Types of Robots

Mobile Robots
    Mobile robots are able to move, usually they perform task such as search areas. A prime example is the Mars Explorer, specifically designed to roam the mars surface.

    Mobile robots are a great help to such collapsed building for survivors Mobile robots are used for task where people cannot go.  Either because it is too dangerous of because people cannot reach the area that needs to be searched.

Rolling Robots

     Rolling robots have wheels to move around.  These are the type of robots that can quickly and easily search move around.  However they are only useful in flat areas, rocky terrains give them a hard time.  Flat terrains are their territory.

Walking Robots

     Robots on legs are usually brought in when the terrain is rocky and difficult to enter with wheels.  Robots have a hard time shifting balance and keep them from tumbling.  That’s why most robots with have at least 4 of them, usually they have 6 legs or more.  Even when they lift one or more legs they still keep their balance.  Development of legged robots is often modeled after insects or crawfish

Stationary Robots

     Robots are not only used to explore areas or imitate a human being.  Most robots perform repeating tasks without ever moving an inch.  Most robots are ‘working’ in industry settings.  Especially dull and repeating tasks are suitable for robots.  A robot never grows tired, it will perform its duty day and night without ever complaining.  In case the tasks at hand are done, the robots will be reprogrammed to perform other tasks

Autonomous Robots

     Autonomous robots are self supporting or in other words self contained.  In a way they rely on their own ‘brains’.

 Remote-control Robots

    An autonomous robot is despite its autonomous not a very clever or intelligent unit.  The memory and brain capacity is usually limited, an autonomous robot can be compared to an insect in that respect.

    In case a robot needs to perform more complicated yet undetermined tasks an autonomous robot is not the right choice.

    Complicated tasks are still best performed by human beings with real brainpower.  A person can guide a robot by remote control.  A person can perform difficult and usually dangerous tasks without being at the spot where the tasks are performed.  To detonate a bomb it is safer to send the robot to the danger area.  

    Autonomous robots run a program that give them the opportunity to decide on the action to perform depending on their surroundings.  At times these robots even learn new behavior.  They start out with a short routine and adapt this routine to be more successful at the task they perform.  The most successful routine will be repeated as such their behavior is shaped.  Autonomous robots can learn to walk or avoid obstacles they find in their way.  Think about a six legged robot, at first the legs move ad random, after a little while the robot adjust its program and performs a pattern which enables it to move in a direction.
Virtual Robots
   Virtual robots don’t exits in real life.  Virtual robots are just programs, building blocks of software inside a computer.  A virtual robot can simulate a real robot or just perform a repeating task.  A special kind of robot is a robot that searches the world wide web.  The internet has countless robots crawling from site to site. These WebCrawler’s collect information on websites and send this information to the search engines.
BEAM Robots
BEAM is short for Biology, Electronics, Aesthetics and Mechanics.  BEAM robots are made by hobbyists. BEAM robots can be simple and very suitable for starters

Classing your Machine

Machines vary in functions and in Appearence which is why you need to class your machine. Also because certain classes have to have certain functions. The classes are as follows:

Machine-Automated: Any machine that can funtion without Human interference. Can mean a very basic and elementary style of machine.

Robot: A general term meaning automated  unit which does have some kind of  human symbolization in operation or physical structure.

Humanoid: A machine that has more of the human characteristics in its phsical appearence.

Android: A human appearing machine which duplicates appearence and some actions of the human body.

Cyborg: A biological type of robot which has all capabilities of the previous types mentioned and has some form of Artificial Intelligence(A.I).

Cybot: The machine counterpart of the cyborg.

Cybert: The most advanced type of robot possible to imagine, with a human appearence, and it can learn from its own experiences.