Beng

Chapter

1

Autonomous robots
Both animals and robots manipulate objects in their environment in order to achieve certain goals. Animals use their senses (e.g. vision, touch, smell) to probe the environment. The resulting information, in many cases also enhanced by the information available from internal states (based on short-term or long-term memory), is processed in the brain, often resulting in an action carried out by the animal, with the use of its limbs. Similary, robots gain information of the surroundings, using their sensors. The information is processed in the robot’s brain1 , consisting of one or several processors, resulting in motor signals that are sent to the actuators (e.g. motors) of the robot. In this course, the problem of providing robots with the ability of making rational, intelligent decisions will be central. Thus, the development of robotic brains is the main theme of the course. However, a robotic brain cannot operate in isolation: It needs sensory inputs, and it must produce motor output in order to influence objects in the environment. Thus, while it is the author’s view that the main challenge in contemporary robotics lies with the development of robotic brains, consideration of the actual hardware, i.e. sensors, processors, motors etc., is certainly very important as well. This chapter gives a brief overview of robotic hardware, i.e. the actual frame (body) of a robot, as well as its sensors, actuators, processors etc. The
The term control system is commonly used (instead of the term robotic brain). However, this term is misleading, as it leads the reader to think of classical control theory. Concepts from classical control theory are relevant in robots; For example, the low-level control of the motors of robots is often taken care of by PI- or PID-regulators. However, autonomous robots, i.e. freely moving robots that operate without direct human supervision, are expected to function in complex, unstructured environments, and to