外文文獻翻譯----機器人技術(shù)發(fā)展趨勢

1、<p><b>　　機器人技術(shù)發(fā)展趨勢</b></p><p>　　作者:JimPinto, 圣地亞哥,美國中部.美國</p><p>　　談到機器人,就如同科幻一般。 但是,僅僅因為機器人在過去幾十年里沒有辜負(fù)自己的承諾,并不表示它們不會早到或者遲到。 事實上,一些先進技術(shù)導(dǎo)致的機器人的時代更近更小、更便宜、更實用、更具成本效益。</p>&

2、lt;p><b>　　肌肉,骨骼與大腦 </b></p><p>　　任何機器人都有三方面: </p><p>　　肌肉：有效聯(lián)系物理載荷以便機器人運動。 </p><p>　　骨骼：機器人的物理結(jié)構(gòu)與決定于其所從事的工作; 考慮到有效載荷這就決定了機器人的大小和重量。 </p><p>　　大腦：機器人智能; 它

3、可以獨立思考和做什么; 需要多少人工互動。 </p><p>　　由于機器人已經(jīng)被描繪于科幻世界,許多人期望機器人的外表更人性化。其實機器人的外表決定于它的功能和任務(wù)。不少機器,一點也不像人也明確地列為機器人。同樣,有些像人的機器人也脫離不了機械結(jié)構(gòu)或者玩具。 </p><p>　　起初的機器人是又大，又只有很小的力。 老水流動力機器人被用于三D環(huán)境：陰暗、骯臟、危險。 由于第一產(chǎn)業(yè)的技術(shù)

4、進步,已經(jīng)完全改進了機器人的能力、業(yè)績和戰(zhàn)略利益。 例如,80年代機器人由水流驅(qū)動過渡成為電力驅(qū)動單位。 改進了性能和準(zhǔn)確性。 </p><p>　　工業(yè)機器人已在工作 </p><p>　　在當(dāng)今世界機器人數(shù)量已接近100萬,有將近一半的在日本,僅有15%在美國。數(shù)十年前,90%的機器人用于汽車制造業(yè),通常用于做大量重復(fù)的工作。 今天只有50%用于汽車廠,而另一半分布于工廠、實驗室、倉庫

5、、發(fā)電廠、醫(yī)院和其他許多行業(yè)。 </p><p>　　機器人用于產(chǎn)品裝配、危險物品處理、油漆噴霧、切割、拋光、產(chǎn)品的檢驗。 那些被用于各式各樣的任務(wù)的機器人數(shù)量,例如下水道清理,查找炸彈和操作日趨復(fù)雜的手術(shù),在將來將持續(xù)上漲。 </p><p><b>　　機器人智能 </b></p><p>　　即使原始的智力，機器人已經(jīng)被證明在生產(chǎn)力、效率

6、和質(zhì)量方面能夠創(chuàng)造良好收益。除此之外,一些"聰明"機器人沒有用于制造業(yè); 他們被用于太空探險、 外科遙控，甚至寵物，就像索尼的Aibo機械狗。 從某種意義上說,一些其他應(yīng)用表明機器人可能的用途，如果生產(chǎn)廠家認(rèn)識到,工業(yè)機器人并不是要局限于一個方面,或者受限制昨日機械概念。</p><p>　　伴隨著迅速增長的電力微處理器和人工智能技術(shù),大大提高了機器人其潛在的彈性的自動化工具。新增加的智能機器

7、人的應(yīng)用要求先進的智能。機器人技術(shù)融入各種輔助技術(shù)—機器視覺、傳感器(接觸),高級技工及語音識別。 這一令人振奮的成果代表了新水平的工作應(yīng)用,比以往任何時候都認(rèn)為是實際的機器人。 </p><p>　　實行綜合的機器人視覺和觸覺急劇地改變了新的產(chǎn)品和生產(chǎn)體系的速度和效率。機器人變得如此精確,以至于機器人可以應(yīng)用于所有手工的場所不再是一個不可能的觀點。半導(dǎo)體制造業(yè)是一個例子,高度一致的吞吐量和質(zhì)量,不能靠手工或簡單

8、現(xiàn)機械就能實現(xiàn)。此外,通過使那些快速產(chǎn)品與傳統(tǒng)硬質(zhì)工具不相匹配部分的轉(zhuǎn)換和革新，取得了顯著成果。 </p><p><b>　　增強競爭力 </b></p><p>　　如上所述, 機器人的應(yīng)用起源于汽車制造業(yè)。通用汽車已擁有四至五萬的機器人，但仍然能夠繼續(xù)發(fā)展并運用新方法。 為了能使機器人更加智能化，現(xiàn)在已運用了大量新的戰(zhàn)略選擇。 在過去的兩三年里，汽車價格已經(jīng)下降

9、,為了不斷創(chuàng)造利潤，制造商降低生產(chǎn)和結(jié)構(gòu)成本。這是唯一途徑。</p><p>　　汽車廠改建新模式,通常需要投入數(shù)以億計美元以購買設(shè)備。 機器人制造技術(shù)的重點是通過減少資本投資的方式以增加適用性。新的遙控應(yīng)用已被發(fā)現(xiàn)用在以專用設(shè)備自動作業(yè)的操作上了。它的靈活性能作業(yè)自動化發(fā)揮得更協(xié)調(diào),并且有重大的成本優(yōu)勢。 </p><p><b>　　機器人協(xié)助 </b></

10、p><p>　　其主要增長領(lǐng)域是智能機器人協(xié)助裝置(IAD)。操作員熟練地操作著機器人，就好像是自己的手和腳變長,且更有力了。 這就是遙控技術(shù)，沒有人或機器人可以替代，它是有助于改造人類環(huán)境產(chǎn)品的一個新版本，多方面地幫助人類伙伴，包括動力供應(yīng)、運動導(dǎo)向、線路跟蹤以及程序自動化。 </p><p>　　智能機器人協(xié)助裝置運用遙控技術(shù)幫助人們以較少的壓力，更多、大、好、快地操作零部件和有效載荷。利

11、用人類機器界面,操作員和智能機器人協(xié)助裝置攜手合作以優(yōu)化開放性、指導(dǎo)性和定位移動。傳感器、計算機動力和操控運算法則將操作員的手令轉(zhuǎn)譯成人類提升能力裝置。 </p><p><b>　　遙控新格局 </b></p><p>　　隨著科技和由摩爾法帶來的經(jīng)濟影響將繼續(xù)變換計算機的能力和價格，我們應(yīng)該期望更多創(chuàng)新,更多具成本效益的遙控結(jié)構(gòu)，以及更多在傳統(tǒng)服務(wù)重點之外的運用。

12、 </p><p>　　工業(yè)遙控設(shè)備最大的變化是,他們將形成一個更廣泛的多種結(jié)構(gòu)和機制。 在許多情況下,牽涉到自動裝置系統(tǒng)的配置,不會立即被認(rèn)為是機器人。例如,自動操作半導(dǎo)體生產(chǎn)的遙控裝置已遠遠不同于那些用在汽車制造業(yè)的遙控裝置。</p><p>　　我們會有那么一天：更多這類可編程加工的遙控設(shè)備種類會比現(xiàn)今有的傳統(tǒng)遙控設(shè)備來得多。一個突發(fā)性轉(zhuǎn)變即將來臨；它的潛力是巨大的，因為不久后遙控設(shè)

13、備不僅能夠提升成本效益，也能產(chǎn)生前所未有的優(yōu)勢和操作應(yīng)用。 </p><p><b>　　遠景展望 </b></p><p>　　盡管機器人研究者希望仿效人類的智慧和外表,但是從未成功過。大多數(shù)機器人仍是無形的，也并非萬能，也不能快速識別目標(biāo)物體。兩足直立行走的機器人微乎其微，比如本田P3就側(cè)重于研究和示范樣本。 </p><p>　　較少結(jié)合

14、工業(yè)機器人機器視覺系統(tǒng),因此它的要求,而不是機器人機器視覺視野。 早期機器視覺領(lǐng)養(yǎng)付很高的價格,因為需要的技術(shù)知識"民心"等制度。 例如,在八十年代中期,從辛辛那提市Milacron彈性制造系統(tǒng)的$900,000的機器視覺系統(tǒng)。 到1998年,平均價格已降至$40000,并且價格繼續(xù)下降。 </p><p>　　今天,從Cognex, Omron花$2,000就能買到簡單的配有視覺套傳感器的模

15、式。減價反映了當(dāng)今電腦成本的降低,和為特殊工作如偵察業(yè)等的視覺系統(tǒng)的重點開發(fā)。 </p><p>　　機器人在世界各地的使用 </p><p>　　工業(yè)機器人的銷售已上升到創(chuàng)紀(jì)錄水平,它對家務(wù)雜事如除草和地毯吸塵有著巨大的未開發(fā)的潛力。去年有3000個水下機器人、2300個爆破機器人和1600個外科手術(shù)機器人開始工作。 預(yù)計吸塵和除草的家用機器人將大幅度增加，從2000年的12500到20

16、04年末的500，000。iBOT Roomba吸塵器價格現(xiàn)在不到$200.00。</p><p>　　近日炭疽恐慌,人們越來越多地使用機器人排架郵局的資料。事實上,美國郵政自動化有其巨大的潛力。去年，1000個機器人被安裝來分類包裹。美國郵政總署估計,它有可能使用80,000機器人進行分類包裹。 </p><p>　　環(huán)顧今日在我們身邊的"機器人":瓦斯自動泵、銀行自

17、動柜員機、自助式測試線，機器已經(jīng)取代許多服務(wù)工作。 </p><p>　　在今后的數(shù)十年，不難想象圖像處理的發(fā)展進步、微處理器速度和人為模擬可能導(dǎo)致自動化成為世界上最無聊、低智力、低工資的工作。 </p><p>　　Marshall Brain，HowStuffWorks.com的創(chuàng)辦人，寫了兩篇有趣的關(guān)于未來機器人的論文，很值得一讀。 他覺得在今后40年內(nèi)機器人將代替許多人類工作，那是

18、很有可能的。根據(jù)Marshall Brain的預(yù)測,在他的論文"機器人種族",人性化機器人將在2030年得到普及。他們將取代目前由人類從事的工作，如快餐服務(wù)清潔房間和零售服務(wù)。 除非找到辦法來彌補這些失去的就業(yè)機會, Marshall Brain估計在2055年超過50%的美國人將由機器人代替而失業(yè)。 </p><p>　　智能機器人將運用到每個角落</p><p>　

19、　全球的HAL和數(shù)據(jù)與傳感機器正在快速地接近。 事實上,在某些方面智能機器人已開始承擔(dān)起人類的工作。 由于處理能力倍增,以及記憶裝置技術(shù)帶來更小更精確的傳感器和傳動,機器人將以新穎、各式各樣地精彩的應(yīng)用，成為今后滋生代新產(chǎn)品。 </p><p><b>　　工業(yè)機器人 </b></p><p>　　絕大多數(shù)機器人被應(yīng)用在制造業(yè)等重復(fù)性任務(wù)比如給汽車噴漆以及簡單裝配。2

20、000年全世界大約有10萬名新的機器人,其中將近一半在日本，所以日本是最大的用戶。 在2002年年底有近80萬工業(yè)機器人,這個數(shù)字有可能在2004年末增加到近100萬人。 </p><p>　　在過去十年中機器人的運用增加了,而同時價格則一直下滑。今天,機器人制造有1-2年的償還期限。在北美,機器人的價格相對于勞動力成本已降至26，如果考慮質(zhì)量的提高則將低至12。 </p><p>　　工

21、業(yè)機器人的銷售已達到紀(jì)錄水平,在家務(wù)中，像清除草坪和清潔地毯方面，它有巨大的開發(fā)潛力 。</p><p>　　許多新的應(yīng)用機器人 </p><p>　　隨著機器人智能提高,以及傳感器、傳動和運行機制的日甄完善,它的應(yīng)用以大大增加了?，F(xiàn)在有成千上萬的水下機器人、破壞機器人、甚至還有用遠程機器人來拆除手術(shù)。 </p><p>　　數(shù)十個實驗搜救機器人踏遍倒塌的世界貿(mào)易中

22、心雙塔樓搜索殘骸。機器人專家小組在第一現(xiàn)場操作實驗機器人，用來探尋瓦礫。在阿富汗戰(zhàn)爭中所使用的機器人是美軍作戰(zhàn)的工具。他們被送入洞穴、建筑物或其他地區(qū)的, 作為部隊的前鋒，以防止人員傷亡。 </p><p>　　巨人步行機器人被用來伐木。它用六個關(guān)節(jié)移動，前進和后退、橫走、斜走，還可以轉(zhuǎn)身和跨越障礙物。 </p><p>　　在柏克萊分校,一個名叫micromechanical的微型昆蟲飛

23、行機器人,它有非常自然地精確度的節(jié)奏拍打翅膀。他們的目標(biāo)是建立一個又小、又靈活的裝置可以探測火星表面和安全監(jiān)察危險化學(xué)品泄漏,例如,秘密偵查敵軍,。 </p><p>　　預(yù)計吸塵和除草的家庭機器人將大幅度上升?，F(xiàn)今用機器人做家務(wù)是很實際的。一個低廉的房屋清洗機器人近日出臺了。一個極其暢銷的小型電動車吸塵器（Roomba）標(biāo)價$199，它繞完整個地板,期間它所到之處都被打掃和除塵了。 Rodney Brooks?

24、 iRobot </p><p>　　Roomba由馬薩諸塞州的iRobot生產(chǎn)。iRobot是多家公司中的一員，他們聯(lián)合計劃在今后幾年內(nèi)推出一系列新的機器人。不久將推出新產(chǎn)品機器人，包括自動地板清潔器和實業(yè)工具，從而去從事無聊、骯臟、危險的工作,如檢查油井。 當(dāng)然,自治油井督察人員并不像一些有識之士所預(yù)言的那樣會和機器仆人一樣顫動。雖然還是不太引人注目，但是人工智能和機器人正進入日常生活。 </p>

25、<p>　　Rodney Brooks,人工智能實驗室主任、美國iRobot公司的董事長,參與了這場十年變革。他的新書" Flesh & Machines "主要研究與生命有關(guān)的許多主題的機器人。Brooks創(chuàng)造他所謂的"situated creatures"的熱情是本書的中心, "situated creatures"是我們后來當(dāng)作我們的老師和同伴。&l

26、t;/p><p>　　Rodney Brooks麻省理工實驗室擠滿了機器人，從機械腿到具有人類特性的機器人，用人類一樣的表情和動作，依靠人力機器人接口。Brooks認(rèn)為要人們接受機器人的生活是有爭議的。普通版機器的第一代已經(jīng)被實驗室遺棄了。 </p><p>　　Rodney Brooks對post-PC的未來有他的想法：傳感器和微處理器應(yīng)該裝在汽車?yán)锩?、辦公室和家里，并通過各種言論和動作接口

27、在上衣口袋進行資料檢索,還有用于溝通、做各種各樣的事情。 他堅持認(rèn)為,智能時代,移動機械已經(jīng)開始出現(xiàn)。你只需要知道哪里可以找到它們，或者在油井、醫(yī)療實驗室、財政服務(wù)或者是建筑公司。 </p><p>　　軍事 & 國防應(yīng)用 </p><p>　　現(xiàn)在iRobot已經(jīng)依美國防部的合同建造了一個機器人,其大小像手提箱那樣，可攀爬樓梯,溝渠、可在水下三層生存。不同于攜帶炸彈的機器人,它有

28、眼睛和耳朵,通過無線電連接傳遞所見所聞。這就是"PackBot"。它可被用來撇進一輛交通工具，用力把它扔進可能蟄伏著敵人的屋子的窗戶。 </p><p>　　一般來講，機器人系統(tǒng)吸引了國防部的興趣,因為他們有遠距離軍事行為的能力，使危險任務(wù)對人的傷害最小。 </p><p>　　國防先進研究計劃機構(gòu)(DARPA)是國防部的中心研究和發(fā)展組織。DARPA的"分布

29、式機器人程序",旨在與合格的公司合作來發(fā)展微型的，有生物靈感的機器人設(shè)計和為軍事應(yīng)用的機器人控制新方法。DARPA對微小型機器人特別感興趣,因為它們的優(yōu)勢是可以制作單位成本較低，并且提供獨特的使命。它們既可以單獨又可以以團體的形式被用來實施和展開，來增強人類能力，執(zhí)行危險的任務(wù)，以及完成從未想象過的任務(wù)。</p><p>　　潛在的應(yīng)用包括監(jiān)視、偵察、調(diào)查途徑、欺騙、武器運送和小規(guī)模啟動。為了偵查布雷區(qū)

30、、小型傳感器則被安裝在機器人的跳腳上。小型機器人可送入市管道搜集情報。大規(guī)模使用機器人可以作為偽裝。極小的微型機器人可注入鎖孔用來開鎖。 </p><p>　　由于微型機器人類似小動物和昆蟲、生理上賦予了靈感設(shè)計(跳、攀登、爬、草等),加上記憶裝置的應(yīng)和智能材料提供了新穎和獨特的移動裝置的可能性。記憶存儲技術(shù)使在單獨硅片上的機械綜合和電子功能成為可能。先進的微電子包裝采用多芯片模塊和混合信號，它帶來了發(fā)展的新思路

31、,并把遙控形式和功能聯(lián)合起來。 </p><p>　　用于軍事用途的機器人或者完全由人類控制、半自主控制，或者是自主運行。 為了能讓微型機器人在不同的環(huán)境從事長時間工作,我們需要新方法以減少電力需求、控制能源利用與提供快速充電。 </p><p>　　機器人的發(fā)展令人振奮的新領(lǐng)域 </p><p>　　典型的自動化技術(shù)在文本、PLCs、計算機、顯示器、控制、傳感器、

32、閥門、傳動、數(shù)據(jù)傳輸、無線通訊、網(wǎng)絡(luò)等上要講究知識和經(jīng)驗,這正是這些機器人和機器人系統(tǒng)發(fā)展的重點要求。 在經(jīng)濟不景氣的時候,機器人技術(shù)一定會成為一個令人興奮的有益事業(yè)發(fā)展的新舞臺。</p><p>　　Robotics technology trends</p><p>　　By : Jim Pinto,San Diego, CA.USA</p><p>　　Whe

33、n it comes to robots, reality still lags science fiction. But, just because robots have not lived up to their promise in past decades does not mean that they will not arrive sooner or later. Indeed, the confluence of sev

34、eral advanced technologies is bringing the age of robotics ever nearer-smaller, cheaper, more practical and cost-effective. </p><p>　　Brawn, Bone & Brain</p><p>　　There are 3 aspects of any

35、robot: </p><p>　　Brawn：strength relating to physical payload that a robot can move. </p><p>　　Bone：the physical structure of a robot relative to the work it does; this determines the size and we

36、ight of the robot in relation to its physical payload. </p><p>　　Brain：robotic intelligence; what it can think and do independently; how much manual interaction is required. </p><p>　　Because of

37、 the way robots have been pictured in science fiction, many people expect robots to be human-like in appearance. But in fact what a robot looks like is more related to the tasks or functions it performs. A lot of machine

38、s that look nothing like humans can clearly be classified as robots. And similarly, some human-looking robots are not much beyond mechanical mechanisms, or toys. </p><p>　　Many early robots were big machines

39、, with significant brawn and little else. Old hydraulically powered robots were relegated to tasks in the 3-D category：dull, dirty and dangerous. The technological advances since the first industry implementation have co

40、mpletely revised the capability, performance and strategic benefits of robots. For example, by the 1980s robots transitioned from being hydraulically powered to become electrically driven units. Accuracy and performance

41、improved. </p><p>　　Industrial robots already at work</p><p>　　The number of robots in the world today is approaching 1,000,000, with almost half that number in Japan and just 15% in the US. A c

42、ouple of decades ago, 90% of robots were used in car manufacturing, typically on assembly lines doing a variety of repetitive tasks. Today only 50% are in automobile plants, with the other half spread out among other fac

43、tories, laboratories, warehouses, energy plants, hospitals, and many other industries. </p><p>　　Robots are used for assembling products, handling dangerous materials, spray-painting, cutting and polishing,

44、inspection of products. The number of robots used in tasks as diverse as cleaning sewers, detecting bombs and performing intricate surgery is increasing steadily, and will continue to grow in coming years. </p>&l

45、t;p>　　Robot intelligence</p><p>　　Even with primitive intelligence, robots have demonstrated ability to generate good gains in factory productivity, efficiency and quality. Beyond that, some of the "

46、smartest" robots are not in manufacturing; they are used as space explorers, remotely operated surgeons and even pets ，like Sony's AIBO mechanical dog. In some ways, some of these other applications show what mi

47、ght be possible on production floors if manufacturers realize that industrial robots don't have to be bolted to the floor, o</p><p>　　With the rapidly increasing power of the microprocessor and artificia

48、l intelligence techniques, robots have dramatically increased their potential as flexible automation tools. The new surge of robotics is in applications demanding advanced intelligence. Robotic technology is converging w

49、ith a wide variety of complementary technologies-machine vision, force sensing (touch), speech recognition and advanced mechanics. This results in exciting new levels of functionality for jobs that were never be</p>

50、;<p>　　The introduction of robots with integrated vision and touch dramatically changes the speed and efficiency of new production and delivery systems. Robots have become so accurate that they can be applied wher

51、e manual operations are no longer a viable option. Semiconductor manufacturing is one example, where a consistent high level of throughput and quality cannot be achieved with humans and simple mechanization. In addition,

52、 significant gains are achieved through enabling rapid product changeover </p><p>　　Boosting Competitiveness </p><p>　　As mentioned, robotic applications originated in the automotive industry. G

53、eneral Motors, with some 40-50,000 robots, continues to utilize and develop new approaches. The ability to bring more intelligence to robots is now providing significant new strategic options. Automobile prices have actu

54、ally declined over the last two to three years, so the only way that manufacturers can continue to generate profits is to cut structural and production costs. </p><p>　　When plants are converted to new autom

55、obile models, hundreds of millions of dollars are typically put into the facility. The focus of robotic manufacturing technology is to minimize the capital investment by increasing flexibility. New robot applications are

56、 being found for operations that are already automated with dedicated equipment. Robot flexibility allows those same automated operations to be performed more consistently, with inexpensive equipment and with significant

57、 cost advantages. </p><p>　　Robotic Assistance</p><p>　　A key robotics growth arena is Intelligent Assist Devices (IAD).operators manipulate a robot as though it were a bionic extension of their

58、 own limbs with increased reach and strength. This is robotics technology not replacements for humans or robots, but rather a new class of ergonomic assist products that helps human partners in a wide variety of ways, in

59、cluding power assist, motion guidance, line tracking and process automation. </p><p>　　IAD use robotics technology to help production people to handle parts and payloads, more, heavier, better, faster, with

60、less strain. Using a human-machine interface, the operator and IAD work in tandem to optimize lifting, guiding and positioning movements. Sensors, computer power and control algorithms translate the operator's hand m

61、ovements into super human lifting power. </p><p>　　New robot configurations</p><p>　　As the technology and economic implications of Moore's law continue to shift computing power and price, w

62、e should expect more innovations, more cost-effective robot configurations, more applications beyond the traditional service emphasis. </p><p>　　The biggest change in industrial robots is that they will evol

63、ve into a broader variety of structures and mechanisms. In many cases, configurations that evolve into new automation systems won't be immediately recognizable as robots. For example, robots that automate semiconduct

64、or manufacturing already look quite different from those used in automotive plants. </p><p>　　We will see the day when there are more of these programmable tooling kinds of robots than all of the traditional

65、 robots that exist in the world today. There is an enormous sea change coming; the potential is significant because soon robots will offer not only improved cost-effectiveness, but also advantages and operations that hav

66、e never been possible before. </p><p>　　Envisioning Vision </p><p>　　Despite the wishes of robot researchers to emulate human appearance and intelligence, that simply hasn't happened. Most r

67、obots still can't see，versatile and rapid object recognition is still not quite attainable. And there are very few examples of bipedal, upright walking robots such as Honda P3, mostly used for research or sample demo

68、nstrations. </p><p>　　A relatively small number of industrial robots are integrated with machine vision systems，which is why it's called machine vision rather than robot vision. The early machine vision

69、adopters paid very high prices, because of the technical expertise needed to such systems. For example, in the mid-1980s, a flexible manufacturing system from Cincinnati Milacron included a $900,000 vision guidance syste

70、m. By 1998 average prices had fallen to $40,000, and prices continued to decline. </p><p>　　Today, simple pattern matching vision sensors can be purchased for under $2,000 from Cognex, Omron and others. The

71、price reductions reflect today's reduced computing costs, and the focused development of vision systems for specific jobs such as inspection. </p><p>　　Robots already in use everywhere</p><p&g

72、t;　　Sales of industrial robots have risen to record levels and they have huge, untapped potential for domestic chores like mowing the lawn and vacuuming the carpet. Last year 3,000 underwater robots, 2,300 demolition rob

73、ots and 1,600 surgical robots were in operation. A big increase is predicted for domestic robots for vacuum cleaning and lawn mowing, increasing from 12,500 in 2000 to almost 500,000 by the end of 2004. IBot Roomba floor

74、 cleaning robot is now available at under $200.00. </p><p>　　In the wake of recent anthrax scares, robots are increasingly used in postal sorting applications. Indeed, there is huge potential to mechanize th

75、e US postal service. Some 1,000 robots were installed last year to sort parcels and the US postal service has estimated that it has the potential to use up to 80,000 robots for sorting. </p><p>　　Look around

76、 at the robots around us today: automated gas pumps, bank ATMs, self-service checkout lanes，machines that are already replacing many service jobs. </p><p>　　Fast-forward another few decades. It doesn't r

77、equire a great leap of faith to envision how advances in image processing, microprocessor speed and human-simulation could lead to the automation of most boring, low-intelligence, low-paying jobs. </p><p>　　

78、Marshall Brain (yes, that's his name) founder of HowStuffWorks.com has written a couple of interesting essays about robotics in the future, well worth reading. He feels that it is quite plausible that over the next 4

79、0 years robots will displace most human jobs. According to Brain's projections, in his essay "Robotic Nation", humanoid robots will be widely available by 2030. They will replace jobs currently filled by pe

80、ople for work such as fast-food service, housecleaning and retail sales. Unles</p><p>　　Intelligent robots will be everywhere</p><p>　　The world of HAL and Data, of sentient machines, is fast ap

81、proaching. Indeed, in some ways it has already arrived as humanlike machines increasingly take on the work of humans. As processing power increases exponentially, and as MEMS technology brings smaller and smarter sensors

82、 and actuators, robots are the breeding ground for future-generation products with new, varied and exciting applications. </p><p>　　Industrial robots </p><p>　　The vast majority of robots are us

83、ed by the manufacturing industry, for repetitive tasks such as painting auto-bodies and simple assembly. Some 100,000 new robots were installed worldwide in 2000, nearly half of them in Japan, the biggest user. There wer

84、e nearly 800,000 industrial robots in existence at the end of 2002 and this is likely to rise to almost 1 million by the end of 2004. </p><p>　　In the last decade the performance of robots has increased radi

85、cally while at the same time prices have been plummeting. Today, manufacturing robots have a payback period as short as 1-2 years. In N. America, the price of robots relative to labor costs have fallen to 26, and as low

86、as 12 if quality improvements are taken into consideration. </p><p>　　Sales of industrial robots have risen to record levels and there is huge, untapped potential for domestic chores like mowing lawns and va

87、cuuming carpets. </p><p>　　New robot applications abound</p><p>　　As robot intelligence increases, and as sensors, actuators and operating mechanisms become more sophisticated, other application

88、s are now multiplying. There are now thousands of underwater robots, demolition robots and even robots used in long-distance surgery. </p><p>　　Dozens of experimental search-and-rescue robots scoured the wre

89、ckage of the World Trade Center's collapsed twin towers. Teams of robotics experts were at Ground Zero operating experimental robots to probe the rubble and locate bodies. During the war in Afghanistan, robots were b

90、eing used by the US military as tools for combat. They were sent into caves, buildings or other dark areas ahead of troops to help prevent casualties. </p><p>　　After the recent anthrax scares, work has been

91、 ongoing to replace postal workers with robots. Indeed, there is huge potential to mechanize the U.S. postal service and some 1,000 robots were installed last year to sort parcels. The U.S. postal service has estimated t

92、hat it has the potential to use up to 80,000 robots for sorting work, although existing models are not suitable for sorting letters. </p><p>　　A giant walking robot is used to harvests forests, moving on six

93、 articulated legs, advancing forward and backward, sideways and diagonally. It can also turn in place and step over obstacles. </p><p>　　At UC Berkeley, a tiny robot called Micromechanical Flying Insect has

94、wings that flap with a rhythm and precision matched only by natural equivalents. The goal is to develop tiny, nimble devices that can, for example, surreptitiously spy on enemy troops, explore the surface of Mars or safe

95、ly monitor dangerous chemical spills. </p><p>　　A big increase is predicted for domestic robots for vacuum cleaning and lawn mowing. Robots to do these chores are practical today. An inexpensive house-cleani

96、ng robot was recently introduced a little battery-powered vacuum cleaner that scurries around the floor, sweeping up dust and dirt as it travels. Called Roomba, it costs just $199 and, by all accounts, is selling very we

97、ll. </p><p>　　Rodney Brooks ?iRobot</p><p>　　Roomba is made by Massachusetts-based iRobot, one of many companies planning to launch a host of new robots over the next few years. New robotics pro

98、ducts that will soon be introduced include autonomous floor cleaners and industrial tools built to do boring, dirty and dangerous work like inspecting oil wells. Of course, autonomous oil well inspectors aren't as th

99、rilling as the robotic servants that some visionaries have predicted. But robotics and artificial intelligence are working their way in</p><p>　　Rodney Brooks, Director of the MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab

100、oratory and Chairman of iRobot Corporation, has been involved in this transformation for decades. His latest book "Flesh & Machines" explores many themes related to life with robots. The book centers on Bro

101、oks' own passion for creating what he calls "situated creatures" which we can eventually regard as our teachers and companions. </p><p>　　Brooks' MIT A.I. Lab is filled with robotic machine

102、s, from mechanical legs to humanoids that use human-like expressions and gestures as intuitive human-robot interfaces ?something Brooks believes will be critical to people accepting robots in their lives. The first gener