The Applications of AI in Robotics
- [Industrial robots are already automating laborious, repetitive tasks - BMW Werk Leipzig]
- Overview
A robot is a machine capable of sensing and interacting with its environment. Nowadays, robots are becoming ‘smarter’ and more efficient with the help of computer science.
So, artificial intelligence (AI) has played a very major role not only in increasing the comforts of humans but also by increasing industrial productivity which includes the quantitative as well as qualitative production and cost-efficiency.
AI and robotics are a powerful combination for automating tasks inside and outside of the factory setting. In recent years, AI has become an increasingly common presence in robotic solutions, introducing flexibility and learning capabilities in previously rigid applications.
While AI is still in its nascent stages, it’s been a transformative technology for some applications in the manufacturing sector, although there are many that have yet to feel the impact.
AI gives robots a computer vision to navigate, sense and calculate their reaction accordingly. Robots learn to perform their tasks from humans through machine learning which again is a part of computer programming and AI.
Depending on the use and the tasks that the robot has to perform different types of AI is used. They are as follows:
- Weak Artificial Intelligence
This type of AI is used to create a simulation of human thought and interaction. The robots have predefined commands and responses.
However, the robots do not understand the commands they do only the work of retrieving the appropriate response when the suitable command is given.
The most suitable example of this is Siri and Alexa. The AI in these devices only executes the tasks as demanded by the owner.
- Strong Artificial Intelligence
This type of AI is used in those robots who perform their tasks on their own. They do not need any kind of supervision once they are programmed to do the task correctly.
This type of AI is widely used nowadays as many of the things are becoming automated and one of the most interesting examples is self-driving cars and internet cars.
This type of AI is also used in humanoid robots which can sense their environment quite well and interact with their surroundings. Also, robotic surgeons are becoming popular day by day as there is no human intervention required at all.
- Specialized Artificial Intelligence
This type of AI is used when the robot needs to perform only specified special tasks. It is restricted only to limited tasks. This includes mainly industrial robots which perform specified and repetitive tasks like painting, tightening, etc.
- Applications
As more and more robots are designed for specific tasks this method of classification becomes more relevant.
For example, many robots are designed for assembly work, which may not be readily adaptable for other applications. They are termed as "assembly robots". For seam welding, some suppliers provide complete welding systems with the robot i.e. the welding equipment along with other material handling facilities like turntables, etc. as an integrated unit.
Such an integrated robotic system is called a "welding robot" even though its discrete manipulator unit could be adapted to a variety of tasks.
Some robots are specifically designed for heavy load manipulation, and are labeled as "heavy-duty robots".
Current and potential applications include:
- Military robots.
- Industrial robots.
- Cobots (collaborative robots).
- Construction robots. Construction robots can be separated into three types: traditional robots, robotic arm, and robotic exoskeleton.
- Agricultural robots (AgRobots). The use of robots in agriculture is closely linked to the concept of AI-assisted precision agriculture and drone usage. 1996-1998 research also proved that robots can perform a herding task.
- Medical robots of various types (such as da Vinci Surgical System and Hospi).
- Kitchen automation. Commercial examples of kitchen automation are Flippy (burgers), Zume Pizza (pizza), Cafe X (coffee), Makr Shakr (cocktails), Frobot (frozen yogurts) and Sally (salads).[32] Home examples are Rotimatic (flatbreads baking) and Boris (dishwasher loading).
- Robot combat for sport – hobby or sport event where two or more robots fight in an arena to disable each other. This has developed from a hobby in the 1990s to several TV series worldwide.
- Cleanup of contaminated areas, such as toxic waste or nuclear facilities.
- Domestic robots.
- Nanorobots.
- Swarm robotics.
- Autonomous drones.
- Sports field line marking.
[More to come ...]
