Page 12 - Build a Remote Controlled Robot

INTRODUCTION

ne of the first questions you will have to answer when you
Osay you have your own robot is, “What does it do?” If your
answer (as mine) is, “It rolls around by remote control and
serves drinks” disappoints the questioner, don’t be offended. It
simply means that the person asking the question knows little
about the real world of robotics, the science of robots.
Before you can attempt to explain your answer to the unin-
formed asker, you must know a little about the subject of
robots. Ask yourself, “What is a robot?” The word robot comes
from the Czech word Robota, which means obligatory work or
servitude. The word robot was first used in a Czech play called
R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots) by Karl Capek. Written in
1921, the play depicts a race of humanoid robots that turn on
their masters and destroy them, a theme that seems always to be
associated with robots. Figure I-1 shows a scene from the play.
The exact meaning of the term robot, even in today’s techno-
logical age, is a matter of debate. Man’s technical prowess makes
the exact meaning elusive: manlike mechanical device; person
working mechanically, without original thought; machine or
device that works automatically. These definitions seem rather
broad and could encompass any number of modern devices from
a dishwasher to a timer-controlled video cassette recorder, with-
out conjuring up the popular Star Wars notion of robots.
A second, more-precise definition is stated by the Robot
Institute of America. It reads: “A robot is a programmable mul-
tifunctional manipulator designed to move material, parts, tools
or specialized devices through variable programmed motions for
the performance of a variety of tasks.”
While more precise, it tends to be narrow and also does not
parallel the popular notion of the mechanical friend everyone

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