Robotics is a multidisciplinary domain which requires knowledge in Mechanical, Electrical and Computer Science. This platform is a boon to mankind helping them to reduce their effort and time required to carry out a process.
Robots are basically machines which can be programmable by a computer to carry out sequence of operations automatically. Robots are capable of carrying out the desired operation much effectively and efficiently.
However the Robots are mainly used to carry out certain process in sequence of operations which are predefined. Any changes in the environment or process, the robot will not have the capability to identify the changes which results in failure. Hence it requires an Intelligence that drives the robot on the platform to carry out the process smoothly and effectively.
In easy words Artificial Intelligence is simulation of intelligence processes by machines, which provides the ability to a computer to think, reasoning and providing an approximate conclusion.
Robots which are used in Industries are Manipulators or Robotic arms which are mainly used for pick and place applications. These robots are Articulated Robots which does not possess much technology. These robots are pre-programmed to carry out the processes that are defined. These robots are capable of carrying out the process accurately and precisely within the defined environment and setup, any change in the setup may result in failure of the process. Due to vibrations or moving of parts at a very high speed the setup may get dislocated over a period of time depending on the type of the operation and operating conditions. The operating temperature is also one of the key parameter which effects the accuracy of the Robots. The Industrial Robots are capable to work between the temperature of 0 to 45 degree C. Anything below or beyond this results in heating up of the motors and sensors in joints of the robots. Similarly there are many cases which may cause damage to the Robots operating in an Industry. This requires lot of human efforts in terms of monitoring, servicing, maintenance and documentations. This is a maneuver process and require skill set. In order to overcome the negligence or less skill set of humans Artificial Intelligence was introduced as a part of Robot. These Robots which possess AI (Artificial Intelligence ) as their integral part are called as COBOTS (Collaborative Robots).
Some of the applicaitons of AI in Robotics are;
- Computer Vision : It is a combination of the outputs from the Camera, Robot and the algorithm. Basically a camera is mounted on the wrist of the robot which captures the image of the object that has to be picked. It also gives a 2D image of the object, using the algorithm the dimension, distance and orientation of the object can be obtained which helps the robot to pick the object precisely. In some cases an external camera is used to capture the image, but the sequence of operation remains the same. Computer Vision also helps to identify the object that has to be picked from the workbench even though the bench has similar type of work pieces on it. It helps the robot to pick the workpiece precisely and place it in the desired location accurately with high speed.
- Path Planning : In a manufacturing firm it is very important to carry out the process at a minimal amount of time. Hence the distance that the robot travels should be short so that it can carry out the process