QUIZ TEST 4

1) What are the various ways in which robots can be communicated with?
Robots that are not entirely autonomous, or robots that are capable of interacting with external factors, can be communicated with through various modes. Although there are various ways to communicate with a robotic system, these ways can be grouped into mainly two types of control via communication: Wired control: In this kind of communication, there is a physical connection (i.e., wired connection) between the robotic system and the control element. As the robot is externally controlled, the response of the robot, which is mostly the movement of the robot, is controlled by the commands given by the control element via the wired connection. Due to the presence of a physical connection, the range of movement of the robot is limited. Also the degree of freedom of the robot may be affected. A remote controlled robot or a haptic suit is a common example of a wired controlled robot. Wireless control: In this kind of communication, the commands are sent to the robot via a wireless medium, i.e., without any physical connection between the robot and the control element. The main advantage of wireless control is that the range of operation of the robot can be considerably increased. Also due to the absence of a physical connection there is no restriction in the movement of the robot due to the control element. Wireless controlled robots make use of IR transmission and reception or communication through RF waves. By using RF signals for communication with robots, robots can be controlled wirelessly for large distances between the controlling element and the robotic system.

2) What is an autonomous robot? Explain.

Autonomous robots are robots that can perform desired tasks in unstructured environments without continuous human guidance. Many kinds of robots have some degree of autonomy. Different robots can be autonomous in different ways. A high degree of autonomy is particularly desirable in fields such as space exploration, cleaning floors, mowing lawns, and waste water treatment. Some modern factory robots are "autonomous" within the strict confines of their direct environment. It may not be that every degree of freedom exists in their surrounding environment, but the factory robot's workplace is challenging and can often contain chaotic, unpredicted variables. The exact orientation and position of the next object of work and (in the more advanced factories) even the type of object and the required task must be determined. This can vary unpredictably (at least from the robot's point of view). One important area of robotics research is to enable the robot to cope with its environment whether it is on land, underwater, in the air, underground, or in space. A fully autonomous robot has the ability to

Gain information about the environment. Work for an extended period without human intervention. Move either all or part of itself throughout its operating environment without human assistance. Avoid situations that are harmful to people, property, or itself unless those are part of its design specifications.

The ability to the sense the surrounding environment is given to the robot through the use of sensors, while the sensory input is processed using a processing unit or other logic circuitry used in the robot. The level of autonomy is generally decided on the level of processing of sensory input and the corresponding output given by the circuitry. An autonomous robot may also learn or gain new capabilities like adjusting strategies for accomplishing its task(s) or adapting to changing surroundings.

3) Explain the features of Microcontroller ATmega16.

The ATmega16 is a low-power CMOS 8-bit microcontroller based on the AVR enhanced RISC architecture. By executing powerful instructions in a single clock cycle, the ATmega16 achieves throughputs approaching 1 MIPS per MHz allowing the system designer to optimize power consumption versus processing speed. The features of ATmega16 or AVR microcontrollers in general that distinguish them from other microcontrollers are mentioned below briefly: 8-bit Microcontroller: ATmega16 is an 8-bit Microcontroller with a clock frequency of 16 MHz. 512 Bytes EEPROM, 1K Byte Internal SRAM: The AVR architecture has two main memory spaces, the Data Memory and the Program Memory space. In addition, the ATmega16 features an EEPROM Memory for data storage. All three memory spaces are linear and regular. Two 8-bit Timer/Counters, One 16-bit Timer/Counter: The 16-bit Timer/Counter unit in ATmega16 allows accurate program execution timing (event management), wave generation, and signal timing measurement. 8-channel, 10-bit ADC: Unlike 8051, ATmega16 features an in-built 10-bit successive approximation ADC. The ADC is connected to an 8-channel Analog Multiplexer which allows 8 single-ended voltage inputs constructed from the pins of Port A. Programmable Serial USART: The Universal Synchronous and Asynchronous serial Receiver and Transmitter (USART) is a highly flexible serial communication device which is featured by ATmega16. Programmable Watchdog Timer with Separate On-chip Oscillator JTAG Port for programming and debugging

4) Explain with example how can a robot be wirelessly controlled?

For the wireless control of a robot, there should be no physical connection between the remote (the controlling element) and the robot. In a wirelessly controlled robot, with the help of a transmitter and a receiver, one is able to transfer commands from the remote to the robot and control the movement of robot in different directions. Receiver is mounted on the robot and transmitter on the remote box or the controlling element. The transfer of commands takes place through wireless communication using IR waves or RF signals. Principle of Working: As an example of wireless control, we will study a wireless robotic circuit that utilizes RF signals. We will look first into the transmitter circuit which is connected to the remote. On the transmitter circuit, Encoder IC HT12E is used which converts our data from parallel to serial form. A 16 pin DIP having 8 SPST switches is connected to this encoder, with the help of which we can define the address of our transmitter circuit. The data output of encoder is 8bit address along with 4bits of data. The data is generated by pressing the DPDT switches. Thus, in all, 12 bits are transmitted at a time. The transmitter and receiver circuit in this case work at the frequency 315MHz. The modulation scheme used in these circuits is Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) modulation. This type of modulation is done so that signals can travel a greater distance without being interfered by lower frequencies. Now in the receiver circuit, first signals being transmitted at 315 MHz are received and ASK demodulation takes place. Then the Decoder HT12D converts the data back to a parallel form and the 4 bit data and 8 bit address are obtained. The 8-bit address in the receiver circuit is then matched to the address coming from the 8 SPST switches connected to decoder. If both the addresses match, then the data bits are sent to motors (generally via a motor driver IC) which give the output in the form of some motion. If address is not matched the data is rejected by the decoder.

5) What is B.E.A.M. robotics?

B.E.A.M. robotics is an acronym for Biology, Electronics, Aesthetics, and Mechanics. This term refers to a style of robotics that primarily uses simple analog circuits, such as comparators, instead of using microprocessors or microcontrollers in order to produce simple designs of mobile robots in contrast to traditional mobile robots while maintaining the efficiency foe performing the particular task. BEAM robotics attempts to copy the characteristics and behaviors of natural organisms, with the ultimate goal of domesticating these "wild" robots. BEAM robotics also promotes the value of aesthetics in the design of the device, proving the adage "form follows function". The basic BEAM principles focus on a stimulus-response based ability within a machine. The underlying mechanism is used to simulate biological neuron behaviors with the help of analog circuitry. Other rules that are included (and to varying degrees applied): 1. Use the lowest number possible of electronic elements ("keep it simple") 2. Recycle and reuse techno scrap 3. Use radiant energy (such as solar power) There are a large number of BEAM robots designed to use solar power from small solar arrays to power a "Solar Engine" which creates autonomous robots capable of operating under a wide range of lighting conditions. There are various "-trope" BEAMbots, which attempt to achieve a specific goal. Of the series, the phototropes are the most prevalent, as light-seeking would be the most beneficial behaviour for a solar-powered robot. At present, autonomous robots have seen limited commercial application, with some exceptions such as the iRobot Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner and a few lawn-mowing robots. The main practical application of BEAM has been in the rapid prototyping of motion systems and hobby/education applications. Having no long-term memory, BEAM robots generally do not learn from past behaviour. However, as an exception, one of the most advanced BEAM robots that is capable of this is Bruce Robinson's Hider, which has an impressive degree of capability for a microprocessor-less design.