Robotics

Immersion 2014 will be showing the cultural impact that digital technologies have on our lives today. In Immersion 2014, it will feature many new and exciting module based conference format. It will include things like Entertainment, Arts and Culture, and even Human-Computer Interaction.

I will be addressed Robotics in this blog post today. It is a form immersion that can be found at the conference. We will be exploring the technologies that come with Robotics and what it can bring to this new type of education that we are looking at today. It is new and exciting and will change the way we can bring education to the masses.

 First lets define what robotics actually is. Robotics is a branch of engineering and computer science that incorporates design, operation, and construction of robots. It also deals with the computer systems within these robots and their control and sensory abilities. Most of the times, robots are used to replace humans in dangerous situations or environments.

To power a robot, you need a power source which is a better most of the time. Engineers use acid lead batteries because they are generally the safest and last the longest. However, to power a robot, there are many factors that one must consider because there are many safety precautions and how long the robot will last before it dies out. Most engineers do not use a wire to power the battery because it restricts the movement and hinders the ability of the robot alot. 

Another important component of a robot is the actuators. The actuators are the things that help a robot move by converting the energy from the batteries. The most popular actuators are motors which spin gears that give the robot movement. There are many types of actuators such linear actuators and series elastic actuators. A linear actuators move in and out instead of spinning like a normal motor. 

Robots have become so advanced that they are actually able to speak and recognize speech from people. Engineers have developed a robot in japan that is able to generate facial expressions and interact with humans based on the computer software it was programmed with. It is able to communicate and relay real human interactions such as shaking hands with someone and responding to questions that people may ask it. Some are even programmed with personalities which scare me a little bit because it is similar to talking with a real person.