Micro-Robotics is probably the topic that excites me more about future technologies.
You may find some articles I wrote about it in 2009 with the tittle of Micro-Machines. Now I see it wasn't very smart to use such an expression instead of micro-robotics.
It isn't so amazing to say that I identified some patterns 2 years ago, as most of them are a mash of science films and common knowledge about technologies and neural networks.
Now, very small automated machines are using the group orientation patterns to help fire-fighters detecting humans that may be trapped in a fire.
Certainly this decade will be full of great usages for micro-robotics, and this video is a great example.
The place is Carnegie Mellon which is no surprise.
Mostrar mensagens com a etiqueta Micro-Machines. Mostrar todas as mensagens
Mostrar mensagens com a etiqueta Micro-Machines. Mostrar todas as mensagens
quinta-feira, 26 de maio de 2011
sábado, 18 de julho de 2009
Micro-Machines IV – Waiting tables
The concept of robots waiting tables is not a very interesting one. This is something that humans do very well so it’s not very appealing for machines to do it.
Maybe we will have some projects of robotics table waiting, but it won’t certainly be something mainstream for the next hundred years. As machines do more and more tasks human relationship services will be more valuable.
But let’s understand how such service could be performed by machines.
It wouldn’t make any sense to have human shaped robots walking around. To wait on tables a robot doesn’t need a human head or 1,5 meter shoulders.
A simple tower as high as a table, large enough to carry a plate on the top would be effective for the job. It would just bring your plate next to the table, and then it would slide it into the table.
But such towers sharing moving space with costumers walking is not comfortable at all.
A balcon based Restaurant might be the answer. BBR are restaurants where a balcon separates people from servants who serve the food directly in front of people. In order to have clients face-to-face BBRs might have tables perpendicular to the tables.
In a robotic BBR, the kitchen, the balcony, and the client tables would be same height. Micro machines would push around the plates and even clean the tables after the clients.
Maybe we will have some projects of robotics table waiting, but it won’t certainly be something mainstream for the next hundred years. As machines do more and more tasks human relationship services will be more valuable.
But let’s understand how such service could be performed by machines.
It wouldn’t make any sense to have human shaped robots walking around. To wait on tables a robot doesn’t need a human head or 1,5 meter shoulders.
A simple tower as high as a table, large enough to carry a plate on the top would be effective for the job. It would just bring your plate next to the table, and then it would slide it into the table.
But such towers sharing moving space with costumers walking is not comfortable at all.
A balcon based Restaurant might be the answer. BBR are restaurants where a balcon separates people from servants who serve the food directly in front of people. In order to have clients face-to-face BBRs might have tables perpendicular to the tables.
In a robotic BBR, the kitchen, the balcony, and the client tables would be same height. Micro machines would push around the plates and even clean the tables after the clients.
domingo, 28 de junho de 2009
Micro-Machines III – Intercommunication
Intercommunication is one of the most important details about the concept of micro-machines.
Coordinating the work of several machines is an overwhelming challenge. Instructions from a central unit can only go so far. In a more complex system there needs to be an independent thinking that leads into a pattern.
A way to understand that pattern is to look at the flying of ducks. All together they form a pattern but they are not controlled by any central command. They all have a similar “programming” that makes them work as a group.
Groups of machines should follow the same logic. However to increase their efficiency they must communicate with each other. So we might expect for great development in communication between machines in the coming years.
Another area where inter-machines communications is growing is automation of cars.
In the automotive sector, cars are slowly closing in to automated driving. You may read about this in previous articles, but the turning point resides in communication between the cars. For example, if one slows down, the one behind receives a signal to slow down immediately. This way it doesn’t have to wait for visual interpretation.
Let us take a moment to look at the batteries development. With the common use of mobile phones and laptops batteries become cheaper and more efficient. When electric cars were raised as a need, batteries were already much more developed. So there was a kind of technology transfer.
The same should happen with machine intercommunication. Automated cars and micro-machines use the same technology. This improves the chance for development. With cars automation on the horizon micro-machines intercommunication should be easier.
If we wider the horizon, the development of robotics will be highly dependent on machines intercommunication.
Coordinating the work of several machines is an overwhelming challenge. Instructions from a central unit can only go so far. In a more complex system there needs to be an independent thinking that leads into a pattern.
A way to understand that pattern is to look at the flying of ducks. All together they form a pattern but they are not controlled by any central command. They all have a similar “programming” that makes them work as a group.
Groups of machines should follow the same logic. However to increase their efficiency they must communicate with each other. So we might expect for great development in communication between machines in the coming years.
Another area where inter-machines communications is growing is automation of cars.
In the automotive sector, cars are slowly closing in to automated driving. You may read about this in previous articles, but the turning point resides in communication between the cars. For example, if one slows down, the one behind receives a signal to slow down immediately. This way it doesn’t have to wait for visual interpretation.
Let us take a moment to look at the batteries development. With the common use of mobile phones and laptops batteries become cheaper and more efficient. When electric cars were raised as a need, batteries were already much more developed. So there was a kind of technology transfer.
The same should happen with machine intercommunication. Automated cars and micro-machines use the same technology. This improves the chance for development. With cars automation on the horizon micro-machines intercommunication should be easier.
If we wider the horizon, the development of robotics will be highly dependent on machines intercommunication.
sábado, 27 de junho de 2009
Micro-Machines II - Locomotion
Since we were kids we hear that an ant can carry up to 30 times its own weight. Of course we wonder “If there was an 100 kilos ant, could it carry 3 tons?”. The problem is that such a big ant couldn’t probably lift her own weight.
The movement of a small animal or machine is much simpler than a big one. Whether is on the surface, on water or on the skies a smaller creature can move better, change directions easily, accelerate and brake easily and even coordinate movements.
Also smaller animals don’t need so big neurologic networks as the processing of their locomotion is easier. So micro-machines should use simpler ones as well. Once, we pass the tiping point of building a small enough processor for little machines to move around it will just get easier and easier build even smaller and more efficient ones.
The agility of a flying system is measured in a way by it’s turning radius. In other words, for it to take a 180º turning how many meters differ from point A to B?
A jet fighter has a smaller turning radius than a jumbo plane, therefore is more agile, but an eagle has an even smaller arch and a fly beats them all. This makes the fly’s manageability outstanding. It’s also interesting to point out that small birds have very bizarre flying methods with very small wings. On the other hand bigger birds usually fly faster but not that much.
In conclusion, while there is a wish full goal for robots playing soccer in 2050, we can expect much sooner for highly efficient means of locomotion for smaller machines.
The movement of a small animal or machine is much simpler than a big one. Whether is on the surface, on water or on the skies a smaller creature can move better, change directions easily, accelerate and brake easily and even coordinate movements.
Also smaller animals don’t need so big neurologic networks as the processing of their locomotion is easier. So micro-machines should use simpler ones as well. Once, we pass the tiping point of building a small enough processor for little machines to move around it will just get easier and easier build even smaller and more efficient ones.
The agility of a flying system is measured in a way by it’s turning radius. In other words, for it to take a 180º turning how many meters differ from point A to B?
A jet fighter has a smaller turning radius than a jumbo plane, therefore is more agile, but an eagle has an even smaller arch and a fly beats them all. This makes the fly’s manageability outstanding. It’s also interesting to point out that small birds have very bizarre flying methods with very small wings. On the other hand bigger birds usually fly faster but not that much.
In conclusion, while there is a wish full goal for robots playing soccer in 2050, we can expect much sooner for highly efficient means of locomotion for smaller machines.
Micro-Machines
The futures of robotics is in micro-robotics.
Whatever a big machine can do, 10 smaller machines can do it better. Whether we are mining minerals, exploring space, performing surgery, fighting an army or building a skyscraper it’s usually more efficient to choose smaller machines.
If we compare a machine one meter tall, with two of half a meter we realize two things. Altough they may use the same amount of material it’s cheaper to build two smaller, because the second one uses the some molder as the first one. And the smaller ones are more flexible, adjustable, they can fit in narrower spaces and it is easier to do maintenaince without stopping their work.
If you are thinking: Then let us make4 machines ¼ of the size, or 8 machines 1/8 of the size and so on. So where does it stop?
The limits are: miniaturization, inter-communication and of course in some cases there is reasonable size for what you are doing.
For example if you are chopping down trees you better have one machine capable of grabing an entire tree.
Inter-communication is a very interesting topic that I intend to develop on another post.
Miniaturization is the work of every hardware and robotics developer. And it is a work with consistent results. Processing equipment is getting smaller and smaller, and nanotechnologies will allow them to get much smaller.
Two other problems related to micro machines are: energy and the coming back.
Energy is always a problem when we are talking about machines and robotics. It’s a challenge for any machine to carry enough energy so they must have a way of collecting them easily.
And of course when we are talking about mass production we should consider the need for them to come back for re-use and recycle.
But once we get around this challenges miniaturization of robotics should be entering an exponencial growing rate.
After all, bears do not form colonies as efficient as bees or ants.
Whatever a big machine can do, 10 smaller machines can do it better. Whether we are mining minerals, exploring space, performing surgery, fighting an army or building a skyscraper it’s usually more efficient to choose smaller machines.
If we compare a machine one meter tall, with two of half a meter we realize two things. Altough they may use the same amount of material it’s cheaper to build two smaller, because the second one uses the some molder as the first one. And the smaller ones are more flexible, adjustable, they can fit in narrower spaces and it is easier to do maintenaince without stopping their work.
If you are thinking: Then let us make4 machines ¼ of the size, or 8 machines 1/8 of the size and so on. So where does it stop?
The limits are: miniaturization, inter-communication and of course in some cases there is reasonable size for what you are doing.
For example if you are chopping down trees you better have one machine capable of grabing an entire tree.
Inter-communication is a very interesting topic that I intend to develop on another post.
Miniaturization is the work of every hardware and robotics developer. And it is a work with consistent results. Processing equipment is getting smaller and smaller, and nanotechnologies will allow them to get much smaller.
Two other problems related to micro machines are: energy and the coming back.
Energy is always a problem when we are talking about machines and robotics. It’s a challenge for any machine to carry enough energy so they must have a way of collecting them easily.
And of course when we are talking about mass production we should consider the need for them to come back for re-use and recycle.
But once we get around this challenges miniaturization of robotics should be entering an exponencial growing rate.
After all, bears do not form colonies as efficient as bees or ants.
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