The term robot comes from the Czechoslovakian word for "forced labor," invented by Karel Capek. Karel Capek used robots in his plays and had them look and behave like people. Today, the word "robot" is hard to define because of new designs and technology being used and the tasks they perform. The Dictionary defines a robot as "a machine in the form of a human being that performs the mechanical functions of a human being." However, most robots today do not take on human form. Most industrial robots look like Large over sized arms more than anything else. Around 1981, the members of the Robot Institute of America held a meeting to develop a definition of an industrial robot. Finally after long debate, they came up with the definition:"A reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move material, parts, tools or specialized devices, through variable programmable motions, for the performance of a variety of tasks."The key words in their definition are "reprogrammable" and "multifunctional." By "reprogrammable" they mean that if a robot gets a new assignment, it will need new instructions, but its basic structure will not change (except maybe a new mechanical hand). By "multifunctional" they mean a robot is the mechanical counter part of a computer that can handle various problems without any major hardware modifications. The only thing that changes when a robot is reassigned is its program of instructions. In modern robots, programmable microprocessors control all the robot's movements and actions. Robots can be taught by using a teaching mode. A person moves the robot's hand through all motions manually with his hand. When the robot is turned back on, it will repeat those same motions over and over again. Most industrial robots are equipped with one hand with several moveable joints. Some of these joints swivel mimicking the behavior of a humans joints. Other industrail robots move in straight l...
