Robotics
The Path to the Future
Robotics
It was days after we had begun the project. I was constantly dizzy for the seemingly never-ending spinning. Round and round on the nuts and bolts, being a wrench wasn’t all I thought it was going to be. We were building a robot, and it was just spin spin spin all day long.
At first I was excited, a robot was going to be the most interesting project yet. But I soon realized it wouldn’t be as glamorous as I first imagined. Instead of a moving, talking being, it was a stationary arm that did simple tasks. Which leads us to today, the last day of the project. We should be finishing later today, and I welcome it greatly.
This project has been going on for too long, with no relief from the continuous turning. I am no longer excited about our creation. It isn’t at all what I thought a robot would be or look like. The truth was far less enthralling than what science fiction portrayed it to be. The only respite is knowing how much help it can do.
This creation could be used to do any number of things. It could help build things, or it could even save lives in a surgical application. Unlike me, who could only ever be used to screw in bolts. Now that it is gone, I am glad we will be moving on to a new project. It just wasn’t what I thought it would be.I discovered a letter written by one of the engineers and it seems he shares my thinking,
"
Dear Mother,
I have been working in a robotics lab for the past few months. It was fun at first, but I now realize that robots aren’t what I, and the general public, thought they were. They aren’t what you see in science fiction, but generally a stationary arm. I thought I would love it but it’s just not what I thought it would be. Everyone thinks of robots differently than what the are in reality.
Your son,
John Roberts"Another one of the engineers had been reading an essay over robotics in general,
"
The word “robot” actually comes from the Czech word, Robota, which means “forced labor”. Robots have an unlimited potential in society. While robots are generally thought of in a science fiction sense, they actually play a large role in our everyday lives, and are especially useful for surgical applications.
The uses of robots can vary greatly. Whatever they do, they are generally a stationary arm or limb used to do specific tasks. Among their many uses, there are things such as, welding, drilling, assembling, painting, wrapping, lifting, exploring, and using various tools(Kazerounian).
Robots can also be used very successfully for surgical purposes. With their ability for precision a detail, they can do difficult surgeries very successfully. At this time, most robots are external “doctors”, but researchers in this field are currently attempting to create internal robots that would actually be put into the patient and fix them from the inside(Afshari and Najarian).
Robots have a growing place in modern day society, and save lives daily. Wouldn’t you want a perfect mechanical surgeon instead of a shaky, nervous, human being."A visiting doctor had written a poem about robots being used for surgery and I found it quite interesting,
"
A shaky floppy being,
constricted by emotion,
poking, probing, fixing you up,
but causing more damage than not,
or...a...
sturdy, perfect machine,
programed to do its best,
fixing you precisely, efficiently,
and most of all safely,
which would you choose,
to attempt to save your life,
robots may be new,
but they are made to do their best,
so make your choice wisely,
you might be choosing your fate,
the mechanics are as safe as,
any person may be."The team leader was working on a crossword of the uses of robots this morning,
"
I cannot wait for the new project to begin.
Bibliography
Works Cited
Afshari, Elnaz, and Siamak Najarian. “Evolutions and Future Directions of Surgical Robotics: A Review.” International Journal of Clinical Medicine: n. pag. Gale Group. Web. 10 May 2013. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=DA-SORT&inPS=true&prodId=GPS&userGroupName=ceda06787&tabID=T002&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm¤tPosition=1&contentSet=GALE%7CA286254587&&docId=GALE|A286254587&docType=GALE&role=AONE>.
Kazerounian, Kazem, Ph.D. “Robots.” World Book Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2013. <http://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar472000&st=Robots>.