Mood Brightener: ...more from Stay Homas. (Confination II)
Questions/Answers from Reflection on Day 1:
Perhaps, upon reflection, you have some more questions as a result of day 1?
Q: General structure of assignments:
A: After each day's discussion there will 1-3 HW problems to turn in (each as it's own assignment). Before the NEXT day's discussion there is a low stress 'question' to turn in to reflect your reading ahead to the next breadcrumb.
Robots: But it's more complex than that....
Based on our previous discussion there is a fuzzy line between a very complex machine and a relatively simple robot. One could certainly argue that both exist on a continuum like many things. Anticipating our collective definition of a robot it probably includes some sense of repurposing (reprogramming for different tasks), feedback from the environment (sensors), and adaptive responses to that feedback.
Given our definition it seems interesting to stop and ask " Is a modern car a robot?".
Apply the definition and lets see......
Now consider a model train or a streetcar? Do you get a different answer - Why?
Autonomous Vehicles:
What is different about your idea of an autonomous vehicle? It does everything a car does yet differently somehow. What is that difference and why do we call it autonomous?
The DARPA Grand Challenge is widely believed to be the stimulus for the technology development that has led to widespread acceptance that self-driving vehicles are a realistic possibility (at least in some settings). If you have time (53 min) I certainly recommend watching the NOVA video below. It is a nice history of the first autonomous vehicle challenge. More recently several vehicles completed an urban version of this challenge successfully.
In this context autonomous means the car can drive itself from place to place given a list of GPS way points that define it's course. If you know someone with a relatively new car you will recognize some of the systems from these early challenges have become standard safety equipment now.
Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV's):
An ROV is a slightly different creature. The underwater platforms that discovered and explored the Titanic are ROV's. The actions of the vehicle are controlled by an operator via a cable which can be quite long. Here is a webpage that discusses a number of these vehicles. On that webpage they are described as robots. Do they meet our definition of a robot? Why or why not?
Is a drone (quadcopter) an ROV? Is it an autonomous vehicle? What about the delivery drones that Amazon is proposing and testing?
We attempt to collectively settle on updates to our definitions of Robots and Machines that include the possibility of autonomous and remotely operated
2020 GS104 Updated Robotics Definition of Robot/Machine AND Autonomous/Remotely Operated:
Machines: Need an operator, they perform highly repetitive tasks
On the boundary: ROV is complex machine but has modest self governing characteristics.
Robots: Sense and respond to changes in environment, partially self governing, adaptable. Can perform multiple tasks in response to detected conditions. Function without an operator.
On the Boundary: Autonomous robots can appear to make decisions for themselves though they are often assigned a task by their operator and then make many 'decisions' themselves as they execute the overall task.
Android: Human like in form or behavior, show some level of apparent self determination (artificial intelligence - AI)
All androids are robots but not all robots are androids;
All robots are machines but not all machines are robots;
Assignment Breadcrumb Reading: Bb Assignment
Read the article linked above describing the features of the Mars Curiousity Rover. You don't need to read for detail but just to get a sense for what it is intended to do. The question for this assignment is "Is the Mars Rover an autonomous vehicle or a remotely operated vehicle? Consider this article about how NASA communicates with the Mars Rover. Depending on where Earth and Mars are in their orbits it can take between 4 and 24 minutes for information to travel 1 way between Earth and Mars.
Before Next Class:
Assignment HW: Bb Assignment
Watch this TED video about the work of Hugh Herr on smart prosthetics.
Such prosthetics are often called robotic arms or legs. How does this statement stack up against our definition of robots and machines? Would you consider these robotic devices (if they are robots) to be remotely operated or autonomous? Explain your thinking based on our definition above.
Assignment HW: Bb Assignment
Revisit your previous analysis of the Mars Rover. How do you now characterize the rover? Is it a ROV or a Autonomous Vehicle? Explain your reasoning using the results of our class discussion.
Looking Ahead:
Look ahead to the next Breadcrumb: Where?
Assignment Breadcrumb Reading: Bb Assignment
Favorite Location
Determine your favorite coffee shop, bakery, or ice cream store. Find
i) the street address
ii) the latitude and longitude in degrees, minutes, and seconds. How to: Google Maps
iii) the GPS location in degrees with 6 or more decimal places
iv) the what3words label for this location. what3words
Do not describe what you get at this location. We will use these for some activities during class.
