Robotics Glossary

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AUV

Autonomous underwater vehicle. A robot vehicle which travels underwater.

UAV

Unmanned aerial vehicle. An aircraft controlled without a pilot. These aircraft are predominantly used by the military and differ from missiles as they are designed to be reusable. Early UAVs used remote control and preplanned flight paths; more recently research has been conducted in autonomous versions.

Android

A robot which closely resembles a human being.

Humanoid

A robot which has one or more human characteristics such as arms, legs or a head.

Nanobot

nanorobots, nanoids, nanites. A near microscopic size robot measured in nanometres (10^-9 meters). Nanobots are currently only theoretical.

Robot

A self controlled machine usually equipped with appendages for moving and interacting with its environment.

Robotics

The study and development of robot technology, closely related to electronics, mechanics and computer science.

Actuator

Used to move robot appendages and spin wheels, they come in the form of electric motors and hydraulic or pneumatic pumps.

Gripper

Allows a robot to pick up objects.

Sensor

A sensor converts environmental conditions into a usable form (usually as a electrical signal).

End effector

An end effector is the attachment on the end of a robot arm. Example include robot grippers, welding torches and paint sprayers.

Telepresence

Controlling a robot remotely using a visual display and remote control. Telepresence has been used by surgeons to perform operations in different countries.

Artificial Intelligence

AI. The research and application of intelligent machines that aims to imitate the intelligence of humans and other animals.

MIT

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A private university in the United States prominent in the field of robotic research.

Bionic

A combination of organic material and electrical equipment. The term 'Bionic man' refers to a human with body parts replaced with electronics.

SLAM

Simultaneous localisation and mapping.

SPA

Sense-Plan-Act.

LED

Light-emitting diode. A small light bulb that uses low-power and produces relatively low heat compared to other light bulbs.

Solenoid

A coil of wire wrapped around a metal core through which an electrical current is passed, producing a magnetic field. Solenoids are often used as relay switches in high current applications such as car starter motors.

NASA

National Aeronautics and Space Administration.. America's space agency.

Robot Rover

A wheeled robot used for exploration.

FET

Field-effect transistor.

FORTRAN

A high-level programming language optimised for numerical operations.

LISP

A high-level programming language popular in artificial intelligence research.

CPU

Central Processing Unit.

PWM

Pulse Width Modulation.

MTROS

Multitasking Real-Time Operating Systems read more.

RTOS

Real-Time Operating Systems read more.

BEAM

BEAM robotics refers to the development of simple biologically inspired robots. The word 'BEAM' is an acronym for Biology, Electronics, Aesthetics, and Mechanics. BEAM robots generally use anologue circuits (instead of digital), replacing complex microprocessors with simple voltage comparators, which are used to interpet sensor readings and decide on the robots actions.

CAD

Computer-Aided Design.

CAM

Computer-Aided Manufacture.

CMOS

Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor.

CCD

Charge Coupled Device.

IC

Integrated Circuit.

IR Sensor

Infrared Sensor.

DOS

Disk Operating System.

RAM

Random Access Memory.

RoHS

Restriction of Hazardous Substances.

FPGA

Field Programmable Gate Array.

Heat Sink

Conducts and dissipates excess heat.

I/O

Input/Output.

ISO

International Organisation for Standardisation.

DAC

Digital-to-Analogue Converter.

ADC

Analogue-to-Digital Converter also A/D or A to D.

Multimeter

Measures electronic values, such as resistance, current and voltage.

OEM

Original Equipment Manufacturer.

PCB

Printed Circuit Board.

Object-oriented programming

OOP.

Modem

MOdulator-DEModulator.

USB

Universal Serial Bus.

DOF (Degree of freedom)

Degrees of Freedom.

Mechatronics

Name given to the study of mechanic and electronic engineering.

Artificial Neural Network

This is a type of computer program which aims to model the human brain to solve complex problems. Also known as an ANN.

Reinforcement Learning

Type of computer program that uses past results to improve how the program performs.

DARPA

Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency.

JPL

Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

DoD

Department of Defence.

Light Year

1 light year = 9.4605284 × 10¹² kilometres.

Light Speed

299,792,458 metres per second.