Robotics....... Welcome to the Future.....

In the year 1206 AD, Al-Jazari completed a book entitled The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices, or Kitáb fí ma'rifat al-hiyal al-handasiyya. Al-Jazari, a Muslim engineer, provided schematic information and detailed drawings of various types of automated machines, including early robots, or automatons.

There is no definitive way to conclude whether Al-Jazari actually invented all of the devices in his book, but the descriptive documentation of the automated devices used at that time is valuable, regardless of the source. Some of the robotics technology achievements used by Al-Jazari were not replicated until 300 years later, with the inventions of Leonardo DaVinci (e.g. Programmable Musical Boat).
Robotics technology is opening up new possibilities for automating tasks and enriching the lives of humans. Engineers develop man-made mechanical devices that can move by themselves, whose motion must be modeled, planned, sensed, activated and controlled, and whose motion behaviour can be influenced by “programming”.

The word 'robot' was coined by the Czech playwright Karel Capek (pronounced "chop'ek") from the Czech word for forced labor or serf. Capek was reportedly several times a candidate for the Nobel prize for his works and very influential and productive as a writer and dramatist. Mercifully, he died before the Gestapo got to him for his anti-Nazi sympathies in 1938.

The Robotic Industries Association defines robot as follows: "A robot is a reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move material, parts, tools or specialized devices through variable programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks."

The structure of a robot is usually mostly mechanical and can be called a kinematic chain (its functionality being similar to the skeleton of the human body). The chain is formed of links (its bones), actuators (its muscles), and joints which can allow one or more degrees of freedom. Most contemporary robots use open serial chains in which each link connects the one before to the one after it. These robots are called serial robots (-WikiPedia).

Robots can be divided into three main categories:

• Industrial Robots - These robots are dedicated to performing repetitive manufacturing tasks that are often unsafe or unpleasant for human workers. They are designed to repeat the same process over and over without change. Modern industrial robots can easily be programmed to perform new applications.

• Research / Service Robots - These robots are designed to assist in exploring and gathering data. They are often used in space applications, surgeries, and household chores. They are designed to not only interact with the environment, but react appropriately, thus thinking up the term "Artificial Intelligence."

• Educational Robots - These robots are sometimes considered toys or kits and are designed to provide an educational experience. Educational robots are used in competitions and for learning experience. They often have the ability to replicate learned behavior.

Robots will soon be everywhere, in our home and at work. They will change the way we live. In science fiction, robots become so intelligent that they decide to take over the world because humans are deemed inferior. In real life, however, they might not choose to do that. Robots might follow rules such as Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics that will prevent them from doing so. When it comes to robots, reality still wraps science fiction. But, just because robots have not fulfill their promise in past does not mean that they will not arrive further. Indeed, the convergence of several advanced technologies is bringing the age of robotics ever nearer - smaller, cheaper, more practical and cost-effective.  One would assume that the robots of the future would become closer and closer to the decision-making ability of humans and also more independent.