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Artificial Intelligence Application Robotics Research Paper
By: Celia Chadburn
What is the Difference between Artificial Intelligence and Robotics?
Artificial intelligence is majorly theoretical, more similar to the brain of humans, as shown in
software like chess computer games or in-depth analysis. Robots are the more physical aspect of
artificial intelligence that executes physical actions from output given from the sensors in it, as
displayed in hardware. Each is equally important in executing actions especially in the physical
sense.
What are Robots?
Robots are machines that usually resemble humans and are made to perform varieties of often
complicated tasks on command or by being programmed in advance. They operate automatically
or by remote control by the command of someone or something else like a human being or a
computer.
What Can Robots Do?
Some robots have the ability to learn in a limited capacity and analyze and adapt to its
environment. Learning robots are able to recognize if an executed action overcomes an obstacle
or achieves a beneficial result like putting out a leg and missing a table because of it. Some
robots are able to learn and store away the successful information. Later, when presented with
the same situation, the initial successful action is again executed from memory by the
remembrance of the success it was before. Some robots can learn by imitating human actions. In
Japan, roboticists were able to teach a robot how to dance by showing off dance moves to the
robot, themselves. Although, some robots are able to learn from the information they store away,
albeit limited, they still have nowhere near the capacity or ability to absorb information like
humans do for similar everyday matters.
Some robots are able to socially interact. At MIT’s AI Lab, there is a robot that recognizes
human body language and inflections in the voice and responds appropriately. This humanoid
robot called Kismet was created to further investigate how adult humans and babies interact,
only based on their speech tone and visual cue.
Robots are able to stand in for people in places we can’t reach or don’t want to go. Also, in cases
of detrimental environments, a robot is sent so as to not bring harm to any human beings. Like in
the case of bombs, robots help to search for them or are sent to deactivate them, like in Ireland’s
frequently bombed state. Without robots, we would not have been able to collect geological
samples from Mars or explore other planets.
Also, robots may be used for transporting things like food or medications. Some are used to
patrol areas or apprehend criminals. They can monitor air quality and humidity levels and even
clean.
Some Types of Robots
Homebrew Robots
Homebrew robots are robots made by amateur roboticists that use anything and everything
around the house to actual commercial robot kits that got in stores. Homebrew robots can be
made from items got in the mail to toys or even just old out-dated electronic equipment like
VCRs. Some homebrew robots can be as high-quality as an elaborate walking machine or
competitive and destructive like the remote-controlled “battlebot”. But because these robots
don’t have a reprogrammable computer brain, they are often to be viewed as not “true robots”,
but basically remote control cars that have been souped-up a bit.
Autonomous Robots
Autonomous robots are more ‘automatic’ and can act without help from a controller or outside
source. Basically, they respond in a certain way to outside stimuli and aspects of their
surroundings. A good example of this would be the basic bump-and-go robot. These sorts of
robots have a bumper sensor to detect any obstacles it is about to encounter. The robot goes until
it ‘bumps’ into an obstacle and the impact from the hit pushes in its bumper sensor. Through the
programming the robot already has, the robot is directed to back up, turn away from the object
and move forward again until it does not encounter any more obstacles and is able to continue
along with its purpose, whatever that may be. In this way, sensor systems have made robots
smarter and more perceptive and freely able to navigate surroundings more readily and with
more ease. Some robots use infrared or ultrasound sensors to see obstacles, also. These sensors
are the same as an animal’s echolocation like the bat. By the robot sending out a signal of sound
or a beam of infrared light, it is able to detect the signal’s reflection. With that reflection of
sound, the robot is able to locate the distance to obstacles in its way based on the length of time it
takes for the signal to bounce back.
Some more advanced robots, like the robot named “Urbie”, use stereo vision to see the
environment around them. With two cameras, these robots are given depth perception and
image-recognition software helps it to locate and classify any objects it comes across. Robots are
also able to use microphones and smell sensors to analyze their surroundings.
Depending on the robot, some autonomous robots are only able to work in familiar, constrained
environments. For example, a lawn-mowing robot is only able to mow within the limit of its yard
and depends on the buried border markers to define it. Also, an office-cleaning robot might need
a map of the building it cleans in-order to carry out its job correctly.
Mobile Robots
Mobile robots are typically made of hydraulic or pneumatic pistons that work together to move
their robot legs back and forth similar to how muscles attach to bones. Many mobile robots have
a built-in balance system that corrects its movements so it’s stable enough to walk without
destroying itself. An example of that would be a collection of gyroscopes to balance it and tell
the computer when to change its movements. Most robots do not walk on two legs because at
this point in time, it is inherently unstable, hence more readily seen six to eight-legged robots or
with wheels incorporated. Most of these robots are based off of animals or insects because they
are more stable and seen adapt easily to various terrains. Some robots are controlled by a remote
that a human controls. This usually communicates through an attached wire or by using infrared
or radio signals. Often called puppet robots, these are very useful for exploring environments that
are hazardous to humans or unable to be reached by humans. Also, some places we just would
rather not go and in our stead, send robots. Like extreme deep levels of the sea or inside a
volcano. Some robots in volcanoes are only semi-controlled and can interact on their own for a
length of time.
My Feelings toward Artificial Intelligence
I feel that Artificial Intelligence is and can be beneficial enough that it is worth investing time,
effort and funding into. We can save much time with frivolous matters like production and focus
more of our time on serious matters that require our brains like cancer, world hunger and the
greenhouse effect—just to name a few. That is to say, if we are able to produce something like
Artificial Intelligence that with the help of Robotics can take away the menial everyday tasks we
do so we can focus on the more critical-thinking, enigmatic problems of our world, that would
further us in society a great deal and help our world situation, too. I believe that if everyone was
able to work on these and more important problems, because we weren’t distracted by smaller,
frivolous activities and jobs, we’d be able to further ourselves along a great deal more.
My Belief about the Possibility of Actually Creating an AI Entity
I believe it is very possible and especially with all the breakthroughs that have been made just in
the past decade—there is definite progress taking place and that is the majority of what needs to
take place with any new thing introduced into the world. There is enough understanding of what
needs to take place in an AI and what has to happen in order to make it work with other things in
science that my belief is that with just a little more time, maybe another decade, we might even
have our own “terminator” on our hands to deal with or a “bicentennial man”.
Bibliography
1. Harris, TH. (2011). How Robots Work. http://science.howstuffworks.com/robot6.htm
2. Kismet (2011) http://www.siue.edu/babel/Kismet_robot.png
3. American Heritage Dictionary (2011). Definition of Robot.
http://www.answers.com/topic/robot
4. Warrick, SW. (2011) AI, Cognitive Science and Robotics. http://transitport.net/AI.CogSci.Robotics/ai.html
5. Clark, JC. (2011). Will Robots Get Married? http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/robotwedding.htm