robot, or can split into several mobile robots, and mobile robots can split into multiple smaller ones, or combine with others into a larger or different one. This allows a single modular robot the ability to be fully specialized in a single task, as well as the capacity to be specialized to perform multiple different tasks.

Modular robotic technology is currently being applied in hybrid transportation,<ref name="Modular flying car">{{cite news|url=http://www.aerobuzz.fr/spip.php?article2346|title=Le consortium franco-québécois Mix dévoile son projet de voiture volante|last=Rédaction|date=25 December 2011|publisher=aerobuzz.fr|language=fr|access-date=7 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006225358/http://www.aerobuzz.fr/spip.php?article2346|archive-date=6 October 2012}}</ref> industrial automation,<ref name="Ep&T Magazine">{{cite news|url=http://www.ept.ca/issues/story.aspx?aid=1000348213|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120705131305/http://www.ept.ca/issues/story.aspx?aid=1000348213|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 July 2012|title=Modularity in robotics provides automation for all|last=Scanlan|first=Steve |publisher=Electronic Products and Technology |date=September 2009 |access-date=7 September 2012}}</ref> duct cleaning<ref name="Plumbing and HVAC">{{cite news|url=http://www.roboticsdesign.qc.ca/assets/Uploads/PDF-content/InThePress/HVAC/Pluming+HVACmagazineapril2010.pdf|title=Duct cleaning robots |date=April 2010|work=Robotics Design Inc |publisher=Plumbing & HVAC|access-date=29 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130425130611/http://www.roboticsdesign.qc.ca/assets/Uploads/PDF-content/InThePress/HVAC/Pluming+HVACmagazineapril2010.pdf|archive-date=25 April 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> and handling. Many research centres and universities have also studied this technology, and have developed prototypes.

=== Collaborative robots ===
A ''collaborative robot'' or ''[[cobot]]'' is a robot that can safely and effectively interact with human workers while performing simple industrial tasks. However, end-effectors and other environmental conditions may create hazards, and as such risk assessments should be done before using any industrial motion-control application.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.controleng.com/single-article/universal-robots-collaborate-outside-enclosures/83cc537080cf25e043eb9b770fd1d62f.html |title=Universal Robots collaborate outside enclosures &#124; Control Engineering |publisher=Controleng.com |access-date=4 June 2013 |date=February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518134056/http://www.controleng.com/single-article/universal-robots-collaborate-outside-enclosures/83cc537080cf25e043eb9b770fd1d62f.html |archive-date=18 May 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The collaborative robots most widely used in industries today are manufactured by [[Universal Robots]] in Denmark.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.engineering.com/AdvancedManufacturing/ArticleID/12169 |title=INFOGRAPHIC: A Brief History of Collaborative Robots |first=Kagan |last=Pittman |website=Engineering.com |date=19 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610202319/http://www.engineering.com/AdvancedManufacturing/ArticleID/12169 |archive-date=10 June 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Rethink Robotics]]—founded by [[Rodney Brooks]], previously with [[iRobot]]—introduced [[Baxter (robot)|Baxter]] in September 2012; as an [[industrial robot]] designed to safely interact with neighboring human workers, and be programmable for performing simple tasks.<ref name="WSJ-2012-9">{{cite news| last = Hagerty| first = James| title = Baxter Robot Heads to Work'| newspaper = [[The Wall Street Journal]]| location = New York| date = 18 September 2012| url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390443720204578004441732584574| access-date = 29 May 2014| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150410052711/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390443720204578004441732584574| archive-date = 10 April 2015| url-status = live| df = dmy-all}}</ref> Baxters stop if they detect a human in the way of their robotic arms and have prominent off switches. Intended for sale to small businesses, they are promoted as the robotic analogue of the personal computer.<ref name=NYT91812>{{cite news|title=A Robot With a Reassuring Touch|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/18/science/a-robot-with-a-delicate-touch.html|access-date=18 September 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=18 September 2012|first=John|last=Markoff|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120919015947/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/18/science/a-robot-with-a-delicate-touch.html|archive-date=19 September 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> {{As of|2014|May}}, 190 companies in the US have bought Baxters and they are being used commercially in the UK.<ref name="ABCau-2014-05" />