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1.Introduction
Roboticsisafieldoftechnicalknowledgethatdealswiththeconstructionofrobots,theircontrol,theirprogrammingandapplication
invariousdomainsofscienceandtechnology.Itishighlyinterdisciplinaryandcombinesknowledgefrommanyotherfields(mechanics,
automation,electronics,ITetc.).Today,onecaneasilynoticethepresenceofrobotsinindustry,medicine,transport,buildingengineering,
administration,thearmy,agriculture,andspace.Roboticsisusedwhereverworkisparticularlyonerous,monotonousanddangerousfor
humans.Thegoodexamplesarefactoryproductionlines(where,amongothers,theprocessesofpacking,palletizing,painting,welding
andcutting,andmanipulationarecarriedout),workinharmfulconditions(lowandhightemperatures,radiation,sparksandchemical
contamination)orunexploredareas,suchasseadepthsandtheouterspace.Althoughtheroboticshasbeendevelopingveryfastfor
manyyears,theroleofhumansisstillsuperior.Itispossiblethatinfuture,thetasksdonecurrentlyonlybyhumans(including
constructing,programmingandmaintaining)willbecarriedoutalsobyrobots.Alreadytodayitisobviousthatautonomousworkstations
withlimitedhumanservicearethefutureofroboticsindustry.Thebasicbranchesofroboticsinclude:
•theoreticalrobotics(theoriesofrobotsandmanipulators),
•generalrobotics(themethodsandtheeconomicandsocialaspects),
•metrologicalrobotics(robotsformeasuringandcontrolpurposes),
•roboticsoflocomotionmachines(single-andmulti-legged,wheeled,crawling,andwheeled-footmachines),
•medicalandpsychotherapeuticrobotics(robotsforsurgicalandprostheticandpsychotherapeuticpurposes),
•industrialrobotics(robotsinthemachine,food,paperandminingindustries),
•non-industrialrobotics(robotsforunderwater,militaryandrescueworks,andinthespace),
•servicerobotics(robotsforofficeandcleaningworks),
•micro-robotics(miniaturizationofrobots).
Theconceptof'robotics'isverycloselyrelatedtotheconceptofa'robot'.FirstmechanismscameintobeingatthetimesofPlato(circa
400BC),when,accordingtothehistoricalsources,firstautomaticmachines(toyscapableofmakingsimplemovements)werecreated.
Inturn,thewaterclockisconsideredthefirstroboticmechanism.Itwasinventedprobablyaround250BCandwasintendedtoturnthe
hourglass.Itobtainedthenameofaroboticdevicethankstothecyclicallyrepeatedactiontowhichitwasintended.Rapiddevelopment
ofmovablemechanismsstartedintheMiddleAges,whenconstructorswerebuildingupmechanicallycomplexclocksandmovable
figurinesdrivenbyeitherwaterenergy,springsorgravitationalforces.Itiseasytonoticethatanattempttorecreatethemovements
ofhumansandanimalswasthecommonfeatureofallcreatedmechanisms.
Wheredidtheword'robot'reallycomefrom,usedasatermtodefineacertaintypeofmachine?
'Robot'meansaworkerintheCzechlanguage.In1920,theCzechwriterKarelČapekusedtheword'robot'todescribeartificial,
intelligentcreaturesdeprivedofhumanfeelings.Inhisplaytitled'R.U.R.–Rossum'sUniversalRobots',Čapekcreatedavisionoftheworld
inwhichtheonlywaytosurviveistostrivefortechnicaldevelopment,andanythingthatdoesnotservetheprogressisnotimportant.
Čapekwrote:
'Andtomanufactureartificialworkersisthesamethingastomanufacturegasolinemotors.Theprocessmustbeofthe
simplest,andtheproductofthebestfromapracticalpointofview(...).Andwhatsortofworker(...)isthebestfromapracticalpoint
ofview?(...)Theonethatisthecheapest.Theonewhoserequirementsarethesmallest.YoungRossuminventedaworkerwiththe
minimumamountofrequirements.Hehadtosimplifyhim.Herejectedeverythingthatdidnotcontributedirectlytotheprogressofwork.
Infact,herejectedmanandmadetheRobot.'
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Thetermhasbeenadoptedallovertheworld.Todaytheword'robot'referstoanytechnicaldevicewhichisintendedtoreplacesome
ofhumanmanipulativeandlocomotivefunctionsandhasacertainlevelofmachineintelligence.People'saspirationhasalwaysbeen
tocreateamachinemirroringtheirownimage(ahumanoid).Withthedevelopmentoftechnology,robotswereequippedwithincreasingly
better,moremodernenergysources,sensors,actuatorsandcontroldevices.Atthebeginningofthe20thcentury,whenpeoplebegan
usingelectricityatalargescale,therobotswereequippedwithmicrophones,photocellsandloudspeakers,andwirelessdevicesbegan
tobeusedtocontrolthem.Inthe1950s,thefirstmodelsofmanipulativemachineswithsoftwarecontrolwereproduced.
ThepioneersofroboticscertainlyincludeadesignerJoeEngelbergerwho,togetherwithhisfriendGeorgeDevol,constructedanangular
andsquatmachinecalledUNIMATEin1958.
In1961,UNIMATE(Fig.1.1)wasincorporatedintothetechnologicalprocessattheGeneralMotorsplantinEwingTernstedtinNew
Jersey.
