Unit 1:
Introduction to HaloCode
Lesson 1:
Robotics and Beyond
OBJECTIVES
After studying this lesson, you should be able to:
¥ define what a robot is;
¥ explain the timeline of evolution of robots; and,
¥ enumerate the advantages and disadvantages of having robots.
WORD BANK
Actroid – is a kind of humanoid robot.
Humanoid – is a robot that has a human form that can also mimic a human action.
Cyborg– is a robot with a combination of human organism and a machine.
In the future, robots could be in our homes, neighbors’ houses, in offices, malls, on the
streets, and even inside our own bodies. Like from the fictional movie I-robot, a police detective
became a humanoid with a robotic arm.
Today, we are trying to create robots that can perform highly sophisticated tasks – that,
initially, only a human being can perform with high precision and accuracy. We call them
different names like robots, androids, humanoids, cyborgs, droids, and actroids. In the next
century, these robots will be a helping tool to anybody, at home, in the hospital, in transport
terminals, and in other places.
Copyright 2021 EduLearn Technologies
What is a Robot?
A robot is a machine like a human, made of metal, plastic, or steel
that can perform a task or series of tasks on its own, based on the
programming and environment it was created for.
The word ‘robot’ can be traced to Karel Capek (1890-1938), a Czech
playwright, who used the word robot referring to forced labor.
Evolution of Robots
10 AD -70 AD
Mechanical Singing Bird was created by Heron of Alexandria from Greece.
1217 – 1379 BC
Water Clock was invented by Amenemhet from Egypt.
1495
The First humanoid was designed by Leonardo da Vinci.
1822
Difference Engine was invented by Charles Babbage as the first calculator.
1961
UNIMATE was created by George Devol and Joseph Engelberger who designed the first industrial
and programmable robot “arm.”
1980
Wabot II was created by researchers from Waseda University. It was the first full-scale humanoid
robot with a camera and was programmed to read and play music with its robotic arm.
1996
Sojourner was created by NASA. It was the first Mars rover that can be operated outside planet
Earth to investigate the Mars habitat.
2000
Honda’s ASIMO was created by Honda in Japan. It was the first robot that could walk and run
independently with relatively smooth movements and could climb up and down the stairs
autonomously.
2016
Sophia was invented by David Hanson. It is a social humanoid robot that interacts with humans
and can display different facial expressions.
Robots’ rapid development will soon populate
our world, but for robots to be useful, they need to be
self-sufficient. After all, new robots should have more
effective functions as time goes by. Robots would be able
to execute new courses of action using advanced artificial
intelligence
RoboClass - RoboMagnus 1