Page 153 - Toucpad robotics C11

Advantages
Can cover large areas quickly, bypass ground obstacles entirely, provide aerial views.

Disadvantages
Limited payload capacity (for multi-rotors), sensitive to weather conditions (wind, rain), limited flight time
(battery life), safety concerns in populated areas.

Example
Delivery drones, surveillance drones, agricultural spraying drones, inspection drones.

Underwater Robots

Description
Robots designed to operate underwater, often using thrusters for
propulsion and buoyancy control.
Advantages

Access to underwater environments, exploration of marine life, inspection
of underwater infrastructure.
Disadvantages

Communication challenges (radio waves don’t travel well underwater), high pressure environments, limited visibility.
Example

Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) for deep-sea exploration, Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) for mapping
seabeds.
Power System

Crucial for autonomous operation. Mobile robots rely on onboard batteries (Lithium-ion for lightweight, high-
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performance; Lead-acid for heavy, robust systems) to power their motors, sensors, and computing units. The battery
capacity dictates the robot’s operational endurance.

Computing and Control Unit (The Mobile Brain)
A powerful microcontroller or single-board computer is needed to process sensor data, execute navigation algorithms,
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make real-time decisions, and control the locomotion system and other actuators.
For highly autonomous robots, this unit runs complex Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning algorithms.
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RoboBallet: AI Choreographs Robotic Arms in Factory Teams
An AI system called RoboBallet, developed by UCL, Google DeepMind, and Intrinsic,
teaches multiple industrial robot arms to work harmoniously like dancers—without collision!
BRAINY
FACT Using reinforcement learning, RoboBallet coordinated eight arms across 40 tasks,
outperforming traditional systems limited to five robots on ten tasks, and planned workflows
in seconds instead of days.
This marks a leap toward smarter, more flexible manufacturing automation.

Sensor Integration Techniques for Autonomous Mobile Robots
For a mobile robot to navigate autonomously, it needs to perceive its environment in detail. This involves integrating
multiple types of sensors and intelligently combining their data – a process known as sensor fusion.

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Applications of Robotic Systems