Battlebots an Newsweek

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Posted by Andy Baker at 05/25/2001 9:31 AM EST


Engineer on team #45, TechnoKats, from Kokomo High School and Delphi Automotive Systems.


In Reply to: Robot Definition
Posted by Joe Johnson on 05/24/2001 11:44 PM EST:




: 2 : a device that automatically performs complicated often repetitive tasks

: 3 : a mechanism guided by automatic controls

: The only one the comes close is #3 and that is a stretch imho.

Joe, I agree that our robots are outside of the above definitions... but "robot" is sure a sexy name for a remote control machine... I think that we should stick with it.

In industry, we refer to robots as the turnkey machines that have 1-5 axii of motion and get integrated within assembly lines or assembly cells. The robot is simply the mechanism that moves the "head" or "end actuator" around in order to do it's job repeatedly.

Often, we have automatic "fixtures" that have 1 or 2 simple devices (pneumatic or electrically actuated) that may clamp or hold a part... we would not call these fixtures "robots", but they do adhere to definitions #2 and #3 above.

I looks to me like the "robot" definition needs to be updated.

Andy B.