How to make a very simple robot:

I am going to tell you how to make a very simple robot:The Beetle bot.It uses no chips or programs but only simple connections.

Step 1: Get all the materials needed!

OK so get all these.i got them mostly from broken toys,i'm sure you can find them at radio shack. 

- A AA battery holder -> holding the batteries.
- Some solder wire -> soldering .
- Some wires -> connecting motor to switch,to batteries.
- 2 AA batteries -> powering the motor.
- 2 1.5V motors (preferably identical) -> making the robot move.
- A slide switch -> ON,OFF.
- 2 SPDT (Single Pole Double Throw) switches -> used for antenna.
- 1-2 paperclips -> glue on the antennae so it is longer.
- Some glue sticks -> use with the hot glue gun.

Step 2: Get all the tools needed!

I borrowed all the tools from my father. Once again,they should be available at radio shack.

- Wire cutter and stripper ->cut wires and strip them.
- Piers ->shape the antennas .
- Hot glue gun -> glue the switch and the SPDT switches on the battery holder.
- A soldering iron -> solder and connect wires together .
- A multimeter -> check the battery.

Step 3: So,let's get started!

Check the battery's power - =D.

If its' on <<good>> use it.

If it's on <<bad>> change it.

Step 4: Some wires.

Solder the wires to the AA battery holder - I made the wires extra long on the blue battery holder so I don't mess it up.

Don't forget the 3th connection!!

It's the wire that connects the 2 batteries together.

I changed the battery holder.

Step 5: The antennae,part 1.

Glue it with the hot glue gun in front of the holder try to do it as perfect as possible.Try to do as in the picture.

Step 6: The antennae,part 2.

With the pliers,bend the paperclip into a straight line.

Step 7: The antennae,part 3.

Cut the antenna with something pointy.

I used the wire cutter/stripper.

you will now have 2 small lines...

Step 8: The antennae,part 4.

With the pliers,bend each line like in the photo.

Try to make them identical by putting one on top of the other or bending them together.

Now arrange them all and your beetle bot is ready!!!

Humanoid Robot:

A humanoid robot is a robot with its body shape built to resemble that of the human body. A humanoid design might be for functional purposes, such as interacting with human tools and environments, for experimental purposes, such as the study of bipedal locomotion, or for other purposes. In general, humanoid robots have a torso, a head, two arms, and two legs, though some forms of humanoid robots may model only part of the body, for example, from the waist up. Some humanoid robots may also have heads designed to replicate human facial features such as eyes and mouths. Androids are humanoid robots built to aesthetically resemble humans.

Purpose:

Humanoid robots are used as a research tool in several scientific areas.

Researchers need to understand the human body structure and behavior (bio-mechanics) to build and study humanoid robots. On the other side, the attempt to the simulation of the human body leads to a better understanding of it.Human cognition is a field of study which is focused on how humans learn from sensory information in order to acquire perceptual and motor skills. This knowledge is used to develop computational models of human behavior and it has been improving over time.

It has been suggested that very advanced robotics will facilitate the enhancement of ordinary humans.Humanoid robots, especially with artificial intelligence algorithm, could be useful for future dangerous and/or distant space exploration, missions, without having the need to turn back around again and return to Earth once the mission is completed.

Sensors:

A sensor is a device that measures some attribute of the world. Being one of the three primitives of robotics (besides planning and control), sensing plays an important role in robotic paradigms

Sensors can be classified according to the physical process with which they work or according to the type of measurement information that they give as output. In this case, the second approach was used.

Proprioceptive sensors:

Proprioceptive sensors sense the position, the orientation and the speed of the humanoid's body and joints.

In human beings inner ears are used to maintain balance and orientation. Humanoid robots use accelerator to measure the acceleration, from which velocity can be calculated by integration; tilt sensors to measure inclination; force sensors placed in robot's hands and feet to measure contact force with environment; position sensors, that indicate the actual position of the robot (from which the velocity can be calculated by derivation) or even speed sensors.

Exteroceptive sensors:

Arrays of tactels can be used to provide data on what has been touched. The shadow hand uses an array of 34 tactels arranged beneath its polyurethane skin on each finger tip. Tactile sensors also provide information about forces and torques transferred between the robot and other objects.

Vision refers to processing data from any modal which uses the electromagnetic spectrum to produce an image. In humanoid robots it is used to recognize objects and determine their properties. Vision sensors work most similarly to the eyes of human beings. Most humanoid robots use CCD cameras as vision sensors.

Sound sensors allow humanoid robots to hear speech and environmental sounds, and perform as the ears of the human being. Microphones are usually used for this task.

Actuators:

Actuators are the motors responsible for motion in the robot.

Humanoid robots are constructed in such a way that they mimic the human body, so they use actuators that perform like muscles and joints, though with a different structure. To achieve the same effect as human motion, humanoid robots use mainly rotary actuators. They can be either electric, pneumatic, hydraulic, piezoelectric or ultrasonic.

Hydraulic and electric actuators have a very rigid behavior and can only be made to act in a compliant manner through the use of relatively complex feedback control strategies. While electric core less motor actuators are better suited for high speed and low load applications, hydraulic ones operate well at low speed and high load applications.

Piezoelectric actuators generate a small movement with a high force capability when voltage is applied. They can be used for ultra-precise positioning and for generating and handling high forces or pressures in static or dynamic situations.

Ultrasonic actuators are designed to produce movements in a micrometer order at ultrasonic frequencies (over 20 kHz). They are useful for controlling vibration, positioning applications and quick switching.

Pneumatic actuators operate on the basis of gas compressiblity. As they are inflated, they expand along the axis, and as they deflate, they contract. If one end is fixed, the other will move in a linear trajectory. These actuators are intended for low speed and low/medium load applications. Between pneumatic actuators there are: cylinders, bellows, pneumatic engines, pneumatic stepper motors and pneumatic artificial muscle.

Planning and control:

In planning and control, the essential difference between humanoids and other kinds of robots (like industrial ones) is that the movement of the robot has to be human-like, using legged locomotion, especially biped gait. The ideal planning for humanoid movements during normal walking should result in minimum energy consumption, like it does in the human body. For this reason, studies on dynamics and control of these kinds of structures become more and more important.

To maintain dynamic balance during the walk, a robot needs information about contact force and its current and desired motion. The solution to this problem relies on a major concept, the Zero Moment Point (ZMP).

Another characteristic of humanoid robots is that they move, gather information (using sensors) on the "real world" and interact with it. They don’t stay still like factory manipulators and other robots that work in highly structured environments. To allow humanoids to move in complex environments, planning and control must focus on self-collision detection, path planning and obstacle avoidance.

Humanoids don't yet have some features of the human body. They include structures with variable flexibility, which provide safety (to the robot itself and to the people), and redundancy of movements, i.e. more degree of freedom and therefore wide task availability. Although these characteristics are desirable to humanoid robots, they will bring more complexity and new problems to planning and control.

What are the main types of robots?

Common Types of Industrial Robots:

Articulated - This robot design features rotary joints and can range from simple two joint structures to 10 or more joints. The arm is connected to the base with a twisting joint. The links in the arm are connected by rotary joints. Each joint is called an axis and provides an additional degree of freedom, or range of motion. Industrial robots commonly have four or six axes.

Cartesian - These are also called rectilinear or gantry robots. Cartesian robots have three linear joints that use the Cartesian coordinate system (X, Y, and Z). They also may have an attached wrist to allow for rotational movement. The three prismatic joints deliver a linear motion along the axis.

Cylindrical - The robot has at least one rotary joint at the base and at least one prismatic joint to connect the links. The rotary joint uses a rotational motion along the joint axis, while the prismatic joint moves in a linear motion. Cylindrical robots operate within a cylindrical-shaped work envelope.

Polar - Also called spherical robots, in this configuration the arm is connected to the base with a twisting joint and a combination of two rotary joints and one linear joint.  The axes form a polar coordinate system and create a spherical-shaped work envelope.

SCARA - Commonly used in assembly applications, this selectively compliant arm for robotic assembly is primarily cylindrical in design. It features two parallel joints that provide compliance in one selected plane.

Delta -  These spider-like  robots are built from jointed parallelograms connected to a common base. The parallelograms move a single EOAT in a dome-shaped work area. Heavily used in the food, pharmaceutical, and electronic industries, this robot configuration is capable of delicate, precise movement.