Editing Robot (section)

== Contemporary uses ==
[[File:smUsingGuiaBot.jpg|thumb|A general-purpose robot acts as a guide during the day and a security guard at night.]]
{{See also|List of robots}}
At present, there are two main types of robots, based on their use: [[humanoid robot|general-purpose autonomous robots]] and dedicated robots.

Robots can be classified by their [[sensitivity and specificity|specificity]] of purpose. A robot might be designed to perform one particular task extremely well, or a range of tasks less well. All robots by their nature can be re-programmed to behave differently, but some are limited by their physical form. For example, a factory robot arm can perform jobs such as cutting, welding, gluing, or acting as a fairground ride, while a pick-and-place robot can only populate printed circuit boards.

=== General-purpose autonomous robots ===
{{Main|Autonomous robot}}
General-purpose autonomous robots can perform a variety of functions independently. General-purpose autonomous robots typically can navigate independently in known spaces, handle their own re-charging needs, interface with electronic doors and elevators and perform other basic tasks. Like computers, general-purpose robots can link with networks, software and accessories that increase their usefulness. They may recognize people or objects, talk, provide companionship, monitor environmental quality, respond to alarms, pick up supplies and perform other useful tasks. General-purpose robots may perform a variety of functions simultaneously or they may take on different roles at different times of day. Some such robots try to mimic human beings and may even resemble people in appearance; this type of robot is called a humanoid robot. Humanoid robots are still in a very limited stage, as no humanoid robot can, as of yet, actually navigate around a room that it has never been in.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Talbot |first1=Ben |last2=Dayoub |first2=Feras |last3=Corke |first3=Peter |last4=Wyeth |first4=Gordon |date=December 2021 |title=Robot Navigation in Unseen Spaces Using an Abstract Map |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9091567 |journal=IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems |volume=13 |issue=4 |pages=791–805 |doi=10.1109/TCDS.2020.2993855 |arxiv=2001.11684 |s2cid=211004032 |issn=2379-8939}}</ref> Thus, humanoid robots are really quite limited, despite their intelligent behaviors in their well-known environments.

=== Factory robots ===

==== Car production ====
Over the last three decades, [[automotive industry|automobile factories]] have become dominated by robots. A typical factory contains hundreds of [[industrial robot]]s working on fully automated production lines, with one robot for every ten human workers. On an automated production line, a vehicle chassis on a conveyor is [[welding|welded]], [[adhesive|glued]], painted and finally assembled at a sequence of robot stations.

==== Packaging ====
Industrial robots are also used extensively for palletizing and packaging of manufactured goods, for example for rapidly taking drink cartons from the end of a conveyor belt and placing them into boxes, or for loading and unloading machining centers.

==== Electronics ====
Mass-produced [[printed circuit board]]s (PCBs) are almost exclusively manufactured by pick-and-place robots, typically with [[SCARA]] manipulators, which remove tiny [[electronic component]]s from strips or trays, and place them on to PCBs with great accuracy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.contactsystems.com/c5_series.html |publisher=Contact Systems |title=Contact Systems Pick and Place robots |access-date=21 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914050602/http://www.contactsystems.com/c5_series.html |archive-date=14 September 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Such robots can place hundreds of thousands of components per hour, far out-performing a human in speed, accuracy, and reliability.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.assembleon.com/surface-mount-assembly/pick-and-place-equipment/a-series/|publisher=Assembleon| title=SMT pick-and-place equipment|access-date=21 September 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080803173021/http://www.assembleon.com/surface-mount-assembly/pick-and-place-equipment/a-series/ <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 3 August 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==== Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) ====
[[File:ADAM Intelligent AGV.jpg|thumb|An intelligent AGV drops-off goods without needing lines or beacons in the workspace.]]

Mobile robots, following markers or wires in the floor, or using vision<ref name="seegrid">{{cite web|url=http://www.smartcaddy.net|title=Smart Caddy|publisher=Seegrid|access-date=13 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011044450/http://www.smartcaddy.net/|archive-date=11 October 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> or lasers, are used to transport goods around large facilities, such as warehouses, container ports, or hospitals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.agvsystems.com/basics/vehicle.htm|title=The Basics of Automated Guided Vehicles|publisher=Savant Automation, AGV Systems|access-date=13 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008135856/http://www.agvsystems.com/basics/vehicle.htm|archive-date=8 October 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===== Early AGV-style robots =====
Limited to tasks that could be accurately defined and had to be performed the same way every time. Very little feedback or intelligence was required, and the robots needed only the most basic [[wikt:exteroceptors|exteroceptors]] (sensors). The limitations of these AGVs are that their paths are not easily altered and they cannot alter their paths if obstacles block them. If one AGV breaks down, it may stop the entire operation.

===== Interim AGV technologies =====
Developed to deploy triangulation from beacons or bar code grids for scanning on the floor or ceiling. In most factories, triangulation systems tend to require moderate to high maintenance, such as daily cleaning of all beacons or bar codes. Also, if a tall pallet or large vehicle blocks beacons or a bar code is marred, AGVs may become lost. Often such AGVs are designed to be used in human-free environments.

===== Intelligent AGVs (i-AGVs) =====
Such as SmartLoader,<ref>{{cite web|title=Automatic Trailer Loading Vehicle - SmartLoader|url=http://www.jervisbwebb.com/Products/automatic_trailer_loading.aspx?pid=190&qs=1_3_|access-date=2 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523015511/http://www.jervisbwebb.com/Products/automatic_trailer_loading.aspx?pid=190&qs=1_3_|archive-date=23 May 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> SpeciMinder,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ccsrobotics.com/products/speciminder.html |title=SpeciMinder |publisher=CSS Robotics |access-date=25 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090701131848/http://www.ccsrobotics.com/products/speciminder.html |archive-date=1 July 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> ADAM,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rmtrobotics.com/tire_agv.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060517153330/http://rmtrobotics.com/tire_agv.html |archive-date=17 May 2006 |title=ADAM robot |publisher=RMT Robotics |access-date=25 September 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Tug<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aethon.com/can_do_tug.html |title=Can Do |publisher=Aethon |access-date=25 September 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080803173353/http://www.aethon.com/can_do_tug.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 3 August 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Eskorta,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fennecfoxtech.com |title=Eskorta robot |publisher=Fennec Fox Technologies |access-date=25 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111206082746/http://www.fennecfoxtech.com/ |archive-date=6 December 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and MT 400 with Motivity<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobilerobots.com/AGV.html |title=Delivery Robots & AGVs |publisher=Mobile Robots |access-date=25 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100226202710/http://www.mobilerobots.com/AGV.html|archive-date=26 February 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> are designed for people-friendly workspaces. They navigate by recognizing natural features. [[3D scanner]]s or other means of sensing the environment in two or three dimensions help to eliminate cumulative [[observational error|errors]] in [[dead reckoning|dead-reckoning]] calculations of the AGV's current position. Some AGVs can create maps of their environment using scanning lasers with [[simultaneous localization and mapping]] (SLAM) and use those maps to navigate in real time with other [[path planning]] and obstacle avoidance algorithms. They are able to operate in complex environments and perform non-repetitive and non-sequential tasks such as transporting [[photomask]]s in a semiconductor lab, specimens in hospitals and goods in warehouses. For dynamic areas, such as warehouses full of pallets, AGVs require additional strategies using three-dimensional sensors such as [[time-of-flight camera|time-of-flight]] or [[computer stereo vision|stereovision]] cameras.

=== Dirty, dangerous, dull, or inaccessible tasks ===

{{see also|Dirty, dangerous and demeaning}}
There are many jobs that humans would rather leave to robots. The job may be boring, such as [[housekeeping|domestic cleaning]] or [[Line marker (sports)|sports field line marking]], or dangerous, such as exploring inside a [[volcano]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ri.cmu.edu/projects/project_163.html|title=Dante II, list of published papers|publisher=The Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University|access-date=16 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515015703/http://www.ri.cmu.edu/projects/project_163.html|archive-date=15 May 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> Other jobs are physically inaccessible, such as exploring another [[planet]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/rover/sojourner.html|title=Mars Pathfinder Mission: Rover Sojourner|publisher=[[NASA]]|date=8 July 1997|access-date=19 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201165939/http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/rover/sojourner.html|archive-date=1 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> cleaning the inside of a long pipe, or performing [[laparoscopic]] surgery.<ref name="daVinci">{{cite web|url=http://biomed.brown.edu/Courses/BI108/BI108_2005_Groups/04/davinci.html |title=Robot assisted surgery: da Vinci Surgical System |publisher=Brown University Division of Biology and Medicine |access-date=19 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070916084349/http://biomed.brown.edu/Courses/BI108/BI108_2005_Groups/04/davinci.html |archive-date=16 September 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==== Space probes ====

Almost every unmanned [[space probe]] ever launched was a robot.<ref>{{cite conference |url=https://upes.academia.edu/SeeteshPANDE/Papers/1717325/The_Utilization_of_Robotic_Space_Probes_in_Deep_Space_Missions_Case_Study_of_AI_Protocols_and_Nuclear_Power_Requirements |title=The Utilization of Robotic Space Probes in Deep Space Missions:Case Study of AI Protocols and Nuclear Power Requirements |book-title=Proceedings of 2011 International Conference on Mechanical Engineering, Robotics and Aerospace |date=October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2004/1 |title=Review: Space Probes |first=Jeff |last=Foust |date=16 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120831183945/http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2004/1 |archive-date=31 August 2012 |url-status=live}} Review of Space Probes: 50 Years of Exploration from Luna 1 to New Horizons, by Philippe Séguéla Firefly, 2011.</ref> Some were launched in the 1960s with very limited abilities, but their ability to fly and land (in the case of [[Luna 9]]) is an indication of their status as a robot. This includes the [[Voyager probe]]s and the Galileo probes, among others.

==== Telerobots ====

[[File:IED detonator.jpg|thumb|A [[U.S. Marine Corps]] technician prepares to use a telerobot to detonate a buried [[improvised explosive device]] near [[Camp Fallujah]], Iraq.]]

[[telerobotics|Teleoperated robots]], or telerobots, are devices [[teleoperation|remotely operated]] from a distance by a human operator rather than following a predetermined sequence of movements, but which has semi-autonomous behaviour. They are used when a human cannot be present on site to perform a job because it is dangerous, far away, or inaccessible. The robot may be in another room or another country, or may be on a very different scale to the operator. For instance, a laparoscopic surgery robot allows the surgeon to work inside a human patient on a relatively small scale compared to open surgery, significantly shortening recovery time.<ref name="daVinci" /> They can also be used to avoid exposing workers to the hazardous and tight spaces such as in [[Duct (HVAC)|duct]] cleaning.<!--<ref>{{cite news|url=http://on.fb.me/1o843oN |title=The Trouble with Regulation |publisher=National Air Duct Cleaning Association |access-date=25 November 2014 | date=March–April 2014}}</ref>--> When disabling a bomb, the operator sends a small robot to disable it. Several authors have been using a device called the Longpen to sign books remotely.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/celebrities-set-to-reach-for-atwood-s-longpen-1.692622 |title=Celebrities set to reach for Atwood's LongPen |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=21 September 2008 | date=15 August 2007|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090522221123/http://www.cbc.ca/arts/books/story/2007/08/15/longpen-trial.html|archive-date=22 May 2009}}</ref> Teleoperated robot aircraft, like the Predator [[Unmanned Aerial Vehicle]], are increasingly being used by the military. These pilotless drones can search terrain and fire on targets.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/200606120018|work=[[New Statesman]]|title=America's robot army |date=12 June 2006 |access-date=24 September 2007 |first=Stephen|last=Graham|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217174704/http://www.newstatesman.com/200606120018|archive-date=17 February 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/battlefield-robots-to-iraq-and-beyond-0727|work=Defense Industry Daily|title=Battlefield Robots: to Iraq, and Beyond|date=20 June 2005|access-date=24 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070826201610/http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/battlefield-robots-to-iraq-and-beyond-0727/|archive-date=26 August 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> Hundreds of robots such as [[iRobot]]'s [[Packbot]] and the [[Foster-Miller TALON]] are being used in [[Iraq]] and [[Afghanistan]] by the [[United States Armed Forces|U.S. military]] to defuse roadside bombs or [[improvised explosive device]]s (IEDs) in an activity known as [[explosive ordnance disposal]] (EOD).<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.11/bomb.html?pg=3&topic=bomb|title=The Baghdad Bomb Squad|first=Noah|last=Shachtman|date=November 2005|access-date=14 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080422132525/http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.11/bomb.html?pg=3&topic=bomb|archive-date=22 April 2008|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Automated fruit harvesting machines ====
Robots are used to [[fruit picking#automation|automate picking fruit]] on orchards at a cost lower than that of human pickers.

==== Domestic robots ====
[[File:Roomba original.jpg|thumb|The [[Roomba]] domestic [[vacuum cleaner]] robot does a single, menial job.]]

[[Domestic robots]] are simple robots dedicated to a single task work in home use. They are used in simple but often disliked jobs, such as [[vacuum cleaner|vacuum cleaning]], [[Scooba (brand)|floor washing]], and [[lawn mower|lawn mowing]]. An example of a domestic robot is a [[Roomba]].

=== Military robots ===
{{Main|Military robot}}
Military robots include the [[SWORDS robot]] which is currently used in ground-based combat. It can use a variety of weapons and there is some discussion of giving it some degree of autonomy in battleground situations.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Shachtman |first=Noah |url=https://www.wired.com/2007/08/httpwwwnational/ |title=WIRED: First Armed Robots on Patrol in Iraq (Updated) |magazine=Wired |date=2 August 2007 |access-date=26 September 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Shachtman |first=Noah |url=http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/08/armed-robots-so.html |title=WIRED: Armed Robots Pushed To Police |magazine=Wired |date=28 March 2013 |access-date=8 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412043558/http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/08/armed-robots-so.html |archive-date=12 April 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a2653/4252643/ |title=America's Robot Army: Are Unmanned Fighters Ready for Combat? |publisher=Popular Mechanics |date=17 December 2009 |access-date=26 September 2023}}</ref>

[[Unmanned combat air vehicle]]s (UCAVs), which are an upgraded form of [[unmanned aerial vehicle|UAVs]], can do a wide variety of missions, including combat. UCAVs are being designed such as the [[BAE Systems Mantis]] which would have the ability to fly themselves, to pick their own course and target, and to make most decisions on their own.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-02/field-guide-flying-robots |title=The Present and Future of Unmanned Drone Aircraft: An Illustrated Field Guide | first=Eric |last=Hagerman |magazine=[[Popular Science]] |date=23 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100226101134/http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-02/field-guide-flying-robots |archive-date=26 February 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[BAE Systems Taranis|BAE Taranis]] is a UCAV built by Great Britain which can fly across continents without a pilot and has new means to avoid detection.<ref name="Sky News">{{cite news|title=Taranis: The £143m Fighter Jet Of The Future |first=Kat |last=Higgins |website=Sky News Online |date=12 July 2010 |url=http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Taranis-MoD-And-BAE-Systems-Unveil-Futuristic-Unmanned-Fighter-Jet/Article/201007215663917?lpos=UK_News_Second_Home_Page_Article_Teaser_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15663917_Taranis:_MoD_And_BAE_Systems_Unveil_Futuristic_Unmanned_Fighter_Jet |access-date=13 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100715051514/http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Taranis-MoD-And-BAE-Systems-Unveil-Futuristic-Unmanned-Fighter-Jet/Article/201007215663917?lpos=UK_News_Second_Home_Page_Article_Teaser_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15663917_Taranis%3A_MoD_And_BAE_Systems_Unveil_Futuristic_Unmanned_Fighter_Jet |archive-date=15 July 2010 }}</ref> Flight trials are expected to begin in 2011.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/10602105.stm |title=MoD lifts lid on unmanned combat plane prototype |first=Daniel |last=Emery |work=BBC News |date=12 July 2010 |access-date=12 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712191703/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/10602105.stm |archive-date=12 July 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence|AAAI]] has studied this topic in depth<ref name="AAAI ethics" /> and its president has commissioned a study to look at this issue.<ref>{{cite report |url=http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/horvitz/AAAI_Presidential_Panel_2008-2009.htm |title=AAAI Presidential Panel on Long-Term AI Futures 2008–2009 Study |publisher=Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence |access-date=26 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090828214741/http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/horvitz/AAAI_Presidential_Panel_2008-2009.htm |archive-date=28 August 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Some have suggested a need to build "[[Friendly AI]]", meaning that the advances which are already occurring with AI should also include an effort to make AI intrinsically friendly and humane.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asimovlaws.com/articles/archives/2004/07/why_we_need_fri_1.html |title=Why We Need Friendly AI |website=3 Laws Unsafe |date=July 2004 |access-date=27 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120524150856/http://www.asimovlaws.com/articles/archives/2004/07/why_we_need_fri_1.html |archive-date=24 May 2012 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> Several such measures reportedly already exist, with robot-heavy countries such as Japan and South Korea<ref name=SKrobot>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6425927.stm |title=Robotic age poses ethical dilemma |website=BBC News |date=7 March 2007 |access-date=2007-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215145547/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6425927.stm |archive-date=15 February 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> having begun to pass regulations requiring robots to be equipped with safety systems, and possibly sets of 'laws' akin to Asimov's [[Three Laws of Robotics]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.livescience.com/technology/060526_robot_rules.html |title=Asimov's First Law: Japan Sets Rules for Robots |first=Bill |last=Christensen |website=[[Live Science]] |date=26 May 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013025115/http://www.livescience.com/technology/060526_robot_rules.html |archive-date=13 October 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.physorg.com/news95078958.html |title=Japan drafts rules for advanced robots |publisher=UPI |via=physorg.com |date=6 April 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011103322/http://www.physorg.com/news95078958.html |archive-date=11 October 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> An official report was issued in 2009 by the Japanese government's Robot Industry Policy Committee.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/data/20090325_01.html |title=Building a Safe and Secure Social System Incorporating the Coexistence of Humans and Robots |publisher=[[Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry]] |date=March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927070744/http://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/data/20090325_01.html |archive-date=27 September 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Chinese officials and researchers have issued a report suggesting a set of ethical rules, and a set of new legal guidelines referred to as "Robot Legal Studies."<ref name="China report">{{cite journal |doi=10.1007/s12369-009-0019-1 |title=Toward the Human–Robot Co-Existence Society: On Safety Intelligence for Next Generation Robots |first1=Yueh-Hsuan |last1=Weng |first2=Chien-Hsun |last2=Chen |first3=Chuen-Tsai |last3=Sun |journal=International Journal of Social Robotics |volume=1 |date=25 April 2009|issue=4 |pages=267–282 |s2cid=36232530 }}</ref> Some concern has been expressed over a possible occurrence of robots telling apparent falsehoods.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-08/evolving-robots-learn-lie-hide-resources-each-other/ |title=Evolving Robots Learn To Lie To Each Other |first=Stuart |last=Fox |magazine=[[Popular Science]] |date=19 August 2009}}</ref>

=== Mining robots ===
Mining robots are designed to solve a number of problems currently facing the [[mining industry]], including skills shortages, improving productivity from declining ore grades, and achieving environmental targets. Due to the hazardous nature of mining, in particular [[underground mining]], the prevalence of autonomous, semi-autonomous, and tele-operated robots has greatly increased in recent times. A number of vehicle manufacturers provide autonomous trains, trucks and [[Loader (equipment)|loaders]] that will load material, transport it on the mine site to its destination, and unload without requiring human intervention. One of the world's largest mining corporations, [[Rio Tinto (corporation)|Rio Tinto]], has recently expanded its autonomous truck fleet to the world's largest, consisting of 150 autonomous [[Komatsu Limited|Komatsu]] trucks, operating in [[Western Australia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.riotinto.com/media/5157_21165.asp |title=Rio Tinto Media Center – Rio Tinto boosts driverless truck fleet to 150 under Mine of the Future™ programme |publisher=Riotinto.com |access-date=8 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424100842/https://www.riotinto.com/media/5157_21165.asp |archive-date=24 April 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Similarly, [[BHP]] has announced the expansion of its autonomous drill fleet to the world's largest, 21 autonomous [[Atlas Copco]] drills.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.itnews.com.au/news/bhp-billiton-hits-go-on-autonomous-drills-421008|title=BHP Billiton hits go on autonomous drills|access-date=13 February 2023}}</ref>

Drilling, [[Longwall mining|longwall]] and [[rockbreaker|rockbreaking]] machines are now also available as autonomous robots.<ref>{{cite web |author=Adrian |url=http://adrianboeing.blogspot.com/2011/06/aimex.html |title=AIMEX blog – Autonomous mining equipment |publisher=Adrianboeing.blogspot.com |date=6 September 2011 |access-date=8 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131218162920/http://adrianboeing.blogspot.com/2011/06/aimex.html |archive-date=18 December 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Atlas Copco]] Rig Control System can autonomously execute a drilling plan on a [[drilling rig]], moving the rig into position using GPS, set up the drill rig and drill down to specified depths.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atlascopco.com/rcs/ |title=Atlas Copco – RCS |publisher=Atlascopco.com |access-date=8 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140207175830/http://www.atlascopco.com/rcs/ |archive-date=7 February 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Similarly, the [[Transmin]] Rocklogic system can automatically plan a path to position a rockbreaker at a selected destination.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rocklogic.com.au/ |title=Transmin – Rocklogic |publisher=Rocklogic.com.au |access-date=8 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125105842/http://rocklogic.com.au/ |archive-date=25 January 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> These systems greatly enhance the safety and efficiency of mining operations.

=== Healthcare ===
Robots in healthcare have two main functions. Those which assist an individual, such as a sufferer of a disease like Multiple Sclerosis, and those which aid in the overall systems such as pharmacies and hospitals.

==== Home automation for the elderly and disabled ====
{{further|Disability robot}}
[[File:FRIEND-III klein.png|thumb|The Care-Providing Robot FRIEND]]

Robots used in [[Home automation for the elderly and disabled|home automation]] have developed over time from simple basic robotic assistants, such as the [[ST Robotics#History|Handy 1]],<ref name="CSUNCOD1">{{cite journal|last=Topping |first=Mike |author2=Smith, Jane |title=An Overview Of Handy 1, A Rehabilitation Robot For The Severely Disabled |journal=CSUN Center on Disabilities Conference Proceedings |year=1999 |volume=Proceedings |series=1999 |pages=Session 59 |url=http://www.csun.edu/cod/conf/1999/proceedings/session0059.htm |access-date=14 August 2010 |quote=The early version of the Handy 1 system consisted of a Cyber 310 robotic arm with five degrees of freedom plus a gripper. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090805111627/https://www.csun.edu/cod/conf/1999/proceedings/session0059.htm |archive-date= 5 August 2009 }}</ref> through to semi-autonomous robots, such as [[Care-Providing Robot FRIEND|FRIEND]] which can assist the elderly and disabled with common tasks.

The population is [[gerontotechnology|aging]] in many countries, especially Japan, meaning that there are increasing numbers of elderly people to care for, but relatively fewer young people to care for them.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4012797.stm|work=BBC News|first=Christine|last=Jeavans|date=29 November 2004|title=Welcome to the ageing future|access-date=26 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016123948/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4012797.stm|archive-date=16 October 2007|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url        = http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/handbook/c02cont.htm
| title      = Statistical Handbook of Japan: Chapter 2 Population
| publisher  = Statistics Bureau & Statistical Research and Training Institute
| access-date = 26 September 2007
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130906015841/http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/handbook/c02cont.htm
| archive-date = 6 September 2013
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> Humans make the best carers, but where they are unavailable, robots are gradually being introduced.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.e-health-insider.com/comment_and_analysis/250/robotic_future_of_patient_care|publisher=E-Health Insider|title=Robotic future of patient care|date=16 August 2007|access-date=26 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071121041811/http://www.e-health-insider.com/comment_and_analysis/250/robotic_future_of_patient_care|archive-date=21 November 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

FRIEND is a semi-autonomous robot designed to support [[disability|disabled]] and [[old age|elderly]] people in their daily life activities, like preparing and serving a meal. FRIEND make it possible for [[patients]] who are [[paraplegia|paraplegic]], have muscle diseases or serious [[paralysis]] (due to strokes etc.), to perform tasks without help from other people like therapists or nursing staff.

==== Pharmacies ====
{{Main|Pharmacy automation}}
{{More citations needed section|date=July 2009}}
Script Pro manufactures a robot designed to help pharmacies fill prescriptions that consist of oral solids or [[pharmaceutical drug|medications]] in pill form.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.drugtopics.com/view/future-pharmacy-automation|title=The Future of Pharmacy Automation|last=Gebhart|first=Fred|date=4 July 2019|journal=Drug Topics Journal|series=Drug Topics July 2019 |volume=163 |issue=7 |access-date=16 October 2022}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=November 2019}} The pharmacist or [[pharmacy technician]] enters the prescription information into its information system. The system, upon determining whether or not the drug is in the robot, will send the information to the robot for filling. The robot has 3 different size vials to fill determined by the size of the pill. The robot technician, user, or pharmacist determines the needed size of the vial based on the tablet when the robot is stocked. Once the vial is filled it is brought up to a conveyor belt that delivers it to a holder that spins the vial and attaches the patient label. Afterwards it is set on another conveyor that delivers the patient's medication vial to a slot labeled with the patient's name on an LED read out. The pharmacist or technician then checks the contents of the vial to ensure it's the correct drug for the correct patient and then seals the vials and sends it out front to be picked up.

McKesson's Robot RX is another healthcare robotics product that helps pharmacies dispense thousands of medications daily with little or no errors.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/2009/10/08/robots-mckesson-business-healthcare-medical-tech-09-mckesson.html|title=R2D2 Has Your Pills|last=Dolan|first=Kerry A.|website=Forbes|access-date=20 November 2019}}</ref> The robot can be ten feet wide and thirty feet long and can hold hundreds of different kinds of medications and thousands of doses. The pharmacy saves many resources like staff members that are otherwise unavailable in a resource scarce industry. It uses an [[electromechanics|electromechanical]] head coupled with a [[pneumatics|pneumatic]] system to capture each dose and deliver it to either its stocked or dispensed location. The head moves along a single axis while it rotates 180 degrees to pull the medications. During this process it uses [[barcode]] technology to verify it's pulling the correct drug. It then delivers the drug to a patient specific bin on a conveyor belt. Once the bin is filled with all of the drugs that a particular patient needs and that the robot stocks, the bin is then released and returned out on the conveyor belt to a technician waiting to load it into a cart for delivery to the floor.

=== Research robots ===
{{See also|Robotics#Robotics_research|l1=Robotics research}}
While most robots today are installed in factories or homes, performing labour or life saving jobs, many new types of robot are being developed in [[laboratory|laboratories]] around the world. Much of the research in robotics focuses not on specific industrial tasks, but on investigations into new types of robot, alternative ways to think about or design robots, and new ways to manufacture them. It is expected that these new types of robot will be able to solve real world problems when they are finally realized.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}}

==== Bionic and biomimetic robots ====
{{further|Biomimetics}}{{further|Bionics}}One approach to designing robots is to base them on animals. [[BionicKangaroo]] was designed and engineered by studying and applying the physiology and methods of locomotion of a kangaroo.

==== Nanorobots ====
{{further|Nanorobotics}}[[Nanorobotics]] is the [[emerging technology]] field of creating machines or robots whose components are at or close to the microscopic scale of a [[nanometer]] (10<sup>−9</sup> meters). Also known as "nanobots" or "nanites", they would be constructed from [[molecular machine]]s. So far, researchers have mostly produced only parts of these complex systems, such as bearings, sensors, and [[synthetic molecular motors]], but functioning robots have also been made such as the entrants to the Nanobot Robocup contest.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.techbirbal.com/viewtopic.php?p=3687&sid=7faaeeb64eaf84880b23755fea7fa7cd |title=Nanobots Play Football |publisher=Techbirbal |access-date=8 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130403180057/https://www.techbirbal.com/viewtopic.php?p=3687&sid=7faaeeb64eaf84880b23755fea7fa7cd |archive-date=3 April 2013 }}</ref> Researchers also hope to be able to create entire robots as small as viruses or bacteria, which could perform tasks on a tiny scale. Possible applications include micro surgery (on the level of individual [[cell (biology)|cells]]), [[utility fog]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/meme/frame.html?main=/articles/art0220.html |title=KurzweilAI.net |date=21 June 2010 |access-date=5 July 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621142011/http://www.kurzweilai.net/meme/frame.html?main=%2Farticles%2Fart0220.html |archive-date=21 June 2010 }}</ref> manufacturing, weaponry and cleaning.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.e-drexler.com/d/06/00/EOC/EOC_Chapter_11.html |title=(Eric Drexler 1986) Engines of Creation, The Coming Era of Nanotechnology |publisher=E-drexler.com |access-date=8 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140906190853/http://e-drexler.com/d/06/00/EOC/EOC_Chapter_11.html |archive-date=6 September 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Some people have suggested that if there were nanobots which could reproduce, the earth would turn into "[[grey goo]]", while others argue that this hypothetical outcome is nonsense.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crnano.org/Debate.htm|publisher=Center for Responsible Nanotechnology|title=Of Chemistry, Nanobots, and Policy|date=December 2003|access-date=28 October 2007|first=Chris|last=Phoenix|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011132926/http://crnano.org/Debate.htm|archive-date=11 October 2007|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/06/040609072100.htm |website=ScienceDaily |title=Nanotechnology pioneer slays 'grey goo' myths|date=9 June 2004}}</ref>

==== Reconfigurable robots ====
{{Main|Self-reconfiguring modular robot}}
A few researchers have investigated the possibility of creating robots which can [[self-reconfiguring modular robot|alter their physical form]] to suit a particular task,<ref>{{cite conference |url=http://www.islandone.org/MMSG/9609lego.htm |title=LEGO(TM)s to the Stars: Active MesoStructures, Kinetic Cellular Automata, and Parallel Nanomachines for Space Applications |first=Tihamer |last=Toth-Fejel |conference=1996 International Space Development Conference |location=New York City |date=May 1996 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927215619/http://www.islandone.org/MMSG/9609lego.htm |archive-date=27 September 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> like the fictional [[T-1000]]. Real robots are nowhere near that sophisticated however, and mostly consist of a small number of cube shaped units, which can move relative to their neighbours. Algorithms have been designed in case any such robots become a reality.<ref>{{cite web |first1=Robert |last1=Fitch |first2=Zack |last2=Butler |first3=Daniela |last3=Rus |url=http://groups.csail.mit.edu/drl/publications/papers/MeltSortGrow.pdf |title=Reconfiguration Planning for Heterogeneous Self-Reconfiguring Robots |website=Massachusetts Institute of Technology |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070619212352/http://groups.csail.mit.edu/drl/publications/papers/MeltSortGrow.pdf |archive-date=19 June 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==== Robotic, mobile laboratory operators ====
{{Further|Laboratory robotics}}
In July 2020 scientists reported the development of a mobile robot chemist and demonstrate that it can assist in experimental searches. According to the scientists their strategy was [[Laboratory automation|automating]] the researcher rather than the instruments – freeing up time for the human researchers to think creatively – and could identify photocatalyst mixtures for hydrogen production from water that were six times more active than initial formulations. The modular robot can operate laboratory instruments, work nearly around the clock, and autonomously make decisions on his next actions depending on experimental results.<ref>{{cite news |title=Researchers build robot scientist that has already discovered a new catalyst |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-07-robot-scientist-catalyst.html |access-date=16 August 2020 |work=phys.org }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Burger |first1=Benjamin |last2=Maffettone |first2=Phillip M. |last3=Gusev |first3=Vladimir V. |last4=Aitchison |first4=Catherine M. |last5=Bai |first5=Yang |last6=Wang |first6=Xiaoyan |last7=Li |first7=Xiaobo |last8=Alston |first8=Ben M. |last9=Li |first9=Buyi |last10=Clowes |first10=Rob |last11=Rankin |first11=Nicola |last12=Harris |first12=Brandon |last13=Sprick |first13=Reiner Sebastian |last14=Cooper |first14=Andrew I. |title=A mobile robotic chemist |journal=Nature |date=July 2020 |volume=583 |issue=7815 |pages=237–241 |doi=10.1038/s41586-020-2442-2 |pmid=32641813 |bibcode=2020Natur.583..237B |s2cid=220420261 |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2442-2 |access-date=16 August 2020 |issn=1476-4687|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==== Soft-bodied robots ====
Robots with [[silicone]] bodies and flexible actuators ([[pneumatic artificial muscles|air muscles]], [[electroactive polymers]], and [[ferrofluid]]s) look and feel different from robots with rigid skeletons, and can have different behaviors.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/27/science/27robo.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ei=5070&en=91395fe7439a5b72&ex=1177128000 |title=In the Lab: Robots That Slink and Squirm |first=John |last=Schwartz |work=The New York Times |access-date=22 September 2008 |date=27 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403233312/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/27/science/27robo.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ei=5070&en=91395fe7439a5b72&ex=1177128000 |archive-date=3 April 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> Soft, flexible (and sometimes even squishy) robots are often designed to mimic the biomechanics of animals and other things found in nature, which is leading to new applications in medicine, care giving, search and rescue, food handling and manufacturing, and scientific exploration.<ref>{{cite web |title=Squishy robots now have squishy computers to control them |date=25 March 2019 |first=Kat |last=Eschner |website=Popular Science |url=https://www.popsci.com/soft-robot-computer}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The softer side of robotics |date=May 2019 |url=https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/tech-takes/softer-side-of-robotics#false |access-date=13 February 2023}}</ref>

==== Swarm robots ====
{{Main|Swarm robotics}}Inspired by [[colony (biology)|colonies of insects]] such as [[ants]] and [[bees]], researchers are modeling the behavior of [[swarm robotics|swarms]] of thousands of tiny robots which together perform a useful task, such as finding something hidden, cleaning, or spying. Each robot is quite simple, but the [[emergent behavior]] of the swarm is more complex. The whole set of robots can be considered as one single distributed system, in the same way an ant colony can be considered a [[superorganism]], exhibiting [[swarm intelligence]]. The largest swarms so far created include the iRobot swarm, the SRI/MobileRobots CentiBots project<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.activrobots.com/RESEARCH/wheelchair.html |title=SRI/MobileRobots |work=activrobots.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212091659/https://www.activrobots.com/RESEARCH/wheelchair.html |archive-date=12 February 2009}}</ref> and the Open-source Micro-robotic Project swarm, which are being used to research collective behaviors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.swarmrobot.org|title=Open-source micro-robotic project|access-date=28 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111025135/http://www.swarmrobot.org/|archive-date=11 November 2007|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irobot.com/sp.cfm?pageid=149 |publisher=iRobot Corporation |title=Swarm |access-date=28 October 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927191006/https://www.irobot.com/sp.cfm?pageid=149 |archive-date=27 September 2007 }}</ref> Swarms are also more resistant to failure. Whereas one large robot may fail and ruin a mission, a swarm can continue even if several robots fail. This could make them attractive for space exploration missions, where failure is normally extremely costly.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2000/12/40750 |magazine=Wired |title=Look, Up in the Sky: Robofly |first=Louise |last=Knapp |date=21 December 2000 |access-date=25 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626210619/http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2000/12/40750 |archive-date=26 June 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Haptic interface robots ====
{{further|Haptic technology}}
Robotics also has application in the design of [[virtual reality]] interfaces. Specialized robots are in widespread use in the [[haptic technology|haptic]] research community. These robots, called "haptic interfaces", allow touch-enabled user interaction with real and virtual environments. Robotic forces allow simulating the mechanical properties of "virtual" objects, which users can experience through their sense of [[somatosensory system|touch]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17363&ch=biotech&sc=&pg=1 |publisher=MIT Technology review |title=The Cutting Edge of Haptics |access-date=25 September 2008}}</ref>

=== Contemporary art and sculpture ===
{{further|Robotic art}}
Robots are used by contemporary artists to create works that include mechanical automation. There are many branches of robotic art, one of which is '''robotic installation art''', a type of [[installation art]] that is programmed to respond to viewer interactions, by means of computers, sensors and actuators. The future behavior of such installations can therefore be altered by input from either the artist or the participant, which differentiates these artworks from other types of [[kinetic art]].

[[Le Grand Palais]] in Paris organized an exhibition "Artists & Robots", featuring artworks created by more than forty artists with the help of robots in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.grandpalais.fr/en/event/artists-robots|title=Artists & Robots Exposition au Grand Palais du 5 avril au 9 juillet 2018|date=14 August 2019|access-date=3 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190814133056/https://www.grandpalais.fr/en/event/artists-robots|archive-date=14 August 2019}}</ref>