Over half a century has passed since the first robot was designed in 1950. Robots have come miles from being mere tin boxes performing certain specific tasks. Robotics, the science that has enabled this drastic development, has also been functional in eliminating the limitations of these physical robots. But this development graph witnessed a steeply rising slope only with the advent of Artificial Intelligence into the picture.
The next generation is no more crafting robots limited by specific task definitions. Instead, they are building algorithms to replicate a system as complicated as the human brain: machine learning algorithms leading to artificial intelligence.
And if you still feel a bit lost, learn how artificial intelligence is used in robotics in this blog.
Table of Content
What is Robotics
Understanding Artificial Intelligence
The Amalgam: Artificial Intelligence in Robotics
Application of Artificial Intelligence in Robotics
What is Robotics
Robotics is an interdisciplinary sector of science and engineering dedicated to the design, operation, construction, and application of robots. It aims at substituting human activities efficiently. Basic structures like the 3-R manipulator or the Quadcopter all come under the umbrella of robotics. In addition, microcontrollers, sensory feedback, and information processing are significant aspects of robotics and physics, electronics, and coding, which help create the framework of a working robot.
Understanding Artificial Intelligence
The term was first coined in the year 1956. Artificial Intelligence is a wide-ranging branch of computer science concerned with building smart machines capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence. So, the next time you wonder how Alexa responds to your instructions, you know AI is the real hero!
Depending on the task needed to be done by a robot, the following types of Artificial Intelligence are used:
Weak Artificial Intelligence:
Weak AI is used to create a simulation of human thought and interaction. Siri and Alexa are the aptest examples to be cited.
Strong Artificial intelligence:
Strong AI uses robots that perform their tasks independently without any external supervision. Self-driven cars are one place where this technology is applied.
Specialized Artificial Intelligence:
Specialized AI is used when the robot needs to perform specified particular tasks. For example, industrial robots work on this principle.
The Amalgam: Artificial Intelligence in Robotics
What distinguishes a robot (a machine) from a washing machine is its ability to think on its own. So, here comes the role of Artificial Intelligence. Engineers around the globe are working towards helping robots move past automation and efficiently handle much more complex situations.
Cobots are specific physical robots designed to function closely with men. You can also now see AI and Robotics used in business domains, in diverse settings, from retail stores to museums, hotels, hospitals, and even inside homes.
Application of Artificial Intelligence in Robotics
AI can help a robot do a lot of tasks, from successfully navigating its surroundings to identifying objects around it or assisting humans with multiple tasks such as bricklaying, installing drywall, or helping in surgeries.
Here is a list of some AI-enabled capabilities of robots:
Computer vision
Computer vision technologies accompanied by Artificial Intelligence enable robots to see and identify objects around them, working as a substitute for the human eye.
AI-enabled manipulation and grasping
Long considered a difficult task for robots, AI is being used to help robots with grasping items. For example, with the help of AI, a robot can reach out and grasp an object without a human controller.
AI-enhanced navigation and motion control
AI utilizes the data regarding the distance and alignment of an object and passes it on to the processing unit; a quick application of a high level of forward and inverse kinematics in the processor results in a set of instructions for the robot to navigate safely without colliding with objects around it. Robots are now wise enough to take the left lane if the right one has a boulder!
Real-world perception and natural language Processing
For robots to have some level of autonomy, they need to understand the world around them. That understanding comes from AI-enabled recognition and natural language processing.
Researchers had long thought about applying artificial intelligence to robotics but ran into computational power limitations, data constraints, and funding. Many of those limitations are no longer in place, so we may now be entering a golden age of robotics. Artificial Intelligence and robotics are at the cutting edge of research in this century. Seeing young children design robotic arms for school projects gives you an idea of how intriguing the subject can be. With the current slope of development in this field, it is hard to assert that WALL-E is just a fictional character and not being designed in some corner of the globe!! We hope you are one of them.
