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ROBOTICS
Prospects of a Career in
Advanced Science What is it?
(Robotics)
Robotics is a branch of engineering that involves the
conception, design, manufacture, and operation of robots.
Dr. Elmer P. Dadios
University Fellow and Full Professor This field overlaps with electronics, computer science,
De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines artificial intelligence, mechatronics, nanotechnology, and
Email: dadiose@dlsu.edu.ph bioengineering.

ROBOTICS ROBOTICS

Who are involve? Qualifications ?

Robotics Engineer as a start needs to have Bachelor degree
in Robotics or Electrical/Electronics/Mechanical and
Robotics engineers design robots, maintain them, develop
Manufacturing Engineering.
new applications for them, and conduct research to expand
the potential of robotics.
An additional Masters or a Doctorate degree opens the arena
of research and design.

Students with good academic records are preferred over and

above the discipline and an eye for detail and creativity.

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ROBOTICS
Qualifications ?
Robotics companies require a host of other professionals as
programmers, systems engineers, technicians, database and
simulation experts, and industrial engineers.
People with these qualifications and a zeal to innovate and
learn may also enter the field of robotics.
ROBOTICS
Tech Watch by Bob Weinstein
The United States ranks third in robot sales (industrial and
personal) behind Japan and western European countries
(Germany leads).
According to trade organization Robotic Industries
Association (RIA), the use of robots in the electronics
industry should grow an average of 35 percent per year over
the next several years.
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ROBOTICS
Tech Watch by Bob Weinstein
Robotics industry growth could signal the huge impact of IT
career path.
Robotics is moving into its next growth phase.
Last year, the industrial robotics market was $1.4 billion,
compared to $615 million in mid 1990’s.
ROBOTICS
Breaking into a career in robotics
Robotics is a rapidly developing field.
The recent growth of the industry signals that now is a good
time to investigate career opportunities in robotics.
Manufacturing was the first industry to invest heavily in
robotics and remains the primary employer.
However in recent years, applications in agriculture, mining,
nuclear power-plant maintenance, and a variety of other
fields is picking up pace.
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ROBOTICS ROBOTICS

Breaking into a career in robotics Breaking into a career in robotics

It is high time that one looks upon robotics as a field offering
lucrative career in research as well as in development
aspects.
Robotics companies need a host of talents, including
programmers, systems engineers, technicians, database and
simulation experts, and industrial engineers to support the
robotics engineers
Check out companies making robotic products—ABB Flexible
Automation, iRobot Corporation, Mobot, Inc., Hitachi
Corporation, Motoman, Inc., Pyxis Corporation, and Gecko
Systems, Inc., to name a few—to learn about the kinds of
jobs they’re offering.
Also, visit the Robotic Industries Web site and The Robotics
Institute at Carnegie Mellon University for any listings or
ongoing projects.

ROBOTICS ROBOTICS

Breaking into a career in robotics Categories of robots

Steve Eckert, director of engineering at ABB Flexible Think of robotics as carved up into four broad categories,
Automation, a manufacturer of industrial robots and robotic defined by function:
systems in New Berlin, WI, says “it is difficult to find techies 1. industrial robots
with robotics experience”. 2. personal robots
3. robots for medical or surgical use
Carl Traynor, director of marketing at Motoman, Inc., a robot 4. autonomous robots.
manufacturer in West Carrollton, OH, agrees. “It’s a small
but incestuous industry, where there is a lot of movement of
techies between customers, suppliers, and other
manufacturers.”

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ROBOTICS
Categories of robots
The largest category is industrial robots, which are simple,
programmable robots used in manufacturing plants for
welding, painting, and feeding components into machines.
These robots are not “smart”: If the assembly line breaks
down, the robots will keep on aimlessly moving,
accomplishing nothing.
They’re not capable of reacting to change.
Motivating factors for introducing robotics
into production industry
2. Economic Factors - An overriding consideration in the
application of robotic systems is the associated economic picture.
Offer productivity increase through:
A) Maximum use of capital-intensive production facilities,
possibly in three shifts around the clock.
B) Reducing production losses due to interruptions,
absenteeism, and labor shortages
C) Reducing in-process inventory
D) Reducing manufacturing lead-time.
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Motivating factors for introducing robotics
into production industry
1. Technical Factors - Human capabilities are in many
cases not sufficient to satisfy modern requirements of
precision, speed, endurance, strength, uniformity etc.
Robotics offers:
A) High flexibility of product type and variation,
and smaller losses for preparation time than
conventional automation.
B. Better product quality, fewer rejects and less
waste than human intensive production.
Motivating factors for introducing robotics
into production industry
3. Sociological Factors - The impact on the human factors
of production can be beneficial in various respects. Robots can
do many low level or otherwise undesirable tasks. This
includes work in dangerous or unhealthy environments,
monotonous activities with short recurring cycles and heavy
physical tasks.
A) Reduction of accidents (safety).
B) Removal of conditions dangerous to human health
C) Shorter working hours.
D) Increased living standards.
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ROBOTICS
Categories of robots
The second category is personal robots, most of which are
basically just expensive, high-tech toys.
Sony sells the Aibo ERS-210, an odd-looking, three-pound
metallic dog capable of limited voice recognition.
The DLSU-QUATROBOT, a humanoid robot capable of
navigating dynamic environments and doing human like
behavior such as dancing, ball kicking, balancing, etc.
Medical robot can do organ biopsies during MRI
scans
The Johns Hopkins Urology Robotics Lab
based in Baltimore, Maryland.
The robot features a motor that provides
power "without metal or electricity" which
means that it can operate within the
intense magnetic fields generated by
Magnetic Resonance Imaging machines.
The Robor could improve the treatment of
prostate cancer, which is apparently in
many cases impossible to spot outside of
an MRI machine. Previously, surgeons
relied on "blind" biopsies in the case of
operations on organs like the prostate.
We'd imagine then that the addition of this
robot to a surgeon's tool box will do
wonders for patient morale
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ROBOTICS
Categories of robots
The third Robots category are used in the medical field which
have been the source of major breakthroughs.
T.J. Tarn, a professor of systems science and mathematics
and director of the Center for Robotics and Automation at
Washington University in St. Louis, says that one of the most
exciting recent developments is the medical profession’s use
of robots during surgery.
Surgical robots, for example, can do everything from tying
sutures to moving cameras in response to spoken
commands.
ROBOTICS
Categories of robots
The fourth category, autonomous robots, is touted as the
“next generation” in robotics, according to David Smith, vice
president of technology consulting firm Technology Futures
in Austin, TX.
Unlike the programmable robots, autonomous robots make
decisions and can even determine right from wrong.
Most of them are being developed at universities such as
Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford, De La Salle University -
PWR, SRS, GOAL, Etc.
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Robotic Competitions Summary

Federation of International Robo-soccer The arguments against robotic systems

association
www.fira.net 1. The conquer of humanity by the machine.
International Robot Olympiad (IRO)
www.iro.org 2. Reduction of the labor force with resulting
unemployment.
First Robotic Competitions
www.usfirst.org
MRSP National Robot Dancing