Department of robotic systems

A special place is occupied by robotics, which is an interdisciplinary branch of informatics and technology. Robotics involves the design, construction, operation and use of robots. The goal of robotics is to develop machines that can help people. Robotics combines the fields of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, information engineering, mechatronics, electronics, biomedical engineering, computer engineering, control systems engineering, software development, mathematics, etc.

Directions of scientific research in the field of “Robotics”

Improvement of materials

    Modern robotics directly depends on available materials and resources. This is one of the most significant factors for the development of this industry, since the resources of our planet are limited, and the creation of innovative electronics and powerful batteries requires scarce components. Therefore, the future of the industry is determined by modern developments of innovative materials. And although high-strength steel, titanium and aluminum alloys, and hydrocarbon fibers are widely used today, each manufacturer, as a rule, tries to introduce its own developments into production. In general, science, together with industry, is currently focused on the development and production of the following materials for the robotics field:

    • austenitic aluminum-forming steels AFA-SS, which have high corrosion resistance and can withstand extremely high temperatures;
    • cast stainless steel CF8C-Plus, characterized by improved high-temperature tensile properties and high fatigue resistance;
    • ultra-strong polymer membranes and nanocomposites based on polycrystalline diamond;
    • nano-coating with increased erosion resistance and coating of vitreous ultradisperse particles based on iron;
    • lubricants with the addition of solid lubricating components, as well as nanoparticles ;
    • graphene and other high-strength carbon-based materials that can be used for intelligent composites, transistors and other elements of electronics and electric drives;
    • mononitride , which is a new generation semiconductor material.

    The use of 3D printing with composite materials and new technologies for the production of high-strength molecular polymers help reduce the cost of industrial and service robots and make them more affordable. However, such technologies are applicable in most cases only for lightly loaded models. Robotic equipment and its power elements, intended for intensive operation and work with high specific and weight loads, are created on the basis of high-strength steels and alloys capable of providing adequate power, strength and performance of manipulators.

    Medicine

    The deterministic environment of hospital departments and wards creates positive prerequisites for robotics in medicine to develop as actively as in the industrial segment. Today, no one will be surprised: a robot surgeon, whose ultra-precise scalpel helps to assist in operations, a robot nurse, who dispenses medicine according to the schedule and provides care for seriously ill patients; a rehabilitation robot that restores mobility to people with limited physical capabilities; a therapeutic robot in the form of an animal that reduces stress and encourages people to interact; the Saul robot is a unique model capable of effectively destroying and weakening the cell walls of microbes and viruses by generating powerful ultraviolet pulses. This feature made it an effective helper in the fight against deadly diseases, including the Ebola virus; robot simulators of the 5th generation. The most famous medical robot in the world is the Da Vinci robotic surgeon developed by Intuitive Surgical. Every year, the list of operations officially allowed to be performed with its use expands. In 2018 alone, five thousand such robotic surgeons participated in more than a million operations of various types. We have listed only a few options why robots are used in medicine. Practically, their possibilities are much wider, and new models and modifications appear every year, which allow to radically improve the quality of therapy, medical and sports rehabilitation, and the effectiveness of the fight against deadly viruses.

    Agriculture

    Robotic technology is also widely and variably used in this field. Manufacturers offer the market numerous structural variations of robotic mechanisms that are used for applying fertilizers to the soil, planting seed material, fighting weeds, monitoring the condition of crops and even finding plants affected by pests and diseases. Only in 2017, according to the IFR (International Federation of Robotics), 6,055 robots of various designs were purchased for agriculture.

    Military Affairs and National Emergency

    Robotics and mechanical engineering in a technological tandem made it possible to create models that radically influenced the course of military operations and the quality of rescue operations. Specialized robots and manipulators make it possible to avoid losses of personnel and civilians, to carry out:

    • rescue operations aimed at finding victims, removing them from the rubble and evacuating them;
    • destruction of damaged buildings and clearing of passages and passageways;
    • reconnaissance of traffic routes;
    • detection of radioactive, explosive and other dangerous substances;
    • demining

    Robots are the best assistants in eliminating accidents at nuclear power plants. Several robots were used during the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which made it possible to avoid even greater casualties: RR-G1 performed a visual inspection and determined the level of the radiation background, and Ch-HV Mobots were actively used for radiation reconnaissance and roof cleaning. During the Fokusima NPP accident, only Toshiba’s robot observers were able to penetrate into the melting reactors, and this allowed monitoring the situation and minimizing the consequences of the disaster.

    Unmanned aerial vehicles, as already demonstrated by Ukraine’s war of liberation against Russia, can conduct reconnaissance, adjust the actions of forces and even fire at enemy positions. And in peacetime, they are used to monitor man-made and natural disasters and to eliminate the consequences of emergency situations.

    The development of electronics makes it possible to make robots even more perfect and expand their functionality. Thus, the new SCRATCHbot model, equipped with sensor whiskers, will effectively search for people in the rubble and determine their location with millimeter accuracy, which will significantly increase the quality of rescue operations.

    Conquest and exploration of space

    Given that outer space is not suitable for human exploration, the historical role of robotic technology for their exploration is immeasurable. It is created specifically to help collect data and conduct various research in extraterrestrial worlds. Landers and autonomous manipulators designed to detect life on other planets, obtain and analyze their soil and air samples, as well as space rockets and orbital stations are simply stuffed with numerous sensors, sensors and other elements of robotic systems. They ensure the life support of cosmonauts and the performance of astrophysical, technological, research and other modules, determine the accuracy of landing and the quality of reconnaissance work, monitor the interaction of all devices, and minimize control errors set by crew members.

    Education and training

    Considering the active development of robotics in everyday life, the use of robotic devices in lessons, lectures and practical classes is the best motivation for today’s youth to acquire high-quality and comprehensive knowledge. Today, there are a large number of educational robots that help educators bring enlightenment to the masses. Makeblock mBot is a programmable robot designer with great technical potential. NAO is a miniature android capable of observing, understanding human speech, talking and working with objects. But robot stimulators are mostly used in the educational field. They help future doctors to practice manipulation and operational skills, electronics engineers to assemble circuits and boards, physicists and chemists to conduct research.

    Logistics

    This branch accounts for more than 50% of service robots. Warehouse mobile robots, unmanned electric transport, power exoskeletons, packaging systems are becoming an important new tool in logistics. Their main advantage is multitasking and eliminating the possibility of error.

    In addition, they significantly reduce costs and increase the efficiency of e-commerce. Perhaps that is why recently there has been a very high demand for robotic equipment rental.

    Robotization of technological processes ( machine tending , welding , assembly, pick and place)

    First, Covid, followed by the mass exodus of Ukrainians abroad with the start of the war and the analyzes of numerical analysts regarding the potential number of those who will return to Ukraine after the victory – all this led to a total increase in demand for the robotization of technological processes at Ukrainian factories. Despite the shelling and the destabilized situation with power grids, business owners continue to invest more and more in robotic systems.

    Robotization of metal welding processes, maintenance of complex multi-axis machine tools, assembly, maintenance of conveyor systems, and palletizing are the most in demand. The metalworking industry is one of the leaders in terms of the number of installed robots. But the most robotic industries include automotive, electronics and food manufacturing. The global chemical, mining and atomic industries, as well as shipbuilding and aircraft construction, are not inferior to them.

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