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Feature Lithium-ion Batteries Lead-Acid Batteries
Self-Discharge Low Higher
Memory Effect No Yes (for certain types/usages)

Safety Requires Battery Management System; Generally safer; less prone to thermal runaway
potential for thermal runaway if misused
Maintenance Low (with Battery Management System) High (for flooded); Low (for sealed)
Typical Robot Use Drones, humanoid robots, mobile service Heavy industrial robots, large Automated
robots, electric cars Guided Vehicles, backup power

AI Is Helping Scientists Discover New Medicines

AI can analyse millions of chemical combinations far faster than humans, helping
scientists find new medicines in record time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, AI was used to
BRAINY predict which drugs might fight the virus. Pharmaceutical companies now use AI to design
FACT
molecules, test drug interactions, and even personalise treatments based on someone’s
genetic makeup. This could lead to a future where your medicine is “custom-designed” for
your body by AI.

Communication Protocols in Robotics: The Language of Components

For a robot’s various electronic components – the microcontroller (its brain), different sensors (its senses), motors
(its muscles), and other peripheral devices – to work together seamlessly, they need a way to “talk” to each other.
This communication happens through defined sets of rules and electrical signals known as communication protocols.
These protocols ensure that data is transmitted and received correctly, efficiently, and reliably.

We will focus on four common serial communication protocols, meaning they send data one bit at a time over a single
line (or a few lines), which is efficient for managing wiring complexity in robots.

Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter (UART)

Description
Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter, commonly called UART, is a hardware component (often integrated into
microcontrollers) that facilitates asynchronous serial communication. “Asynchronous” means that there is no shared
clock signal between the communicating devices. Instead, both the transmitting and receiving devices must agree on a
pre-set data transmission speed, known as the baud rate.
Key Characteristics and Differences

Asynchronous: No common clock line. Timing is managed by setting an agreed-upon baud rate (e.g., 9600 bits per
u
second, 115200 bits per second) on both the sender and receiver.
u Two Wires: Typically uses two dedicated wires for communication:
∑ Transmit (TX): For sending data from one device.
∑ Receive (RX): For receiving data from another device.
Full-Duplex: Allows simultaneous (two-way) communication; data can be sent and received at the same time.
u
Point-to-Point: Primarily designed for communication between two devices (one sender, one receiver). It does not
u
have built-in addressing for multiple devices on a single bus.

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