Thursday 12 September 2013

How to Learn Robotics ?


Robotics is a very vast field and the robots do find many applications in various fields. Robotics can basically be defined as a branch of science and technology which deals with the designing and construction of robots, their working and operation and identifying their applications. The use of robotics and robots are to implement and use machines which can work autonomously and perform the tasks which are hazardous and dangerous for humans. In the present scenario, robots can be found very commonly. One can find them at the offices, public places and even at homes. But there was a time when there was no name of the robots or the autonomous machines were not present. 

Isaac Asimov was the first to use the word robotics in his science fiction. In his science fiction only he coined the three laws of robotics which are as stated below:

1.     A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2.     A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3.     A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

First of all let us discuss generally about the robots. Robots can be defined as an electro-mechanical machines which are controlled and guided by the computer and the electronic circuitries. Or simply they can be defined as a machine which can sense the external environment. By sensing the external environment it refers to sensing of the environmental parameters such as light, color, touch, sound, etc. Robots can work semi-autonomously or autonomously. With the help of robots, humans have gained many benefits including the increase in the productivity and performing the task with precision and accuracy. 

From a beginner’s point of view, one has to firstly select an educational robotics kit for working on it and exploring it. There are many educational robotics kits present, but one has to find thoroughly that exactly how many robotic projects can be made out. Generally from most of the robotic kits, only 6-10 robotic projects can be formed out. But one has to seek for the robotic kit from which numerous robotic projects can be made in order to explore the stuffs and make robotic projects of different shape and structure according to the particular set of task they are supposed to perform. 

Let me take the privilege to introduce you to one of the most advanced educational robotic kit “LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT”. This robotic kit comprises of building block parts which are made up of plastic and they can be interconnected so that different shape and structure can be provided to them, various kinds of attachments which are used for interlocking the building block parts, sensors, gears, servo motors and NXT brick. NXT brick is the brain of the robot which is used for controlling the operations of the robot. Servo motors are the motors which are having the feedback mechanism and hence they can be controlled with accurately for having a prĂ©cised motion. 

The NXT robotic projects can be programmed in GUI environment. GUI is graphical user interface, in this programming environment different parts of the robots are programmed with the help of different iconic blocks. The NXT programming software itself contains many examples of robotic projects. The robotic projects which are given as illustrations contain building instructions of every robotic project. Along with the building instructions the robotic projects are also given with step by step programming.

Saturday 6 April 2013

How to make robots?



Gone are the days of playing with robot. Young minds are making heads way into robotics by designing their own robots. Robotics is a combination of mechanical, programming, mathematics, and other science disciplines. Take these disciplines, put it into a grinder, bake it, and robot is ready. ha ha ha. It can be so easy if you know where to start making robots. So question here is "How to make robots".

You can start your robot education by using robotics kit available in market like - LEGO MINDSTORMS PROJECTS, VEX, BIOLOID, or any other kit available in your geography, and make robotics project you may like. You need 1) Building blocks to create structure of robot 2) Micro-controller to program your robot 3) Sensors to receive signal and respond 4) Motor to provide motion capability 5) Programming environment to write program.

Building blocks to create structure of robot - You need these components to give shape to your robot like humanoid, car, or any other shape you may like. This is an important engineering discipline, as you need to think through your component like where to put motor, how to use gears, how to make your robot stable, how it can cross obstacle, and much more.

Micro-controller to program your robot - Think of it as brain of robot. It provides all decision making to your robot. LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT is one such micro controller. NXT brick can be programmed to make the robot functional.

Sensors receive signal respond - Sensors are key components of a robot. You need sensors to receive signal like obstacle in front, pressure, temperature, light intensity, etc. and make decision based on these inputs. Sensors are part of structural design, so structure of a robot must be though through taking into account sensors.

Motors to provide motion capability - It can be to move a robot, or move an arm of humanoid, or fork of a fork lift. Motors provide motion capability and key part of a robot.

Programming environment to write program - MINDSTORMS NXT comes with a UI based programming environment. RobotC programming language can also be used on NXT brick. RoboGalaxy provides online robotics education and robotics projects supported by multi-media of programming lessons.

RoboGalaxy (www.robogalaxy.com) provides a online robotics education on how to make robots. Structural design is taught with enough rationale on choosing right design based on need and it is supported by building instructions. Programming is taught from fundamentals like flow chart, that helps students understand the logic and make programming very easy. RoboGalaxy also provides repository of Robotics project supported by building instruction, program, and usage videos. Also, you can explore WRO and FLL projects and learn from previous challenges.

Saturday 30 March 2013

All about Robotics


The first robot was unarguably Mechanical Knight designed by Leonardo da Vinci in the year 1495. As displayed by Leonardo in the court of Milan, this robot could move its limbs and head. But in the year 2013 the field of robotics has become vast and word robot is no longer limited to refer a  humanoid that perform certain tasks similar to that of the humans. Scope of robotics is becoming vast and vast with its application crossing the boundaries of imaginations of our human mind. Like mobile phones and laptops robots will be very much a part of our lifestyle. Today, robot is part of almost every industry like defense, medical research, home utility, food, manufacturing, and list is long. Take any like - drone that are designed as unmanned vehicle, or painting robot in a automobile assemble line that can paint a car body in 50 seconds, or any other robot. 

Robots not only improves efficiency, but can do job that are on explored by human beings. Some home grown robots (MINDSTORMS NXT) are capable of solving complex challenges like rubix cube in less than 5 seconds. Robotics stands at a point where computers were almost a decade ago. Lot of work has been done in industries, but still reach is not more than 0.1%. 

Industry will grow exponentially and will need expertise to sustain the growth. Lot of initiatives are being taken to help students take up this challenge, not only by learning robotics in early age, but also learning application of mathematics and science concepts in form of robotics. 

There is multitude of robotics kit available in market for students to learn robotics like LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT, VEX, BIOLOID, etc.  These kits are simple to use, and come with sensors and motors.  LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT is most popular kit due to its cost advantage, but VEX is a good kit for advanced users. Students can design Robotics Projects and give their imagination a shape using these kits. RoboGalaxy offers a comprehensive online education on robotics. RoboGalaxy provides education at three levels depending on age group – elementary, junior and senior. RoboGalaxy also provides coaching for international competition like World Robot Olympiad (WRO), FIRST LEGO League (FLL) and provides a window of opportunity to show case talent at international arena. 

Learning robotics in early age not only helps students implement STEM concepts, but also, they can go for higher education into this niche area. Almost every university in United States of America offer robotics projects either for Undergraduate or Postgraduate students.

Saturday 9 March 2013

What is Humanoid robot ?


A HUMANOID ROBOT is a robot with its overall appearance based on that of the human body. In general humanoid robots have a torso with a head, two arms and two legs, although some forms of humanoid robot models may have only few parts of the human body, for example, from the waist up. 

Some humanoid robots may also have a 'face', with 'eyes' and a 'mouth'. Androids are humanoid robots built to resemble a male human being, and Ganoids are humanoid robots built to resemble a female. Androids resemble humans, usually both in appearance and behavior. The word android has been used to denote several different kinds of artificially constructed beings: a robot that closely resembles a human; a cyber; or an artificially created, yet primarily organic, being that closely resembles a human. A humanoid robots generally operate through LEGO,NXT and MINDSTORMS.

Saturday 16 February 2013

Components of a Robot




Any machine which can be called as a robot will be composed the following basic elements:
- Motors: Most of the robots perform some mechanical functions. In order to perform these tasks electric motors, a hydraulic system, a pneumatic system or a combination of all three. The electric motors often have feedback mechanisms. 
- Sensors: To detect any event and react accordingly, robots need to continuously scan their environment and collect information while they are in active state. A robot does that by using sensors such of different type like colour sensor, light sensor, touch sensor, sound sensor, ultrasonic sensor, etc…
- Power supply: The motors and other actuators of robot require uninterrupted power supply when it is active. Most of the robots use rechargeable batteries to power up their motors and sensors.
- Controller: It works as the brain of the robot and controls the behavior of robot by controlling all other components. The controller is programmed so that the robots behave in the manner required by their programmer/user.
- Moving Mechanism: which may include wheels & gears, Biomechanical parts such as limbs, etc…
Learn Robotics - http://www.robogalaxy.com

Saturday 19 January 2013

Learn Robotics Online


Just dreaming of robots is a tale of past now. The latest advances in technology means you can be asking your friends “Hey, have you seen this cool robot I made?” Young minds thirst for ways to express their creativity, and robotics offers the perfect canvas to do so.

We at RoboGalaxy are at the forefront of developing teaching techniques around robotics. We live in a time of ignited minds and a world driven by innovation, join us as we explore our robotics future. Learn Robotics from the RoboGalaxy way !!