Day+One


 * WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF ROBOTICS, THE SCIENCE OF STUDYING AND CREATING ROBOTS. **

show Obama addressing FIRST Science is Rock and Roll on ABC
@http://iam-fan.com/?p=1449

Russell talk about What Computer Science Is?


 * __ WHAT IS ENGINEERING __**


 * Using math and science to solve everyday problems. Engineers take a problem and figure out a solution. One of the most exciting things engineers are doing today are designing robots. Can you name some robots that you know of and tell us what job they were designed to do? **


 * FROM CARNEGIE MELLON **
 * @http://www.education.rec.ri.cmu.edu/content/events/ftc/nxt_g/index.htm **
 * Thinking about programming **


 * All robots have three common characteristics: **

** 1. **** A body that uses mechanical parts and sensors to accomplish a task. ** ** 2. **** A brain which is a computer program, written by humans, to control the body of the robot. (NXT) ** ** 3. **** Actions. Robots perform tasks. **

** Input/Output of tractor: **
 * SENSE, PLAN and ACT **
 * The sensors gather information and are called inputs. **
 * Sensing is an essential component of being a robot and every robot comes built with sensors that are capable of sensing different environmental conditions. **

BIG DOG []@http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1czBcnX1Ww

@http://spark.irobot.com/cool_stuff/robot_photo_gallery/play
 * ROBOT PHOTO GALLERY MARS ROVER, ROBOTIC CAR, PERSONAL ASSISTANT, VACUUM CLEANER **


 * __ [] __**


 * The four D’s. Dull, dangerous and dirty and delicate (performing heart surgery.) Why do we need robots? First, they are hardworking and reliable. They can do dangerous work or work that is very boring or tiring for humans. They can work around the clock without complaining and without needing rest, food or vacations. And robots can go places that humans can not, such as the surface of Mars, deep under the ocean or inside the radioactive parts of a nuclear power plant. **

E mail conversation with Blair: I used to define robots as being something that can be operated without a remote control. But now there is robotic surgery and predator drones... Can you help me understand the distinction?

I think the key, after browsing around on places like wikipedia, is that the machine must exhibit some sort of self-controlled capabilities. It's easy to see that with autonomous robots; but, with tele-robotics (e.g., surgery or remote controlled drones) it's can seem fuzzy. But, in both these examples the robots (either the surgical robot or the drone) is not being fully controlled by the remote human; rather, the human is (more or less) giving directions and there is a lot of smarts and controls in the robot to allow it to safely and correctly execute those commands. This is especially important when you consider the lag and latency over long distances. By the time the commands have arrived at the remote robot (surgery arm or drone) and the results (e.g., video) sent back, a non-trivial amount of time has passed. It would be impossible to directly control either robot. Rather, the robot takes this into account and controls things appropriately.

Here's a question I was asked by a girl in Pre-K. Is her pony a robot? Her sister is in second grade and she has been talking about what we have been learning about in computer lab. It's a pony and when she presses a button on its' foot is talks or walks. What would your response be?

hmmm ... interesting. I think that it is a very simple robot, yes. Generally, you'd want the robot to sense something about the world (such as stopping when it bumps into things), but if it walks in response to a button press, I think it is.