Robots+-+Introduction

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Is the image you see here of a 'real' robot? Image retrieved from [], 20 June 2011.

Why should we learn about robots?

 * ====Robots are used to help humans.====
 * ====Robots are used to create many items we use everyday.====
 * ====Robots can be used to help keep people safe, exploring difficult or dangerous places, disarming or exploding bombs, and searching for people in disasters.====
 * ====Robot designs are constantly being designed and modified for the use of humans.====
 * ====There are still a lot of tasks robots could be designed to perform - perhaps you it will be you that designs and/or makes a new robot to perform a special task====
 * ====Can you add to this list?====

* = = = Post your thoughts about these questions on the discussion board. =
 * 1) ==== What is a robot? (To find out more you might like to visit [].)  ====
 * 2) ====Do you think robots are always helpful?====
 * 3) ====Can robots feel? Do you think this will change in anyway in the future?====
 * 4) ====What activities can you think of that robots might be used for in the future? How are these activities done now?====
 * 5) ====Which tasks do you know of that can be performed by a robot now?====

* media type="custom" key="9818935" Animation retrieved from [], 20 June 2011. ====1. What can robots do? Can a robot tie your shoes or zip up your jacket? Try tying your shoes or zipping up your jacket blindfolded. Pretty easy? Now repeat the activity with heavy gloves on your hands. Then, tape ice-block sticks onto your thumbs and fingers and try again. For fun try racing with others. Check out the videos below to see some humanoid robots. These are robots that look and behave a bit like humans. Have a look at some of the other Robot wiki pages to learn about other kinds of robots including robotic animals, treasure hunting robots and more!====

This activity was retrieved from [], 20 June 2011.

Image retrieved from [], 20 June 2011. ====2. Make your own robot hand. This part of a robot is called an end effector. Each end-effector has a different job, perhaps to pick something up, such as this hand, to drill, or maybe spray paint. Design and make your own end-effector OR====

====Click here for full instructions for the robot hand design shown above.Try modifying the design. What items can you pick up with your robotic hand? Why is it difficult to pick up certain objects with your robotic hand?====

OR
====Click here for a different end-effector design. This end -effector is a grapple, also used for picking things up. You will need to scroll down the pdf to page five when it opens to: Robotic arms. Student Sheet.====

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====3.Find a partner to work with. One of you will be blindfolded and have an object to deliver to a box somewhere in the room. The robot must listen and follow the instructions given by the other person who is the controller to get the object into the box. The robot must keep quiet. After the robot has successfully put the object into the box, swap roles and try again. What kinds of instructions worked best? Draw a map of the path your robot needs to take and write a set of instructions for programming a robot to do this task.You might want to try out your instructions wit your partner to make sure they work! Do you think it is important that robots get these kinds of instructions to perform their tasks? Why or why not?====

Activity extracted from [], 20 June 2011.

Animation retrieved from [|mt:1,3|], 20 June 2011.

====4. Can you keep your balance without falling over?! You will need a cushion and a blind fold for this fun experiment. Click here for the full instructions. How do you think this experiments relates to how robots move around? Consider robots that have to travel over different terrain such as exploration robots or search and rescue robots. You might like to check out some of the other Robot wiki pages to see how robots have been designed to work in different places, such as the sandworm robot that is being designed to travel though sand, mud and dirty water.====

Image retrieved from [], 20 June 2011.

====5.The Japanese were planning in 2002 to send a spacecraft to Asteroid 4660 Nereus. With the spacecraft was going to be a vehicle to return samples to Earth and a nano (meaning tiny) rover robot about 6 cm high. Find out more about the nanorobot's design and make your own balloon powered Nanorover or design your own nanobot. You may like to visit the Robots & Natural Disaster page to watch the video or read the script about some NZ made mini search and rescue robots that are about the size of an EFTPOS card but with wheels.====

Animation retrieved from [|mt:3|], 20 June 2011 ====6. Robots used at a great distance from Earth experience a delay between receiving data, moving and sending data back to Earth. This makes the task of moving robots around slow. Play this game to experience what this can be like.====

media type="custom" key="9818955" * > ====The questions in 'Examining our thinking' are extracted from [], 20 June 2011.====
 * ====If in the future machines have the ability to reason, be self-aware and have feelings, then what makes a human being a human being, and a robot a robot?====
 * ====If you could have a robot that would do any task you like, a companion to do all the work that you prefer not to, would you? And if so, how do you think this might affect you as a person?====
 * ====Are there any kind of robots that shouldn't be created or that you wouldn't want to see created? Why?====
 * ====Automation and the development of new technologies like robots is viewed by most people as inevitable (in other words it's going to happen no matter what). But many people who lose their jobs as robots take over the jobs, think this is not right. Do you think the development of new technologies, and their use is inevitable? What, if anything, should we as a society do for those people who lose their jobs?====

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