“Robotologist” visited a lesson on robotics and overheard what the students of the club “Robot and I” dream about.
Little roboticists already at the age of 7 know 3 types of levers (do you remember?) And for the lesson they assemble ready-made robots. The boys make sure that the batteries are disposed of exclusively in a special box, and not in a common bin. They, like adults, address the teacher only by name, but with “you”.
And they also know that when they grow up, they will build robots to help humanity. Young engineers dream of conquering space, defeating enemies and troublemakers. Well, win the competition of robots. The “robotologist” attended a robotics class and wrote down the answers to the question about what kind of robots the guys dream of creating.
Dima Tatarinov, 8 years old
“I don't know yet what kind of robot I want to make. But he will definitely help humanity. For example, do calculations for scientists and fly to distant planets. When he arrives on a new planet, he will plant a Russian flag there.”
Misha Fedorov, 10 years old
“I want to build a radio controlled robot. The remote control will have a screen that will show where the robot is going and what actions it is doing. This robot will issue tickets for illegal parking. The robot itself will have a printer that prints penalty checks. He will be fast because he needs to have time to hand out tickets before the violator leaves.”
Artem Solovyov, 8 years old
“It will be a tank that drives without a driver. No one will control it at all, I will create such a system so that the tank itself knows what to do. He will transmit the picture to the headquarters and, if anything, it will be possible to take control on the remote control. It can also be hit by a projectile and disrupt the self-management sensor. He can shoot himself, he will have a barrel for large shells, for bombs, and two machine guns. Then you can make the same plane. In general, I want to become a military man and create something so that our army is stronger.”
Maxim Khotuntsev, 10 years old
“Well, I would not say that it will be a robot. I would like to create a costume. He will have acid things on his sleeves, flying things on his legs (like Tony Stark). There will be two masks on the helmet, the inner one will be scary, with glowing eyes. From it it will be possible to spray a toxin, from which it will seem to the enemies that something strange is happening around. He'll have a sword and a flamethrower, just in case. And scorpion venom. The suit will be armored, but light. It will be called "Black Adam", there is such a pirate.
And he will have a thing that will slow down time. If he flies back and forth at high speed, then most likely a temporary portal will form at this place and, probably, I will be able to see the future. Most likely."
Timofey Kuznetsov, 10 years old
“My robot will help explore black holes. People are afraid to fly there, no one knows what is there. And the robot can be sent to study some black hole. He, as a person, will think for himself, he will have artificial intelligence. I would like to develop artificial intelligence for him myself.”
Serezha Oruzeinikov, 9 years old
“My dream is to assemble a robot that can constantly protect me from bad boys. Or it will not be a robot, but a robot suit. He will be able to do everything, even turn into a car and run on batteries. From that it will be called - "Defender".
Sasha Fedorov, 8 years old
“I want to invent a soccer robot for our competitions. He himself will be about 50 cm and will be able to kick the ball to a height of 1 meter. Maybe I can put together a few more of these, a whole team. These robots will play football until they run out of power. I think I will be able to make such robots in 10 or 12 years.”
Arseniy Rodkin, 7 years old
“My robot will help scientists so that the future comes sooner. He will create new technologies himself.
And at school, I drew a pen that writes by itself, a flying backpack and a notebook that writes for the teacher by itself!”
Stepa Yeshukov, 11 years old
“What kind of robot do I want to invent? Depending on what topic. For our competitions (competitions based on the club "Robot and I" - ed.) in football - one, for the battle of robots - another. For the battle, I want to assemble a large robot that will ride on tracks. But not on plastic, because the plastic will slip. He will have spikes from different sides: he will drive up, stick them into the enemy and knock out his details. There will also be a mechanism on top that will lift other models, something like a crane.
In football competitions, control is more important, because victory does not depend much on the model itself.
And for racing I want to build a fast and well-controlled model. I will put the gearbox on speed, on the rear wheels, in front I will make the wheels low. It still needs to be improved.”
Twenty years ago, we calmly managed without mobile communications, and not everyone had landline telephones. And now - we live in the age of new technologies, which are being improved every day and offer us something new, almost descended from the pages of science fiction novels. And the new generation can no longer imagine study, work and leisure without smartphones, tablets, laptops and other gadgets. And for the advanced and fashionable, a home robot assistant was invented.
What it is?
A home robot assistant is a device whose purpose is to help a person in everyday life. Unlike ordinary household appliances, it is endowed with artificial intelligence, although not quite perfect yet, but work in this direction does not stop.
There are different units with a specific functionality: glass cleaners, lawn mowers, pool cleaners. But the most popular in recent years are robotic vacuum cleaners. Read about them below.
Description
This is an artificial intelligence unit, the purpose of which is automatic cleaning of premises. A modern device is often in the form of a disk with a diameter of about 30 cm and a height of 10 cm. The front of the robot is equipped with a large contact sensor (bumper) that helps it avoid collisions with obstacles. Such an assistant works on internal batteries, and is recharged from the base (special module), which it finds and connects itself after cleaning. It charges from two to five hours, depending on the type of battery used.
The home robot moves autonomously across the surface while cleaning, picking up debris along the way. With the help of special algorithms, he decides how to overcome the encountered obstacle. Thanks to its low height, this "smart" vacuum cleaner can easily pass under a bed or other furniture. If he still gets stuck and cannot move, he will notify the owner with sound signals.
Organization of the cleaning process
A home robot vacuum cleaner, depending on its functionality, is included in one of the following groups:
- Cleaning by suction only (most economical and smallest models). Debris is drawn into the dust collector through a narrow slot. It is located on the bottom of the device. Due to the weak suction power in relation to conventional vacuum cleaners, such an assistant will only cope with the collection of light debris, dust and hair from a smooth surface.
- Powered by suction power and turbo brush. At the bottom of such vacuum cleaners is a fast-rotating brush that sweeps debris into the dust collector. In parallel, air is drawn in through the slot for the turbo brush, due to which the dust cloud created by it is collected.
- Similar to previous models, but with a double turbo brush. At the bottom of such machines are two densely spaced brushes that rotate in opposite directions. One of them sweeps the debris into the dust collector, and the second one lifts the pile of carpets. The brush block moves vertically under its own weight, providing a more efficient cleaning of carpets.
- Wet polisher - equipped with a microfibre cloth, constantly moistened from a vessel with water (through a capillary system). The use of such a module should be preceded by dry cleaning in order to avoid dirt stains. It is usually produced not in the form of a stand-alone device, but in the form of a replaceable unit for dry garbage suction units.
- A dry floor polisher, sometimes also called a robotic mop due to the lack of a suction system. With the help of the same microfiber cloth wipes the floor. Depending on the model, the vacuum cleaner can move the garbage both in front of it and carrying it from the center of the room to the corners (with the exception of the part that settles on a rag).
- Washing robot - differs by the function of moistening the surface from a container with water and further collecting the resulting dirt into a special tank. This category is represented on the market by only a few models due to the rather laborious maintenance of such an "assistant".
How to make a home robot?
Devices with good functionality are usually expensive. But what to do if you do not have the necessary amount, and the desire to comply with fashionable technological trends is great? The answer is simple - do it yourself. No matter how surprising it may sound, a do-it-yourself robot is real if you have the necessary information.
Tools
To perform the technical part, you should arm yourself with a soldering iron, solder, rosin and elements that will be used in the circuits. From theory, it would be nice to know what needs to be combined with what to get the desired result. What kind of robot can you get at home, you ask? Let's consider a couple of options.
Robot vacuum cleaner (home version)
This vibrating robot, capable of gradually but thoroughly cleaning the room, is designed on the basis of a simple brush. The components will be a vibration motor, a standard battery and a switch. The assembly is carried out as follows: we connect the engine to the battery, and the switch to it.
We attach the resulting design to the brush and turn it on - the home robot vibrates and thus cleans the surface.
Robot glass cleaner
Here the mechanism is more complicated. It is necessary to force the machine to move vertically. Microcontrollers will help manage the entire process. To make the device less bulky, you can connect it to the power supply and not use the battery. A small motor will act as a cleaning mechanism, constantly moving the cleaning element in a circle or in opposite directions. It is convenient to mount the structure on small suction cups.
Conclusion
Life in the world of new technologies surprises us with its developments every day. And the considered types of assistant robots are far from all that the market offers to the modern buyer. Recent developments present us with robots, practically members of the family, who can make video calls, control smart home components, entertain a child, and so on.
But do not underestimate your ability to create home assistants. After all, a robot created by one's own hands is an exclusive model, a source of pride, and generally costs more than any money. Moreover, there are a lot of options in this area. You can turn the iron into a robot that can move on the board itself. Or make it in the form of a hand attached to an ironing board and moving it. It all depends on your imagination and desire.
As a child I watched "Star Wars", saw robots C3Po and R2D2 and dreamed of his own robot. This desire grew even stronger when I saw "Jetson" family robot-housekeeper Rosie, who worked flawlessly doing chores. I've always felt that a personal robot could come in handy as your own chef, trainer, and companion. It seems that the future has come into our lives, because now more and more advanced models of robots for the home are appearing on the market and are even cheaper than the iPhone or MacBook. Let's take a look at 12 personal robots for the home: some of them are more like people, others are less, but they can all make your life better.
PepperfromSoftBank Robotics
Pepper is one of a line of robots most similar to humans. This robot is said to be able to recognize human emotions. Pepper detects your emotions and reacts to them with the appropriate mood. Today, the Pepper robot is used for various commercial purposes in Japan, but it can also be a great friend at home.
Jibo
Jibo is a cute little robot that reminds me of Wall-E from the Pixar movie of the same name. It doesn't move on its own, but this family robot learns from everyone who interacts with it - and remembers everything you share with it. Jibo will talk to you the next time you enter the room, and don't be surprised if he cracks a joke.
kuri frommayfield Robotics
Kuri is a fun friend and good helper with serious technological content. The robot is mobile, equipped with WiFi, Bluetooth, 1080p camera and face recognition. He also has the ability to telepresence, which allows you to talk through the robot with other people at home. It can move around the house, avoiding obstacles and pets, and additionally act as a home surveillance system, as it hears and sees everything that happens in the house. Kuri makes beeping sounds similar to R2D2 from "Star Wars". Kuri can take daily photos and save content in an app on your phone - where you can view, edit and send this content to friends.
Zenbo fromAsus
Zenbo is a smart mobile robot that can communicate, help and entertain you when you need it. While you are at home, Zenbo learns and adapts to you, and when necessary, shares his emotions. Zenbo can help with reminders, manage household devices, act as a security system when you're away, and even entertain kids with fairy tales.
Lynx fromUbtech
Lynx is a humanoid robot that provides mobility to the Alexa voice assistant. Lynx can order items directly from the Amazon website with simple voice commands. Lynx is equipped with facial recognition and personalized greetings. It can play music and keep you safe while you're away by broadcasting what's going on in the house.
Budgee from 5Elements Robotics
Looking for another pair of hands to help you carry something around the house or yard? Then you need Budgee. Budgee is a friendly, hardworking robot that helps carry things.
Hub RobotfromLG
Hub Robot by LG is a smart home assistant controlled by Alexa voice service. With it, your home can be made smarter by simply placing the robot in the most active place in your home. The robot responds to your movements with nods and simple answers. It can take care of everything from setting the mood and playing music to turning the air conditioner on and off. The interactive flat panel displays messages, videos, and photos. Using the face recognition feature, Hub Robot can recognize family members. This robot is not currently available for sale, but we hope to have one soon as it was first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2017.
Ollie RobotfromEmotech
The Olly robot is a mix of a smart home hub and a personal robot. This round desktop device is designed to make your day better. Olly is a London-based startup robot that learns how you'd like to communicate, then answers your questions and controls connected devices.
Robo Temi
Temi is a personal robot for the home: it is smarter than a telepresence robot, so it can take on the role of a personal assistant on wheels. Temi was designed to be a video chat and music machine - to keep you entertained and connected. Temi runs on the Android operating system, so it's compatible with many of your favorite apps.
Aido fromIngen dynamic
Aido is a family home robot that can move around the house, help and improve your life. Aido can do everything from playing with your kids to helping around the house, managing everything planned. Aido can keep the home connected and secure with mobile and visual capabilities.
Personal Robot fromRobot Base
This creatively named robot can do a lot. As we said earlier, Personal Robot is equipped with all the main features such as: face recognition, photo capability, alarm clock, accurate language recognition and offline navigation. In addition, it can create a map of your home using navigational and mapping algorithms. Personal Robot can also interact with other home devices, such as the Nest smart thermostat and others, so it can help automate your home.
Personal robotQ. Boopen source
Looking for a 2 in 1: both a personal robot and a robot for experiments? Meet Q.Bo, an open source robot that allows you to add the features you need to create the most customizable robot. Q.Bo is equipped with basic features and technical capabilities, but they can be expanded. This robot is great for kids, parents and educators, because you can invent and customize the personal robot you want out of it.
BONUS
Erica - Japanese robot based on Android
This robot is not yet in production for a mass audience, I just thought it would be worth listing to show the direction the robots are going. Erica reminds me of the bad robot from Westworld. It is quite possible that soon the robots will be more human like Erica and even be able to work among us, or maybe they are already among us - ominous music follows.
We are still at the beginning of the era of artificial intelligence and personal robots for the home. I am sure that this group of robots, which currently looks like a new HTML web page during the Internet revolution, will be superseded by more advanced means. However, it's exciting to see how things are moving towards the future - towards what we've seen on the big screens, and what we've been looking forward to for the past few decades.
Robots have firmly entered our modern life. They tirelessly help people in factories, in hospitals, perform the most complex calculations and they do not need to pay a salary. The times when machines will start helping us with the housework or teaching children have already come, just not everyone knows about it yet.
1. "Social" robot "Jibo"
"Jibo" is a cute little "social" robot with a personality that can easily become a family's best friend. The robot with a witty sense of humor has an unusual appearance and funny animation that spins and dances. "Jibo" is not just a toy, but a high-tech development. Using artificial intelligence technology, cameras and microphones, the robot is able to study the voices, emotions and faces of sixteen different people.
"Jibo" can perform a number of useful tasks, from setting an alarm, taking pictures, forecasting the weather, and ending with communicating with a person. At the same time, the robot selects intonation and phrases depending on the interlocutor. "Jibo" is already on sale for $900.
2. Robot genius "Professor Einstein"
The robot is made in the form of a caricature version of Albert Einstein and is positioned as a learning tool for people of all ages. In addition to a wide knowledge base, the robot also has a good sense of humor, which makes the learning process more fun. With "Einstein" you can not only learn the exact sciences, but also play various educational games.
To answer all kinds of questions, the robot uses a cloud database. In addition to answering questions, "Professor Einstein" can conduct a dialogue with the interlocutor and has fifty options for facial expressions. The cost of the robot is $200.
3. Robot assistant "Aeolus"
Imagine a robot on wheels that, on command, fetches a bottle of soda from the refrigerator. For those who are waiting for the perfect household helper - a dream come true. According to the site, the Aeolus robot assistant is designed to make your life easier by doing housework while you sleep. The robot uses artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to recognize objects from different angles and distances.
In place of the eyes, Aeolus has special wide-angle cameras with three-dimensional sensors. Thus, the robot can vacuum, mop floors, dust, clean windows, and more. He even remembers where things are in the house, so that if necessary, return them to their place. While it's still a prototype, the makers have said it will be available for purchase this year and will cost less than an overseas family vacation, whatever that means.
4. "Smart" home robot "Aido"
"Aido" is a unique interactive home robot that can maneuver around the house with ease. The creators of "Aido" have incorporated a set of functions into the robot, based on a study of frequently requested options for electronic home assistants.
This family robot has been designed to make its interactions with people as natural and intuitive as possible. Inside the Aido is a subwoofer and speakers for a home theater system.
Interactive interaction with people is carried out by an innovative speech recognition system. The robot can help with housework, play with children, keep the home safe, and even perform programmed tasks. Aido by Ingen Dynamic Inc. available to pre-order for $499.
5. Family friend "Buddy"
"Buddy" is an open source robot powered by Unity 3D and Android software. This "social" robot assistant from Blue Frog Robotics will be a great companion for the whole family. He can greet you, remind you of events, and even guard your house with a beaming smile on his face.
The patrol route of the robot is quite "advanced". "Buddy" is able to observe both one place and move between the specified points. Like the other models we mentioned earlier, Buddy boasts advanced intelligence.
Robot helpers.
1. Robot artist-hooligan.
A robot invented to help painters. This robot, created by Japanese designers, can do only one thing - paint the walls. To paint the walls, the robot uses a twin hose, hinged and connected to the tank. There are several tanks and several shades of paint can be poured into them and the robot will apply them in turn to the surface to be painted. The robot moves with the help of a chassis and an electric motor.
2. Robot fish.
A robot fish named Danio was created to monitor the composition of water and clean it, as well as to study the behavior of fish in their natural environment. Danio is developed at the British Institute of Physics. The design of the fish robot must be such that the work of the internal elements is in no way disturbed while constantly being in the aquatic environment.
The robot fish has the appearance of a Danio fish, which is why it got its name. The robot is so similar to the species of Danio fish that when placed in the company of fellow fish, they, in turn, could not understand that she was a robot and tried to nail her to the flock. The robot is completely autonomous and can spend a long time in the water.
3. SCV - rescue robot.
Robot created by Japanese designers. Due to the fact that the Japanese islands are prone to devastating earthquakes and tsunamis, it is very difficult for rescuers to search for people under the rubble, to help them, robot designers have created a rescue robot. The robot is equipped with video cameras and the ability to transmit images to a remote monitor.
In addition to cameras, the robot is equipped with two wheels and a guide track. The unusualness of the robot lies in the fact that its entire body is hidden in a solid leather casing, and the cameras are hidden under powerful glass. Thanks to this robot, neither dust, nor dirt, nor water, which can damage its insides, are afraid. At the moment, there is a small prototype of this robot, but it is known that in the future it is planned to make a massive car out of SCV (Slug Crawler Vehicle) that will help in finding people.
4. AutoMee Robot Screen Cleaner. Little cleaner.
AutoMee Robot Screen Cleaner is a small robot that can keep your tablet clean. A small $40 toy designed to wipe the screen of your tablet.
Thanks to this little helper, there will be no more dust and fingerprints on the screen of your tablet.
5. Vacuum cleaning robot.
And here is another little robot that will help you keep your desk clean. Everyone has already heard about the vacuum robot vacuum cleaner, but we present you with its little brother. If you often eat buns, cookies or other foods that crumble easily at your desk, then this small, vacuum cleaning robot is just right for you. He silently moves around the table and sucks in all the crumbs.
6. Robot for cleaning windows.
Having rummaged through the Internet, I realized that there are a great many such robots. Slightly smaller than robotic vacuum cleaners. Such a robot will easily wash your dusty windows.
Due to the vacuum, the robot rests on the glass and thanks to it does not fall down. The robot itself chooses the route along which it will be easier for it to bring your windows to a shine. Such a pleasure will cost you about $ 600.
7. Robot gardeners.
Gardening robots from Harvest Automation. These robots are designed to help gardeners grow potted plants. In general, gardening robots do nothing but drag pots with plants from place to place, but for large greenhouses, where there are millions of pots, these robots are a great help. Considering that plants in pots need to be watered, fed, cut, it turns out that moving them happens very often.
robot gardener
The gardener robot transfers the pots to a given distance and places them at a distance from each other such as it is now driven into the program. The parameters can be changed. To work, the robot gardener needs only a magnetic tape attached to the floor, along which he orients himself in space.
8. Robot picker of strawberries.
Another robot designed to facilitate the work of gardeners. The strawberry picker robot, like most modern robots, was developed by a Japanese company. The two-meter robot is designed to work in special greenhouses. In Japan, strawberries are grown differently from ours. Japanese strawberries grow in special greenhouses, and to save space inside the greenhouses, there are multi-tiered racks, and strawberries grow on these racks.
The strawberry picker robot rides along the racks and, using three cameras, evaluates the ripeness of the berries, and with them it also determines the distance to the berries. After calculating the ripeness of the fruit and the distance to it, the robot cuts the berry into the tray using a mechanized gripper. As conceived by the developers, the robot picker can pick strawberries at night, and the farmer, having come to work in the morning, should only check if any berry has hidden from the robot behind a leaf.
9. Robot lamp.
Probably in the near future, such robots-lanterns will roam the streets of all megacities of the world, but for now they have appeared only in Japan. The device is called Toro-bot and it looks like some kind of alien creature.
Infrared sensors built into the robot allow robots to navigate in space and determine the approach of a person. In addition, robots also have beacons that help them recognize each other. Each robot can be configured individually and give it its own line of behavior.
10. Robot porter.
A budgee porter who must follow his master everywhere and carry his purchases. The robot has two wheels, a basket with a capacity of 22 kg. The robot does not have a navigation system, it just tirelessly follows its owner and follows on its heels everywhere. For this, the robot has a special ultrasonic transmitter.
Also, to set up the robot, there is a special program for smartphones, where you can specify how far the budgee should roll. After you and the budgee have made purchases, you can pack it up and put it in the trunk, for example.
Written by
barbarian
Creativity, work on the modern idea of world knowledge and constant search for answers