109-461: The World Robot Olympiad ( WRO ) is a global robotics competition for young people. The World Robot Olympiad competition uses Lego Mindstorms manufactured by LEGO Education. First held in 2004 in Singapore, it now attracts more than 28,000 teams from more than 85 countries. The competition consists of 4 different categories: RoboMission, RoboSports, Future Innovators, Future Engineers. and for
218-653: A robot's navigation and limbs regardless of the specific hardware involved. It also provides high-level commands for items like image recognition and even opening doors. When ROS boots up on a robot's computer, it would obtain data on attributes such as the length and movement of robots' limbs. It would relay this data to higher-level algorithms. Microsoft is also developing a "Windows for robots" system with its Robotics Developer Studio, which has been available since 2007. Japan hopes to have full-scale commercialization of service robots by 2025. Much technological research in Japan
327-547: A tricycle in 1904, considered the first case of an unmanned ground vehicle , and an electric boat with a crew in 1906, which was controlled at a distance over 2 km. Archibald Low , known as the "father of radio guidance systems" for his pioneering work on guided rockets and planes during the First World War . In 1917, he demonstrated a remote controlled aircraft to the Royal Flying Corps and in
436-502: A (near-) synonym both by Harris and in later language derives ultimately (via Old French ) from Latin ingenium 'ingenuity, an invention'. The hand axe , made by chipping flint to form a wedge , in the hands of a human transforms force and movement of the tool into a transverse splitting forces and movement of the workpiece. The hand axe is the first example of a wedge , the oldest of the six classic simple machines , from which most machines are based. The second oldest simple machine
545-451: A chemical substitute for protoplasm to manufacture living, simplified people called robots. The play does not focus in detail on the technology behind the creation of these living creatures, but in their appearance they prefigure modern ideas of androids , creatures who can be mistaken for humans. These mass-produced workers are depicted as efficient but emotionless, incapable of original thinking and indifferent to self-preservation. At issue
654-546: A flute player, a pipe player and a duck. The mechanical duck could flap its wings, crane its neck, and swallow food from the exhibitor's hand, and it gave the illusion of digesting its food by excreting matter stored in a hidden compartment. About 30 years later in Switzerland the clockmaker Pierre Jaquet-Droz made several complex mechanical figures that could write and play music. Several of these devices still exist and work. Remotely operated vehicles were demonstrated in
763-425: A group of judges on the competition day. This category was called Open category until 2021 WRO RoboSports is a competition where two teams each have two autonomous robots on the field playing a sports game. The two robots of one team may communicate with each other, but no further communication is allowed. The robot needs to be built from LEGO materials and a camera of their choice. The game changes every 3 or 4 years,
872-533: A household robot. Generally such predictions are overly optimistic in timescale. In 2008, Caterpillar Inc. developed a dump truck which can drive itself without any human operator. Many analysts believe that self-driving trucks may eventually revolutionize logistics. By 2014, Caterpillar had a self-driving dump truck which is expected to greatly change the process of mining. In 2015, these Caterpillar trucks were actively used in mining operations in Australia by
981-401: A lever is modeled as a hinged or revolute joint . Wheel: The wheel is an important early machine, such as the chariot . A wheel uses the law of the lever to reduce the force needed to overcome friction when pulling a load. To see this notice that the friction associated with pulling a load on the ground is approximately the same as the friction in a simple bearing that supports the load on
1090-452: A lifelike appearance or automating movements, a robot may convey a sense of intelligence or thought of its own. Autonomous things are expected to proliferate in the future, with home robotics and the autonomous car as some of the main drivers. The branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, and application of robots, as well as computer systems for their control, sensory feedback, and information processing
1199-420: A machine is "a device for applying power or changing its direction."McCarthy and Soh describe a machine as a system that "generally consists of a power source and a mechanism for the controlled use of this power." Human and animal effort were the original power sources for early machines. Waterwheel: Waterwheels appeared around the world around 300 BC to use flowing water to generate rotary motion, which
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#17327977675111308-470: A machine provides a way to understand the performance of devices ranging from levers and gear trains to automobiles and robotic systems. The German mechanician Franz Reuleaux wrote, "a machine is a combination of resistant bodies so arranged that by their means the mechanical forces of nature can be compelled to do work accompanied by certain determinate motion." Notice that forces and motion combine to define power . More recently, Uicker et al. stated that
1417-838: A mechanical system is assembled from components called machine elements . These elements provide structure for the system and control its movement. The structural components are, generally, the frame members, bearings, splines, springs, seals, fasteners and covers. The shape, texture and color of covers provide a styling and operational interface between the mechanical system and its users. The assemblies that control movement are also called " mechanisms ." Mechanisms are generally classified as gears and gear trains , which includes belt drives and chain drives , cam and follower mechanisms, and linkages , though there are other special mechanisms such as clamping linkages, indexing mechanisms , escapements and friction devices such as brakes and clutches . The number of degrees of freedom of
1526-500: A mechanism, or its mobility, depends on the number of links and joints and the types of joints used to construct the mechanism. The general mobility of a mechanism is the difference between the unconstrained freedom of the links and the number of constraints imposed by the joints. It is described by the Chebychev–Grübler–Kutzbach criterion . The transmission of rotation between contacting toothed wheels can be traced back to
1635-590: A mechanized puppet . Different variations of the karakuri existed: the Butai karakuri , which were used in theatre, the Zashiki karakuri , which were small and used in homes, and the Dashi karakuri which were used in religious festivals, where the puppets were used to perform reenactments of traditional myths and legends . In France, between 1738 and 1739, Jacques de Vaucanson exhibited several life-sized automatons:
1744-719: A mobile robot that is in common use today is the automated guided vehicle or automatic guided vehicle (AGV). An AGV is a mobile robot that follows markers or wires in the floor, or uses vision or lasers. AGVs are discussed later in this article. Machine A machine is a physical system that uses power to apply forces and control movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to natural biological macromolecules, such as molecular machines . Machines can be driven by animals and people , by natural forces such as wind and water , and by chemical , thermal , or electrical power, and include
1853-412: A point farther from the pivot is greater than the velocity of a point near the pivot, forces applied far from the pivot are amplified near the pivot by the associated decrease in speed. If a is the distance from the pivot to the point where the input force is applied and b is the distance to the point where the output force is applied, then a/b is the mechanical advantage of the lever. The fulcrum of
1962-430: A pressure vessel; the expanding steam drives a piston or a turbine. This principle can be seen in the aeolipile of Hero of Alexandria. This is called an external combustion engine . An automobile engine is called an internal combustion engine because it burns fuel (an exothermic chemical reaction) inside a cylinder and uses the expanding gases to drive a piston . A jet engine uses a turbine to compress air which
2071-534: A programmable drum machine , where they could be made to play different rhythms and different drum patterns. During the Renaissance , the dynamics of the Mechanical Powers , as the simple machines were called, began to be studied from the standpoint of how much useful work they could perform, leading eventually to the new concept of mechanical work . In 1586 Flemish engineer Simon Stevin derived
2180-459: A specific application of output forces and movement, (iii) a controller with sensors that compare the output to a performance goal and then directs the actuator input, and (iv) an interface to an operator consisting of levers, switches, and displays. This can be seen in Watt's steam engine in which the power is provided by steam expanding to drive the piston. The walking beam, coupler and crank transform
2289-464: A specified time (150 minutes) before the first qualification round begins. If a team finishes building their robot before the 150 minutes finish, the team can practice on the competition fields. Each robot is restricted to be 25 × 25 × 25 cm (9.8 × 9.8 × 9.8 in) before the round begins, and may consist of only LEGO certified parts, with specified motors and sensors depending on each competition. It must finish
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#17327977675112398-405: A steel gear, cam and motor skeleton covered by an aluminum skin. In 1928, Japan's first robot, Gakutensoku , was designed and constructed by biologist Makoto Nishimura. The German V-1 flying bomb was equipped with systems for automatic guidance and range control, flying on a predetermined course (which could include a 90-degree turn) and entering a terminal dive after a predetermined distance. It
2507-646: A system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement. They can also include computers and sensors that monitor performance and plan movement, often called mechanical systems . Renaissance natural philosophers identified six simple machines which were the elementary devices that put a load into motion, and calculated the ratio of output force to input force, known today as mechanical advantage . Modern machines are complex systems that consist of structural elements, mechanisms and control components and include interfaces for convenient use. Examples include:
2616-430: A time when his contemporaries such as Alan Turing and John von Neumann were all turning towards a view of mental processes in terms of digital computation . His work inspired subsequent generations of robotics researchers such as Rodney Brooks , Hans Moravec and Mark Tilden . Modern incarnations of Walter's turtles may be found in the form of BEAM robotics . The first digitally operated and programmable robot
2725-403: A wide range of vehicles , such as trains , automobiles , boats and airplanes ; appliances in the home and office, including computers, building air handling and water handling systems ; as well as farm machinery , machine tools and factory automation systems and robots . The English word machine comes through Middle French from Latin machina , which in turn derives from
2834-659: Is robotics . These technologies deal with automated machines that can take the place of humans in dangerous environments or manufacturing processes , or resemble humans in appearance, behavior, or cognition. Many of today's robots are inspired by nature contributing to the field of bio-inspired robotics . These robots have also created a newer branch of robotics: soft robotics . From the time of ancient civilization , there have been many accounts of user-configurable automated devices and even automata resembling humans and other animals, such as animatronics , designed primarily as entertainment. As mechanical techniques developed through
2943-907: Is a machine —especially one programmable by a computer —capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be constructed to evoke human form , but most robots are task-performing machines, designed with an emphasis on stark functionality, rather than expressive aesthetics. Robots can be autonomous or semi-autonomous and range from humanoids such as Honda 's Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility ( ASIMO ) and TOSY 's TOSY Ping Pong Playing Robot ( TOPIO ) to industrial robots , medical operating robots , patient assist robots, dog therapy robots, collectively programmed swarm robots , UAV drones such as General Atomics MQ-1 Predator , and even microscopic nano robots . By mimicking
3052-618: Is a new robot introduced in 2012 which learns by guidance. A worker could teach Baxter how to perform a task by moving its hands in the desired motion and having Baxter memorize them. Extra dials, buttons, and controls are available on Baxter's arm for more precision and features. Any regular worker could program Baxter and it only takes a matter of minutes, unlike usual industrial robots that take extensive programs and coding to be used. This means Baxter needs no programming to operate. No software engineers are needed. This also means Baxter can be taught to perform multiple, more complicated tasks. Sawyer
3161-410: Is burned with fuel so that it expands through a nozzle to provide thrust to an aircraft , and so is also an "internal combustion engine." Power plant: The heat from coal and natural gas combustion in a boiler generates steam that drives a steam turbine to rotate an electric generator . A nuclear power plant uses heat from a nuclear reactor to generate steam and electric power . This power
3270-423: Is called the cam (also see cam shaft ) and the link that is driven through the direct contact of their surfaces is called the follower. The shape of the contacting surfaces of the cam and follower determines the movement of the mechanism. A linkage is a collection of links connected by joints. Generally, the links are the structural elements and the joints allow movement. Perhaps the single most useful example
3379-603: Is distributed through a network of transmission lines for industrial and individual use. Motors: Electric motors use either AC or DC electric current to generate rotational movement. Electric servomotors are the actuators for mechanical systems ranging from robotic systems to modern aircraft . Fluid Power: Hydraulic and pneumatic systems use electrically driven pumps to drive water or air respectively into cylinders to power linear movement . Electrochemical: Chemicals and materials can also be sources of power. They may chemically deplete or need re-charging, as
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3488-620: Is just recently introduced which acts both as a smartphone and robot and is named RoboHon. As robots become more advanced, eventually there may be a standard computer operating system designed mainly for robots. Robot Operating System (ROS) is an open-source software set of programs being developed at Stanford University , the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , and the Technical University of Munich , Germany, among others. ROS provides ways to program
3597-799: Is led by Japanese government agencies, particularly the Trade Ministry. Many future applications of robotics seem obvious to people, even though they are well beyond the capabilities of robots available at the time of the prediction. As early as 1982 people were confident that someday robots would: 1. Clean parts by removing molding flash 2. Spray paint automobiles with absolutely no human presence 3. Pack things in boxes—for example, orient and nest chocolate candies in candy boxes 4. Make electrical cable harness 5. Load trucks with boxes—a packing problem 6. Handle soft goods, such as garments and shoes 7. Shear sheep 8. Be used as prostheses 9. Cook fast food and work in other service industries 10. Work as
3706-401: Is made by chipping stone, generally flint, to form a bifacial edge, or wedge . A wedge is a simple machine that transforms lateral force and movement of the tool into a transverse splitting force and movement of the workpiece. The available power is limited by the effort of the person using the tool, but because power is the product of force and movement, the wedge amplifies the force by reducing
3815-399: Is not known whether he attempted to build it. According to Encyclopædia Britannica , Leonardo da Vinci may have been influenced by the classic automata of al-Jazari. In Japan, complex animal and human automata were built between the 17th to 19th centuries, with many described in the 18th century Karakuri zui ( Illustrated Machinery , 1796). One such automaton was the karakuri ningyō ,
3924-420: Is the case with batteries , or they may produce power without changing their state, which is the case for solar cells and thermoelectric generators . All of these, however, still require their energy to come from elsewhere. With batteries, it is the already existing chemical potential energy inside. In solar cells and thermoelectrics, the energy source is light and heat respectively. The mechanism of
4033-421: Is the planar four-bar linkage . However, there are many more special linkages: A planar mechanism is a mechanical system that is constrained so the trajectories of points in all the bodies of the system lie on planes parallel to a ground plane. The rotational axes of hinged joints that connect the bodies in the system are perpendicular to this ground plane. A spherical mechanism is a mechanical system in which
4142-504: Is whether the robots are being exploited and the consequences of human dependence upon commodified labor (especially after a number of specially-formulated robots achieve self-awareness and incite robots all around the world to rise up against the humans). Karel Čapek himself did not coin the word. He wrote a short letter in reference to an etymology in the Oxford English Dictionary in which he named his brother,
4251-651: The robota (Hungarian robot ) was the work period a serf (corvée) had to give for his lord, typically six months of the year. The origin of the word is the Old Church Slavonic rabota ' servitude ' ( ' work ' in contemporary Bulgarian, Macedonian and Russian), which in turn comes from the Proto-Indo-European root * orbh- . Robot is cognate with the German Arbeit ' work ' . English pronunciation of
4360-516: The Antikythera mechanism of Greece and the south-pointing chariot of China . Illustrations by the renaissance scientist Georgius Agricola show gear trains with cylindrical teeth. The implementation of the involute tooth yielded a standard gear design that provides a constant speed ratio. Some important features of gears and gear trains are: A cam and follower is formed by the direct contact of two specially shaped links. The driving link
4469-517: The Greek ( Doric μαχανά makhana , Ionic μηχανή mekhane 'contrivance, machine, engine', a derivation from μῆχος mekhos 'means, expedient, remedy' ). The word mechanical (Greek: μηχανικός ) comes from the same Greek roots. A wider meaning of 'fabric, structure' is found in classical Latin, but not in Greek usage. This meaning is found in late medieval French, and is adopted from
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4578-705: The Han Fei Zi and other texts, which attributes the 5th century BC Mohist philosopher Mozi and his contemporary Lu Ban with the invention of artificial wooden birds ( ma yuan ) that could successfully fly. In 1066, the Chinese inventor Su Song built a water clock in the form of a tower which featured mechanical figurines which chimed the hours. His mechanism had a programmable drum machine with pegs ( cams ) that bumped into little levers that operated percussion instruments. The drummer could be made to play different rhythms and different drum patterns by moving
4687-477: The Industrial age , there appeared more practical applications such as automated machines, remote-control and wireless remote-control . The term comes from a Slavic root, robot- , with meanings associated with labor. The word "robot" was first used to denote a fictional humanoid in a 1920 Czech-language play R.U.R. ( Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti – Rossum's Universal Robots ) by Karel Čapek , though it
4796-584: The Twelfth Dynasty (1991–1802 BC). The screw , the last of the simple machines to be invented, first appeared in Mesopotamia during the Neo-Assyrian period (911–609) BC. The Egyptian pyramids were built using three of the six simple machines, the inclined plane, the wedge, and the lever. Three of the simple machines were studied and described by Greek philosopher Archimedes around
4905-658: The US Navy . In 1903, the Spanish engineer Leonardo Torres Quevedo demonstrated a radio control system called Telekino at the Paris Academy of Sciences , which he wanted to use to control an airship of his own design. He obtained several patents for the system in other countries. Unlike previous 'on/off' techniques, Torres established a method for controlling any mechanical or electrical device with different states of operation. The Telekino remotely controlled
5014-497: The lever , pulley and screw as simple machines . By the time of the Renaissance this list increased to include the wheel and axle , wedge and inclined plane . The modern approach to characterizing machines focusses on the components that allow movement, known as joints . Wedge (hand axe): Perhaps the first example of a device designed to manage power is the hand axe , also called biface and Olorgesailie . A hand axe
5123-475: The torpedo . Differential speed on the wires connected to the shore station allowed the torpedo to be guided to its target, making it "the world's first practical guided missile ". In 1897 the British inventor Ernest Wilson was granted a patent for a torpedo remotely controlled by "Hertzian" (radio) waves and in 1898 Nikola Tesla publicly demonstrated a wireless-controlled torpedo that he hoped to sell to
5232-516: The 3rd century BC: the lever, pulley and screw. Archimedes discovered the principle of mechanical advantage in the lever. Later Greek philosophers defined the classic five simple machines (excluding the inclined plane) and were able to roughly calculate their mechanical advantage. Hero of Alexandria ( c. 10 –75 AD) in his work Mechanics lists five mechanisms that can "set a load in motion"; lever, windlass , pulley, wedge, and screw, and describes their fabrication and uses. However,
5341-508: The 4th century BC, the Greek mathematician Archytas of Tarentum postulated a mechanical steam-operated bird he called "The Pigeon". Hero of Alexandria (10–70 AD) , a Greek mathematician and inventor, created numerous user-configurable automated devices, and described machines powered by air pressure, steam and water. The 11th century Lokapannatti tells of how the Buddha's relics were protected by mechanical robots (bhuta vahana yanta), from
5450-551: The French into English in the mid-16th century. In the 17th century, the word machine could also mean a scheme or plot, a meaning now expressed by the derived machination . The modern meaning develops out of specialized application of the term to stage engines used in theater and to military siege engines , both in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The OED traces the formal, modern meaning to John Harris ' Lexicon Technicum (1704), which has: The word engine used as
5559-889: The Fuji Yusoki Kogyo Company. In 1973, a robot with six electromechanically driven axes was patented by KUKA robotics in Germany, and the programmable universal manipulation arm was invented by Victor Scheinman in 1976, and the design was sold to Unimation . Commercial and industrial robots are now in widespread use performing jobs more cheaply or with greater accuracy and reliability than humans. They are also employed for jobs which are too dirty, dangerous or dull to be suitable for humans. Robots are widely used in manufacturing, assembly and packing, transport, earth and space exploration, surgery, weaponry, laboratory research, and mass production of consumer and industrial goods. Various techniques have emerged to develop
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#17327977675115668-506: The Greek designs, these Arab examples reveal an interest, not only in dramatic illusion, but in manipulating the environment for human comfort. Thus, the greatest contribution the Arabs made, besides preserving, disseminating and building on the work of the Greeks, was the concept of practical application. This was the key element that was missing in Greek robotic science. In the 14th century,
5777-569: The Greeks' understanding was limited to statics (the balance of forces) and did not include dynamics (the tradeoff between force and distance) or the concept of work . The earliest practical wind-powered machines, the windmill and wind pump , first appeared in the Muslim world during the Islamic Golden Age , in what are now Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, by the 9th century AD. The earliest practical steam-powered machine
5886-533: The Muslim world. A music sequencer , a programmable musical instrument , was the earliest type of programmable machine. The first music sequencer was an automated flute player invented by the Banu Musa brothers, described in their Book of Ingenious Devices , in the 9th century. In 1206, Al-Jazari invented programmable automata / robots . He described four automaton musicians, including drummers operated by
5995-562: The RoboMission and Future Innovators categories, it consists of three different age groups: Elementary, Junior High and Senior High . Participants below the age of 13 are considered as Elementary, participants from ages 11 until 15 years old are considered Junior High, and participants between 14 and 19 are considered Senior High. WRO was formally established in 2003, with the first international WRO final organized in 2004. Organizations from China, Japan, Singapore and Korea are considered
6104-657: The WRO Statutes and a set of General Rules were worked out to ensure a sound and safe future for WRO. One of the major decisions, which appears in the Statutes, was that the international WRO event should be hosted by a new country each year and the WRO Committee should elect a chairman. In 2017, the host country of WRO was Costa Rica. This was the first time the competition was held outside the Asia Region and
6213-534: The age of the participant in the year of the competition, not at the competition day. For participation in the international WRO final it is strictly enforced that students cannot, at any time in the year of the competition, be older than specified in the age group definitions. Example: A participant that is still 12 years old at the time of the international WRO final in November, but turns 13 years old in December
6322-455: The ambition of being relevant to students of different ages. That is why it offers competitions on platforms that provide fun and challenging experiences. It is also why it has decided two of the categories into three age groups. In the RoboMission, each age group has a different mission. In Future Innovators, the challenge is the same for all participants, but they are judged within their age group. Please note: The mentioned ages reflect
6431-509: The artificial doves of Archytas , the artificial birds of Mozi and Lu Ban , a "speaking" automaton by Hero of Alexandria , a washstand automaton by Philo of Byzantium , and a human automaton described in the Lie Zi . Many ancient mythologies, and most modern religions include artificial people, such as the mechanical servants built by the Greek god Hephaestus ( Vulcan to the Romans),
6540-409: The axle of a wheel. However, the wheel forms a lever that magnifies the pulling force so that it overcomes the frictional resistance in the bearing. The classification of simple machines to provide a strategy for the design of new machines was developed by Franz Reuleaux , who collected and studied over 800 elementary machines. He recognized that the classical simple machines can be separated into
6649-411: The bodies move in a way that the trajectories of points in the system lie on concentric spheres. The rotational axes of hinged joints that connect the bodies in the system pass through the center of these circle. A spatial mechanism is a mechanical system that has at least one body that moves in a way that its point trajectories are general space curves. The rotational axes of hinged joints that connect
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#17327977675116758-413: The bottom of the sea. There are concerns about the increasing use of robots and their role in society. Robots are blamed for rising technological unemployment as they replace workers in increasing numbers of functions. The use of robots in military combat raises ethical concerns. The possibilities of robot autonomy and potential repercussions have been addressed in fiction and may be a realistic concern in
6867-478: The brain worked lay in how it was wired up. His first robots, named Elmer and Elsie , were constructed between 1948 and 1949 and were often described as tortoises due to their shape and slow rate of movement. The three-wheeled tortoise robots were capable of phototaxis , by which they could find their way to a recharging station when they ran low on battery power. Walter stressed the importance of using purely analogue electronics to simulate brain processes at
6976-429: The clay golems of Jewish legend and clay giants of Norse legend, and Galatea , the mythical statue of Pygmalion that came to life. Since circa 400 BC, myths of Crete include Talos , a man of bronze who guarded the island from pirates. In ancient Greece, the Greek engineer Ctesibius (c. 270 BC) "applied a knowledge of pneumatics and hydraulics to produce the first organ and water clocks with moving figures." In
7085-482: The concept of a robot is the field of synthetic biology , which studies entities whose nature is more comparable to living things than to machines. The idea of automata originates in the mythologies of many cultures around the world. Engineers and inventors from ancient civilizations, including Ancient China , Ancient Greece , and Ptolemaic Egypt , attempted to build self-operating machines, some resembling animals and humans. Early descriptions of automata include
7194-459: The coronation of Richard II of England featured an automata angel. In Renaissance Italy, Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) sketched plans for a humanoid robot around 1495. Da Vinci's notebooks, rediscovered in the 1950s, contained detailed drawings of a mechanical knight now known as Leonardo's robot , able to sit up, wave its arms and move its head and jaw. The design was probably based on anatomical research recorded in his Vitruvian Man . It
7303-426: The current game is Double Tennis. WRO Future Engineers is a competition where each team has to engineer and solve real-world-problems. Teams can use any kind of material and controller for their robot. The game changes every 3 or 4 years, the current game is about autonomous driving. WRO Football was introduced with teams of two autonomous robots playing football (soccer). Every year little changes were introduced for
7412-578: The double acting steam engine practical. The Boulton and Watt steam engine and later designs powered steam locomotives , steam ships , and factories . The Industrial Revolution was a period from 1750 to 1850 where changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times. It began in the United Kingdom , then subsequently spread throughout Western Europe , North America , Japan , and eventually
7521-424: The drink. Al-Jazari invented a hand washing automaton incorporating a flush mechanism now used in modern flush toilets . It features a female humanoid automaton standing by a basin filled with water. When the user pulls the lever, the water drains and the female automaton refills the basin. Mark E. Rosheim summarizes the advances in robotics made by Muslim engineers, especially al-Jazari, as follows: Unlike
7630-428: The earliest known automatic gates, which were driven by hydropower, created automatic doors as part of one of his elaborate water clocks . One of al-Jazari's humanoid automata was a waitress that could serve water, tea or drinks. The drink was stored in a tank with a reservoir from where the drink drips into a bucket and, after seven minutes, into a cup, after which the waitress appears out of an automatic door serving
7739-494: The first law and often the third law. "People think about Asimov's laws, but they were set up to point out how a simple ethical system doesn't work. If you read the short stories, every single one is about a failure, and they are totally impractical," said Dr. Joanna Bryson of the University of Bath. ) Mobile robots have the capability to move around in their environment and are not fixed to one physical location. An example of
7848-650: The first time it came to the Americas. At WRO, competitions are offered for everyone in the age from 8 – 19. WRO have four competition categories, with their own characteristics and challenges: Each season the challenges and theme for the RoboMission and Future Innovators are developed with the country that hosts the International Final. The RoboSports rules and the Future Engineers Challenge game are designed together with experts in
7957-501: The founding countries. In 2004, teams from China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Russia, Singapore and Thailand took part in the first international final, held in Singapore. In 2003, the four founding countries established the international WRO Committee (now known as the WRO Advisory Council), which decided to establish a new and permanent robotics organisation, based on
8066-687: The future. The word robot can refer to both physical robots and virtual software agents , but the latter are usually referred to as bots . There is no consensus on which machines qualify as robots but there is general agreement among experts, and the public, that robots tend to possess some or all of the following abilities and functions: accept electronic programming, process data or physical perceptions electronically, operate autonomously to some degree, move around, operate physical parts of itself or physical processes, sense and manipulate their environment, and exhibit intelligent behavior, especially behavior which mimics humans or other animals. Related to
8175-628: The game to motivate the students to keep on developing their robots. In 2022 WRO Football was replaced by RoboSports. The Advanced Robotics Challenge (ARC) is the newest category. The games are designed to test older and more experienced student's engineering and programming skills to the limit. Teams compete on a set challenge. Robots may be pre-built and may use certain TETRIX and MATRIX elements. Teams may use either one MyRIO or KNR controller, or two EV3/NXT controllers; there are no restrictions on choice and number of sensors, motors and servos. The size of
8284-440: The idea that students from all over the world should have the opportunity to meet with other students to fulfil the new mission statement: "To bring together young people all over the world to develop their creativity, design & problem solving skills through challenging & educational robot competitions and activities" The WRO Committee decided on the new name World Robot Olympiad, and new WRO logos were developed. Finally
8393-563: The kingdom of Roma visaya (Rome); until they were disarmed by King Ashoka . In ancient China, the 3rd-century text of the Lie Zi describes an account of humanoid automata, involving a much earlier encounter between Chinese emperor King Mu of Zhou and a mechanical engineer known as Yan Shi, an 'artificer'. Yan Shi proudly presented the king with a life-size, human-shaped figure of his mechanical 'handiwork' made of leather, wood, and artificial organs. There are also accounts of flying automata in
8502-440: The late 19th century in the form of several types of remotely controlled torpedoes . The early 1870s saw remotely controlled torpedoes by John Ericsson ( pneumatic ), John Louis Lay (electric wire guided), and Victor von Scheliha (electric wire guided). The Brennan torpedo , invented by Louis Brennan in 1877, was powered by two contra-rotating propellers that were spun by rapidly pulling out wires from drums wound inside
8611-417: The lever, pulley and wheel and axle that are formed by a body rotating about a hinge, and the inclined plane, wedge and screw that are similarly a block sliding on a flat surface. Simple machines are elementary examples of kinematic chains or linkages that are used to model mechanical systems ranging from the steam engine to robot manipulators. The bearings that form the fulcrum of a lever and that allow
8720-529: The linear movement of the piston into rotation of the output pulley. Finally, the pulley rotation drives the flyball governor which controls the valve for the steam input to the piston cylinder. The adjective "mechanical" refers to skill in the practical application of an art or science, as well as relating to or caused by movement, physical forces, properties or agents such as is dealt with by mechanics . Similarly Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines "mechanical" as relating to machinery or tools. Power flow through
8829-529: The list of eligible sensors, motors and bricks to be used in the competition. Initially only RCX bricks, motors and sensors were allowed. In the 2007 competition NXT bricks, motors and sensors were allowed as well. In 2011 the NXT colour sensor was added; in 2012, the HiTechnic colour sensor. In 2013 an EV3 robot was exhibited that used all four motors. In 2014, however, EV3 bricks, motors and sensors were allowed, but
8938-758: The mechanical advantage of the inclined plane, and it was included with the other simple machines. The complete dynamic theory of simple machines was worked out by Italian scientist Galileo Galilei in 1600 in Le Meccaniche ("On Mechanics"). He was the first to understand that simple machines do not create energy , they merely transform it. The classic rules of sliding friction in machines were discovered by Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), but remained unpublished in his notebooks. They were rediscovered by Guillaume Amontons (1699) and were further developed by Charles-Augustin de Coulomb (1785). James Watt patented his parallel motion linkage in 1782, which made
9047-407: The mining company Rio Tinto Coal Australia . Some analysts believe that within the next few decades, most trucks will be self-driving. A literate or 'reading robot' named Marge has intelligence that comes from software. She can read newspapers, find and correct misspelled words, learn about banks like Barclays, and understand that some restaurants are better places to eat than others. Baxter
9156-452: The mission autonomously, within a maximum time of two minutes. Teams are judged on their scores. If two teams' scores are equal, they are judged by their time to the nearest millisecond. This category was called Regular category until 2021. Future Innovators is a project based competition. Students create their own intelligent robotics solution relating to the current theme of the season. Teams will present their project and their robot model to
9265-408: The movement. This amplification, or mechanical advantage is the ratio of the input speed to output speed. For a wedge this is given by 1/tanα, where α is the tip angle. The faces of a wedge are modeled as straight lines to form a sliding or prismatic joint . Lever: The lever is another important and simple device for managing power. This is a body that pivots on a fulcrum. Because the velocity of
9374-488: The number of motor ports was limited to three, and the EV3 Gyro sensor was not allowed. The 2015 competition allowed four motor ports and the gyro sensor, but not RCX bricks, motors, or sensors. There are also a few changes to the number of categories. The earlier versions of this competition, before 2006, consists of only Regular and Open and that further sub-divides to only two age groups, Primary and High School. WRO has
9483-419: The output of one crank to the input of another. Additional links can be attached to form a six-bar linkage or in series to form a robot. A mechanical system manages power to accomplish a task that involves forces and movement. Modern machines are systems consisting of (i) a power source and actuators that generate forces and movement, (ii) a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve
9592-890: The painter and writer Josef Čapek , as its actual originator. In an article in the Czech journal Lidové noviny in 1933, he explained that he had originally wanted to call the creatures laboři ( ' workers ' , from Latin labor ). However, he did not like the word, and sought advice from his brother Josef, who suggested roboti . The word robota means literally ' corvée , serf labor ' , and figuratively ' drudgery, hard work ' in Czech and also (more general) ' work, labor ' in many Slavic languages (e.g.: Bulgarian , Russian , Serbian , Croatian , Slovenian , Slovak , Polish , Macedonian , Ukrainian and archaic Czech) as well as robot in Hungarian . Traditionally
9701-563: The pegs to different locations. Samarangana Sutradhara , a Sanskrit treatise by Bhoja (11th century), includes a chapter about the construction of mechanical contrivances ( automata ), including mechanical bees and birds, fountains shaped like humans and animals, and male and female dolls that refilled oil lamps, danced, played instruments, and re-enacted scenes from Hindu mythology. 13th century Muslim scientist Ismail al-Jazari created several automated devices. He built automated moving peacocks driven by hydropower. He also invented
9810-403: The primary elements of a machine. Starting with four types of joints, the rotary joint, sliding joint, cam joint and gear joint, and related connections such as cables and belts, it is possible to understand a machine as an assembly of solid parts that connect these joints called a mechanism . Two levers, or cranks, are combined into a planar four-bar linkage by attaching a link that connects
9919-467: The rest of the world. Starting in the later part of the 18th century, there began a transition in parts of Great Britain 's previously manual labour and draft-animal-based economy towards machine-based manufacturing. It started with the mechanisation of the textile industries, the development of iron-making techniques and the increased use of refined coal . The idea that a machine can be decomposed into simple movable elements led Archimedes to define
10028-615: The robot before it begins must be within 45 × 45 × 45 cm (17.7 × 17.7 × 17.7 in). The maximum time differs depending on each competition. In 2015 and 2016 it ran a Bowling game and in the 2017 season it was introduced the Tetrastack challenge. As the missions of the RoboMission and RoboSports get tougher and more teams in the Future Innovators are willing to present more creative-looking robots, organisers have to make changes to
10137-429: The robotic sciences community. Junior: 11-15 Senior: 14-19 Junior: 11-15 Senior: 14-19 Teams must create a robot which can complete a specified mission determined by the organiser and usually based on the Future Innovators theme. Before the competition begins, the robot must be fully dismantled: for example, the batteries must be taken out of the brick or the tyres must be taken out from the wheels. It must be built in
10246-660: The same year built the first wire-guided rocket. In 1928, one of the first humanoid robots, Eric , was exhibited at the annual exhibition of the Model Engineers Society in London, where it delivered a speech. Invented by W. H. Richards, the robot's frame consisted of an aluminium body of armour with eleven electromagnets and one motor powered by a twelve-volt power source. The robot could move its hands and head and could be controlled through remote control or voice control. Both Eric and his "brother" George toured
10355-587: The same year cannot participate in Elementary Category. Only teams that participated in a national competition in the ward one of our member countries can qualify for the international final. The WRO Table of Eligibility (TOE) defines how many teams a WRO National Organizer can register for the international final. Previous host countries are italicised while future host countries are bolded . Countries which are both previous and future hosts will have an asterisks (*). Robot A robot
10464-410: The science of robotics and robots. One method is evolutionary robotics , in which a number of differing robots are submitted to tests. Those which perform best are used as a model to create a subsequent "generation" of robots. Another method is developmental robotics , which tracks changes and development within a single robot in the areas of problem-solving and other functions. Another new type of robot
10573-399: The wheel and axle and pulleys to rotate are examples of a kinematic pair called a hinged joint. Similarly, the flat surface of an inclined plane and wedge are examples of the kinematic pair called a sliding joint. The screw is usually identified as its own kinematic pair called a helical joint. This realization shows that it is the joints, or the connections that provide movement, that are
10682-452: The word has evolved relatively quickly since its introduction. In the U.S. during the late 1930s to early 1940s it was pronounced / ˈ r oʊ b oʊ t / . By the late 1950s to early 1960s, some were pronouncing it / ˈ r oʊ b ə t / , while others used / ˈ r oʊ b ɒ t / By the 1970s, its current pronunciation / ˈ r oʊ b ɒ t / had become predominant. The word robotics , used to describe this field of study,
10791-499: The world. Westinghouse Electric Corporation built Televox in 1926; it was a cardboard cutout connected to various devices which users could turn on and off. In 1939, the humanoid robot known as Elektro was debuted at the 1939 New York World's Fair . Seven feet tall (2.1 m) and weighing 265 pounds (120.2 kg), it could walk by voice command, speak about 700 words (using a 78-rpm record player ), smoke cigarettes, blow up balloons, and move its head and arms. The body consisted of
10900-482: Was Karel's brother Josef Čapek who was the word's true inventor. Electronics evolved into the driving force of development with the advent of the first electronic autonomous robots created by William Grey Walter in Bristol, England in 1948, as well as Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine tools in the late 1940s by John T. Parsons and Frank L. Stulen . The first commercial, digital and programmable robot
11009-696: Was a steam jack driven by a steam turbine , described in 1551 by Taqi ad-Din Muhammad ibn Ma'ruf in Ottoman Egypt . The cotton gin was invented in India by the 6th century AD, and the spinning wheel was invented in the Islamic world by the early 11th century, both of which were fundamental to the growth of the cotton industry . The spinning wheel was also a precursor to the spinning jenny . The earliest programmable machines were developed in
11118-400: Was added in 2015 for smaller, more precise tasks. Prototype cooking robots have been developed and could be programmed for autonomous, dynamic and adjustable preparation of discrete meals. The word robot was introduced to the public by the Czech interwar writer Karel Čapek in his play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) , published in 1920. The play begins in a factory that uses
11227-613: Was applied to milling grain, and powering lumber, machining and textile operations . Modern water turbines use water flowing through a dam to drive an electric generator . Windmill: Early windmills captured wind power to generate rotary motion for milling operations. Modern wind turbines also drives a generator. This electricity in turn is used to drive motors forming the actuators of mechanical systems. Engine: The word engine derives from "ingenuity" and originally referred to contrivances that may or may not be physical devices. A steam engine uses heat to boil water contained in
11336-692: Was built by George Devol in 1954 and was named the Unimate . It was sold to General Motors in 1961 where it was used to lift pieces of hot metal from die casting machines at the Inland Fisher Guide Plant in the West Trenton section of Ewing Township, New Jersey . Robots have replaced humans in performing repetitive and dangerous tasks which humans prefer not to do, or are unable to do because of size limitations, or which take place in extreme environments such as outer space or
11445-462: Was coined by the science fiction writer Isaac Asimov . Asimov created the Three Laws of Robotics which are a recurring theme in his books. These have since been used by many others to define laws used in fiction. (The three laws are pure fiction, and no technology yet created has the ability to understand or follow them, and in fact most robots serve military purposes, which run quite contrary to
11554-459: Was invented by George Devol in 1954 and was ultimately called the Unimate . This ultimately laid the foundations of the modern robotics industry. Devol sold the first Unimate to General Motors in 1960, and it was installed in 1961 in a plant in Trenton, New Jersey to lift hot pieces of metal from a die casting machine and stack them. The first palletizing robot was introduced in 1963 by
11663-487: Was reported as being a 'robot' in contemporary descriptions The first electronic autonomous robots with complex behaviour were created by William Grey Walter of the Burden Neurological Institute at Bristol , England in 1948 and 1949. He wanted to prove that rich connections between a small number of brain cells could give rise to very complex behaviors – essentially that the secret of how
11772-456: Was the inclined plane (ramp), which has been used since prehistoric times to move heavy objects. The other four simple machines were invented in the ancient Near East . The wheel , along with the wheel and axle mechanism, was invented in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) during the 5th millennium BC. The lever mechanism first appeared around 5,000 years ago in the Near East , where it
11881-491: Was used in a simple balance scale , and to move large objects in ancient Egyptian technology . The lever was also used in the shadoof water-lifting device, the first crane machine, which appeared in Mesopotamia c. 3000 BC , and then in ancient Egyptian technology c. 2000 BC . The earliest evidence of pulleys date back to Mesopotamia in the early 2nd millennium BC, and ancient Egypt during
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