Chapter 3: Autonomous robot

A robot that can function independently of human control is referred to as an autonomous robot. W. Grey Walter is credited for building the first fully autonomous robots in the late 1940s. These robots were given the names Elmer and Elsie and were known as their surroundings. They were the first robots ever built in the history of the world that were intended to have free will and were designed to "think" in the same manner as biological brains do.

Examples from the past include several space probes. Self-driving automobiles and vacuum cleaners are two instances of modern technology. The industrial robot arms that work on assembly lines within factories might also be termed autonomous robots, despite the fact that their autonomy is limited owing to the highly controlled environment in which they operate and the fact that they are unable to move freely.

The capability of a robot to look for itself is the primary factor determining whether or not it has total physical autonomy. Many of the battery-powered robots that are available on the market today have the ability to locate and connect to a charging station. Some toys, such as Sony's Aibo, even have the capability of self-docking to charge their batteries.

Proprioception, often known as the ability to sense one's own interior state, is the foundation of self-maintenance. In the scenario of the robot needing to charge its batteries, the robot may detect by proprioception that its batteries are running low, at which point it searches for the charger. Monitoring heat is accomplished using another typical kind of proprioceptive sensor. It will be necessary for robots to have increased proprioception in order for them to function independently around humans and in hostile surroundings. Proprioceptive sensors come in a variety of forms, the most common of which are thermal, optical, and haptic sensing, as well as the Hall effect (electric).

Sensing things about one's surroundings is an example of exteroception. In order for them to carry out their tasks and remain out of danger, autonomous robots need to be equipped with a variety of environmental sensors.

The electromagnetic spectrum, sound, touch, chemical (smell, odor), temperature, range to diverse objects, and altitude are all examples of common exteroceptive sensors.

Some vacuum cleaning robots have dirt detectors that sense how much dirt is being picked up and use this information to tell them to stay in one area longer. Some robotic lawn mowers will adapt their programming by detecting the speed in which grass grows as needed to maintain a perfectly cut lawn. In addition, some robotic lawn mowers will detect the speed in which grass grows as needed to maintain a perfectly cut lawn.

When it comes to autonomous behavior, the next stage is to actually carry out a physical activity. Domestic robots are a relatively new field that is starting to show economic potential. In 2002, companies like iRobot and Electrolux were the first to market miniature vacuuming robots. Even though these systems do not have a very high degree of intelligence, they are able to traverse across large distances and pilot in tight conditions like residences by employing touch and non-contact sensors. Both of these robots make use of proprietary algorithms to provide more coverage than would be possible by a simple random bounce.

The ability for a robot to do conditional tasks is required for the next level of autonomous task performance. For instance, security robots may be taught to identify intruders and react in a predetermined manner in accordance with the location of the intruder in the building. In September of 2021, for instance, Amazon (the corporation) introduced its Astro product for use in elder care, home monitoring, and security.

It is necessary for a robot to be able to go from one location to another and be aware of its current location in order for it to be able to "localize" its actions. The use of wire guiding for this kind of navigation was pioneered in the 1970s, while beacon-based triangulation wasn't used until the early 2000s. Robots used in commercial applications nowadays are capable of autonomous navigation based on the sensing of natural characteristics. Both the Pyxus HelpMate medical robot and the CyberMotion guard robot, which were both built in the 1980s by pioneers in the field of robotics, were the first commercial robots to accomplish this feat. In the beginning, these robots navigated around buildings with the use of manually prepared CAD floor plans, sonar detection, and other wall-following modifications. The next generation of mobile robots, such as MobileRobots' PatrolBot and autonomous wheelchair, both of which were released in 2004, are able to generate their own laser-based maps of a building and can traverse open spaces in addition to corridors. If anything gets in the way, their control system will adjust itself on the fly to choose an other route.

At initially, autonomous navigation was dependent on planar sensors, which are sensors that can only perceive on one level. Examples of planar sensors include laser rangefinders. In today's most modern systems, information gleaned from a variety of sensors is combined in order to perform localization (positioning) as well as navigation. Systems like as Motivity are capable of remapping an entire building on their own and may rely on a variety of sensors in various parts of the structure depending on whatever sensor offers the most accurate data at the given moment.

The majority of indoor robots are designed to explore handicapped-accessible places by manipulating elevators and electronic doors rather than climbing steps, which is a task that needs very specialized technology. Robots now have the ability to freely roam inside environments thanks to electronic access-control interfaces. Research is being done right now on robots that can manually unlock doors and climb stairs on their own.

As these indoor approaches continue to advance, vacuuming robots will obtain the capacity to clean a room or an entire floor as defined by the user. Together, the security robots will be able to encircle any invaders and block their path out of the building. Concomitant precautions are introduced as a result of these technological advancements. The internal maps of robots often allow "forbidden zones" to be established, which prevents robots from independently accessing particular locations.

When flying in the air, achieving outdoor liberty is easiest because there are less barriers. Cruise missiles are examples of highly autonomous and potentially lethal robots. The usage of remotely controlled drone aircraft for the purpose of reconnaissance is becoming more common. Some of these unmanned aerial vehicles, often known as UAVs, are capable of completing their whole mission with no assistance from a human pilot at any point, with the possible exception of the landing, which may need assistance from a person using a radio remote control. However, several types of drones have the ability to do controlled but automated landings. It was stated that an autonomous ship, called the Autonomous spaceport drone ship, will be created in 2014, and its first operational test is slated to take place in December of that year.

Because of the following factors, outdoor autonomy is the most challenging for ground vehicles:

a topography that is three-dimensional

Large variations in the density of the surface

Urgences caused by the weather

instability in the surroundings that is being felt

In the subject of autonomous robotics, there are a few unsolved challenges that are unique to the discipline itself rather than being a part of the wider quest of artificial intelligence. According to the book Autonomous Robots: From Biological Inspiration to Implementation and Control written by George A. Bekey, some of the challenges that need to be overcome include ensuring that the robot is able to operate appropriately and will not run into any impediments while operating on its own.

Energy independence as well as foraging

Researchers that are interested in the creation of authentic artificial life are concerned not only with intelligent control, but also with the ability of the robot to scavenge for its own supplies via the process of foraging (looking for food, which includes both energy and spare parts).

This has to do with the concept of autonomous foraging, which is an issue in the fields of social anthropology, human behavioral ecology, and behavioral ecology of humans. It also has to do with robotics, artificial intelligence, and artificial life.

There has been an increase in societal awareness and news coverage of the most recent advances in autonomous robots, as well as some of the philosophical issues, economic effects, and societal impacts that arise from the roles and activities of autonomous robots. This is due to the fact that autonomous robots have become more capable and have reached higher technical levels.

Elon Musk, a prominent business executive and billionaire, has been warning the public for years about the potential dangers and pitfalls posed by autonomous robots. Despite this, Elon Musk's own company, Tesla, is one of the most prominent companies working on developing new advanced technologies in this sector.

The Mars Exploration Rovers MER-A and MER-B, which are now known as the Spirit and Opportunity rovers, are able to determine the location of the sun and plot their own paths to destinations on the fly through the following means:

Creating a map of the terrain using 3D vision

Within the confines of the field of view, computing the safe and risky locations on the surface.

Calculating the most...