Looking at Robotics Basics

Robotics: Basic Analysis and Design (H R W Series in Electrical and Computer Engineering)

Springer Handbook of Robotics

While robots have long been a major part of science fiction lore and literature from Blade Runner to Star Trek, we’re a long way from being to that point. That said, robotics is a recognized field which has undergone many advances over the past half a century and has affected everything from how homes are cleaned to sending movable probes and satellites to explore the surface of Mars.

To put it in a technically accurate and succinct way:

Robotics is the branch of technology which specifically deals with the construction, designing, operation, structure, manufacturing, and use robots and robotic technology.

This field often crosses multiple areas of expertise and sciences including electronics, engineering, software, and even mechanics or mechanical engineering.

There are many different types of robots which focus on working in an equally wide array of fields. That being said, there are certain commonalities that many robots share and which could be argued help make up the basics of modern robotics.

Virtually all robots have movable bodies that move by mechanical means.
All robots also have computer programming to some degree and require a battery to keep charged.
Many robots have some type of sensor or can be reprogrammed, but this is not true in all cases.

The major difference between the inner workings of many of these robots is the way each goes about providing the main issues of programming, movement, and energy. One robot might use solar cells to constantly grab energy from sunlight and recharge batteries while outside, while another might use a hydraulic or pneumatic form of energy to allow for movement. Some robots will be very simple and have only one locked in program while others can be programmed for a wide variety of tasks.

At its heart, robotics basics come down to improving technology and science as improving the array and uses of robots available depends heavily on consistent technological advances and the use of science to make the inner workings more efficient. While we’re a long way from seeing working functioning robots who look human just like the types many people are used to seeing in the science fiction movies, many robot designs are moving in that direction. Engineering also enjoys a major part in working robotics. Advancements in designs come from figuring out better and better ways of making a robot or robotic function more efficient and stable.

Anyone looking to get into basic robotics either as a hobby or as a possible career will need to study engineering, not to mention a solid understanding of electronics. Without understanding either of these, you’re not going to have a chance of building decent functioning robots. The technology is going to keep changing and what’s considered robotics basics are going to keep changing with these advances. If you have any doubt of that at all, keep in mind that even the word “robot” and “robotics” didn’t even exist until the 1920s, and that was as a science fiction concept. In less than a century, what a long way robots have come!