Common Types of Robots: Are there any new ones you haven’t heard yet?

What are some of the widely known types of robots that are used for mainstream applications?

In recent years, we have heard a lot of buzz around what capabilities robots possess, what are their abilities, to what extent they can be beneficial for humankind, and so on. From transforming people's daily lives and work practices to raising efficiency and safety levels, robotics solutions influence every aspect of work and home. Today the robotics industry is worth multi-billions. According to Analytics Insight, the robotics global market for robotics is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 10.9% from US$47.8 billion in 2019 to US$80.2 billion in 2023.

The commercial and industrial value of robots will surge in the coming years, thanks to their wide range of applications and varieties. But, are we aware of the types of robots being used in today's scenario? Let's find out!

Before we proceed with distinctive types of robots, first, let's understand what a robot is. Basically, a robot is a mechanical device that is capable of movement by duplicating certain human functions electronically with the help of a computer. It is designed to perform a function (or series of functions) automatically, whether simple or complex. A robot makes use of disciplines such as dynamic system modeling and analysis, mathematics, biology, physics, mechanical engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, computer science and engineering, and automation technology. The flexibility of a robot with the capability of performing a large variety of tasks and applications has made it very useful in today's industrial arena.

Types of Robots

Autonomous Vehicles: Bizarre as it may sound, robots are also capable of driving us via driverless vehicles. Before they can hit the road, autonomous vehicles are categorized as per six levels of automation, according to the SAE. Here each level has a specific set of requirements that a vehicle must meet before it can be considered to operate at that level. Some examples of top companies building such vehicles are nuTonomy, Zoox, Drive.ai, Tesla, Optimus Ride, Waymo.

Cobots: Collaborative robots or cobots operate in conjunction with and in a shared environment with humans to perform their tasks. E.g., Sawyer cobot arm which helps greenhouse workers pick plants. Mitsubishi cobot, offers coffee at  Café X kiosk in Hong Kong. Some cobots are also used for higher-quality inspection, resulting in more accurate production batches.

Disaster Response Robots: They perform dangerous jobs like searching for survivors in the aftermath of an emergency and help in other crucial activities at the disaster site. E.g. Hyrodnalix's Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard (EMILY) is a four-foot, 25-pound remote-controlled robot that acts as a hybrid flotation buoy-lifeboat. Colossus from Shark Robotics can help in fire fighting, haul firefighting equipment, transport wounded victims and trigger its 360-degree, high-definition thermal camera to assess a scene. It was approved as resourceful during France's Notre-Dame Cathedral fire disaster.

Drones: A type of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which is actually an aircraft without a human pilot on board. This type of robot has invaded a wide range of industries around the world and is helping in carrying many activities. E.g., China has used drones to help clear the atmosphere of fog. Drones from Dji and Lehmann Aviation are being used in aerial photography. Drones are also used to deliver inventory, medical kits, and even pizza (e.g. Domino's DomiCopter).

Entertainment Robots: They are designed to arouse human emotions to entertain us. Some of the examples are RoboThespian; a robot comedian, Navi Shaman; a Disney theme park robot, and Partner; a robotic musician. A few years ago, four ABB robots took the stage at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing.

Humanoid Robots: These robots look like and can also mimic human behavior. They usually perform human-like activities (like running, jumping and carrying objects), and are sometimes designed to look like us, even having human faces and expressions. Some notable examples include Surena IV (Iranian University of Tehran), Sophia (Hanson Robotics), Atlas (Boston Dynamics).

Industrial robots: There are six types of industrial robots: articulated robots, Cartesian robots, the SCARA robots, the cylindrical robots, delta robots, and polar robots.

• Articulated Robot: It resembles a human arm in its mechanical configuration. The arm is connected to the base with a twisting joint. The number of rotary joints connecting the links in the arm can range from two joints to ten joints and each joint provides an additional degree of freedom.

• Cartesian: 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.

• SCARA: Selective Compliance Assembly/Articulated Robot or Arm (SCARA) is more commonly used for assembly purposes all over the world due to its easy and unobstructed mounting.

• Cylindrical: These robots are generally used for assembly purposes, spot welding, and machine die castings. They have a minimum 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.

• Delta Robots: Also referred to as "spider robots," they use three base-mounted motors to actuate control arms that position the wrist. Basic delta robots are 3-axis units but 4- and 6-axis models are also available.

• Polar: Also known as 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.

Space Robots: As the name suggests these robots have been exclusively used in various outer space missions. For example, Dextre is a robotic arm which was designed to install and replace small equipment such as exterior cameras or the 100-kg batteries used on the Space Station, replace defective components in the Station's electrical systems and test new tools and robotics techniques. Robonaut 2 helps in carrying experiments. We also have spacebots that have helped in space exploration like Dawn –  first spacecraft to orbit a dwarf planet. It is credited with discovering the source of many meteorites: the giant asteroid Vesta. Mars rovers – Curiosity and Perseverance.

It is important to note that these are broadly used robot versions. There are military robots, underwater robots, hexapods, sanitary bots, research bots, teleoperated robots and much more.