Page 32 - Robots Androids and Animatrons : 12 Incredible Projects You Can Build

removing the fatty deposits, restoring circulation. Or the robots
travel to a tumor where they selectively destroy all cancerous
cells. What are now considered inoperable conditions may one
day be cured through nanotechnology.
Another hope of nanotech medical bots (nanobots) is that they
may be able to stop or reverse the aging process in humans. Tiny
virus-sized nanobots could enter each cell, resetting the cell clock
back to 1. Interesting possibilities.
Keep in mind that nanotechnology is an expanding new robotic field
itself. Macroscopic and microscopic robots that will do everything
from cleaning your house to materials processing and building are
being considered. Everyone expects nanotechnology will be creat-
ing new high-quality materials and fabrics at low cost.
War robots

One of the first applications of robots is war. And if forced into a war,
we can use robots to help us win, and win fast. Robots are becoming
increasingly more important in modern warfare. Drone aircraft can
track enemy movements and keep the enemy under surveillance.
The Israeli military used an unmanned drone in an interesting
way. The drone was created to be a large radar target. It was 11
flown into enemy airspace. The enemy switched on its targeting
radar, allowing the Israelis to get a fix on the radar position. The
radar installation was destroyed, making it safe for fighter jets to fol-
low through.
Smart bombs and cruise missiles are other examples of “smart”
weaponry. As much as I appreciate Asimov’s Three Laws of Robot-
ics, which principally state that a robot should never intentionally
harm a human being, war bots are here to stay.
Robot wars

There are interesting civilian “robot war” competitions. Competi-
tors build radio-controlled robots that are classified by weight and
have them fight in one-on-one battles. Winners advance through
standard elimination.
Robot Wars was the first robot war competition. The arena for the
competition is 30 by 54 ft of smooth asphalt with 8-ft-high walls to
protect spectators. For more information on robot wars, see the
Robot Wars website http://www.robotwars.com.
Robot battles have caught on so well that there are a number of
robot war competitions and websites to visit. Here are a few:
Team LRN In the beginning