Robotics appears to be on a march toward becoming a dominant technology. It is generally assumed that robots will be a part of our common working world and, to some degree, our social world. Robotic technology is rooted in cybernetics and manufacturing automation technology. Of course, industrial robot technology is based the same numerical control technology as computer-aided machine tools. And there has been exciting progress in mobile robots whose uses extend beyond the factory.
Robots, over the past 50 years, have become the “elbow grease” of industry. They assist in material handling, parts insertion, welding, and finishing, among other tasks. There are about 1 million industrial robots at work worldwide. But given 50 years of development, one might wonder why there are not many more.
Robots are principally electro/mechanical devices that depend on the interaction of a host of systems to move from sensing (machine vision data), to “thinking” (software tools), to acting (with arms and end-effectors in the case of industrial robots). There is not only a need to know what is acting where, with what, and when, but also what forms of interference and disconnects may occur in a simulated or actual design that would affect performance.
Any machine or product that requires interacting systems means complexity in design, manufacture, and execution. There have been many roadblocks in the path to robot success, but now there may be a way around those roadblocks.
Recently, as Microsoft threw its hat into the robotics ring, Bill Gates said, “Robotics is a highly fragmented industry with few common standards or platforms. Projects are complex, progress is slow.” To this he added, “Whenever somebody wants to build a new robot, they usually have to start from square one.” Gates may have put his finger on why there are not far more industrial robots: a lack of standards and off-the-shelf modules.
One champion in modularity is the Lego brick. This small, plastic block, along with a product called Lego Mindstorms NXT, has become the present-day Erector Set, a set of building blocks from an earlier era. A 3-year-old child can connect Lego bricks; a child not much older can build a simple mobile robot using programmable bricks.
On a higher level, National Instruments offers modules that let robot builders take advantage of this concept. The point is to avoid reinventing the wheel, which means using already designed and robust software and hardware along with off-the-shelf products to rapidly design and build robots. National Instruments is providing a way for such diverse talent as algorithm engineers, mobility researchers, and sensor manufacturers to solve problems without inventing their own bricks.
In past columns, I have discussed the robotics competitions held by FIRST, an organization established to inspire young people’s interest in science and technology. FIRST and Project Lead the Way, which offers computer integrated manufacturing courses, show young people the potential of intelligent engineering. By building on the idea of modularity — from Lego bricks to the grown-up equivalents from National Instruments — we can inspire folks to pursue careers in building robots, which will ultimately lead to re-creating manufacturing in America.