Unit 9 Robotics

Words to remember:

effector - исполнительное устройство, эффектор; prehension - захват, захватывание, схватывание; dexterous - проворный, ловкий; autonomous - автономный, самоуправляющийся; tactile – осязательный; to credit- приписывать; gripper – зажим, захватное устройство

1. Read the text:

Robotics is the science and technology of robots, their design, manufacture, and application. Robotics requires a working knowledge of electronics, mechanics and software, and is usually accompanied by a large working knowledge of many subjects. A person working in the field is a roboticist.

Although the appearance and capabilities of robots vary vastly, all robots share the features of a mechanical moving structure under some form of autonomous control. The structure of a robot is usually mostly mechanical and can be called a kinematical chain (its functionality being akin to the skeleton of the human body). The chain is formed of links (its bones), actuators (its muscles) and joints which can allow one or more degrees of freedom. Most contemporary robots use open serial chains in which each link connects the one before to the one after it. These robots are called serial robots and often resemble the human arm. Some robots, such as the Stewart platform, use closed parallel kinematical chains. Other structures, which mimic the mechanical structure of humans, various animals and insects, are comparatively rare. However, the development and use of such structures in robots is an active area of research (e.g. biomechanics). Robots used as manipulators have an end effector mounted on the last link. This end effector can be anything from a welding device to a mechanical hand used to manipulate the environment.

Robots which must work in the real world require some way to manipulate objects; pick up, modify, destroy or otherwise have an effect. Thus the 'hands' of a robot are often referred to as end effectors, while the arm is referred to as a manipulator. Most robot arms have replaceable effectors, each allowing them to perform some small range of tasks. Some have a fixed manipulator which cannot be replaced, while a few have one very general purpose manipulator, for example a humanoid hand.

Grippers: A common effector is the gripper. In its simplest manifestation it consists of just two fingers which can open and close to pick up and let go a range of small objects.

Vacuum Grippers: Pick and place robots for electronic components and for large objects like car windscreens, will often use very simple vacuum.

Simple grippers. These are very simple astrictive devices, but can hold very large loads provided the pretension surface is smooth enough to ensure suction.

General purpose effectors: Some advanced robots are beginning to have humanoid hands. These highly dexterous manipulators, with as many as 20 degrees of freedom and hundreds of tactile sensors can be difficult to control. The computer must consider a great deal of information, and decide on the best way to manipulate an object from many possibilities.

2. Find in the text phrases equivalent to the following ones:

- способности роботов очень сильно отличаются;

- все роботы имеют черты механических, движущихся конструкций;

- имитировать механическое строение людей;

- у рук большинства роботов есть сменные исполнительные устройства;

- исполнительные устройства общего назначения;

- выбрать лучший способ, из многих возможных

- управлять предметом

- с 20 степенями свободы

3. Give opposites to the following words:

1.general; 2. moving; 3. contemporary; 4. real; 5. destroy;

6. rigid; 7. simple; 8. smooth; 9. transparent; 10. often

4. Match the words from the top and bottom lines to make sense and translate:

1. vary 2.smooth 3. difficult 4. car 5. electronic 6. a great

7. general 8. mechanical 9. autonomous 10. tactile.

a) windscreen b) to control c) structure d) control e) vastly

f) components g) purpose h) sensors i) enough k) deal

5. Answer the following questions:

a) What is robotics?

b) Describe the structure of a robot.

c) What do robots used as manipulators have at their ends?

d) What allows a robot perform a range of tasks?

e) What kind of grippers do you know?

6. Read the text and complete it with the word that suits best:

What are industrial robots and how do they work? Although they …(1) widely in shape, size and capability, industrial robots are made up of several basic compo­nents: the manipulator, the control and the power supply.The manipulator is the …(2) device which actually performs the useful functions of the robot. It is a hydraulically, pneumatically or …(3) driven jointed mechanism capable of up to seven independent, coordinated motions. Feedback …(4) on the manip­ulator's joints or actuators provide information regard­ing its motions and positions to the robot control. A gripping device or tool, designed for the specific tasks to be done by the robot, is …(5) on the outermost joint of the manipulator. Its function is directed by the robot's control system. The control stores the desired motions of the robot and their sequence in its memory; directs the manipulator through this sequence or " program" upon …(6) and interacts with the machines, conveyors and tools with which the robot works. Controls vary in complex­ity from simple stepping switches to minicomputers. Hydraulically actuated robots also include an electri­cally driven dump, control valves, reservoir and heat exchanger in a power supply unit which provides fluid flow and pressure to drive the manipulator. Cooling water is also …(7) by some robots to maintain hydraulic fluid temperature or for control cabinet temper­ature regulation. … (8) driven robots are usually connected (through a filter-regulator) to the factory compressed air system.

1. a) vary, b) change, c) continue

2. a) stationary, b) mechanical c) movable

3. a) electrically, b) mechanically c) magnetically

4. a) devices, b) equipment, c)gadgets

5. a) placed b) put c)mounted

6. a) interest b)command c) choice

7. a) required b) applied c) coordinated

8. a) pneumatically b) electrically c) magnetically

7. It is interesting to know!