Nowadays we come across many robots even in our homes! Our washing machine is a robot that performs the simple task of washing clothes, similarly, dishwasher, vacuum cleaner, oven and there are many more. The automobile industry uses robots to design vehicles and automate the process of manufacturing and testing vehicles. Many areas in the healthcare field use robots, for example, Doctors use robots to help perform surgeries that save lives; Nurses use multiple devices to monitor patient’s health at real-time like heart-beat monitor, oxygen level monitor, and blood pressure monitor; Pathologists use many devices to get blood reports. And the list can go on…

 

Robotics is a fascinating part of engineering and science that include concept, design, construction, electrical engineering, computer science, mechanical engineering, and so on. Any automated machine which works without human effort or minimal human intervention or in the presence of human beings and performs different tasks in a human-like manner is a ROBOT. The goal of Robotics is to design machines that can help humans.

 

Robotics is becoming one of the leading technologies in the world. In many industries robots are widely used where work needs to be performed in environments hazardous to humans. Robotics also plays an important role in exploring deep down the sea and high up in space. Robots can reach very deep parts of the ocean where it’s not possible for humans to survive and provide important information. Similarly, there are limitations for humans to explore outer space on their own. As a result, robots, also called rovers, are designed to explore other planets or satellites. These robots take many pictures – videos and send them to labs/stations on earth that help researchers to analyze and learn more.

 

Rovers have wheels and specialize in moving around. They land on the surface and drive around to different spots. Rovers help scientists in their quest to understand what different parts of the planet are made of. A rover can drive around to different areas, studying the different chemicals in each rock. These chemicals can tell scientists something about the environments that changed the rock over time.

 

Over the years, NASA has sent five rovers to Mars. The names of the five rovers are:

Sojourner – Mars Pathfinder Mission,

Spirit and Opportunity – Mars Exploration Rovers Mission,

Curiosity – Mars Science Laboratory Mission, and

Perseverance – Mars 2020 Mission.

 

NASA’s fifth Mars rover,Perseverance, landed on the Red Planet in February 2021!

 

Similarly, the Pragyan rover was part of the Chandrayaan-2 mission, a lunar mission developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The rover weighed 27 kg, had six wheels, and was to be operated on solar power.

 

We at Saras Robotics intend to provide a platform to introduce this new technology to our young generation with practical learning along with theoretical knowledge.

 

We are starting a series of articles about the basics of robotics this month. Do watch out for more information on the basics of Robotics in upcoming months.

 

– Published in Perceptive minds, fortnightly news paper for youngsters, Jan’23 first issue