Robot Tech

We create robots to handle many jobs that are impossible, too repetitive, or too dangerous for people to do. Someday robots may mine helium 3 on the Moon or operate a space station. Robots that weld, cut, handle and assemble are increasingly common in Silicon Valley and around the world. The robots in these exhibits show what they can do and, importantly, what they cannot do.

Alphabot

This robot shows off its memory. Alphabot, also known to staff as Vanna has a knack for names. Tell it your name, and the robot will spell it with blocks.

This robot has no eyes, so how does it find the right blocks? With the help of a computer, Vanna remembers the exact location of every letter. It knows where to find each block and always returns it to the same spot. If you scrambled the blocks, Vanna couldn't spell your name.

Myth or Machine

Reel robots aren't anything like real robots. You can see robots in films, in TV, here at the museum, and at work on assembly lines. Many movie robots walk and think and have human-like features. They seem to be either good or evil, and some turn against people.

Real robots look more like machines than people, and they do what they're programmed to do. Today, some real robots can mimic a few human behaviors, but they don't yet move, think, and act like people.

Look at these videos to compare some "reel" robots with real robots. Do you think real robots in the future will be more like those in the movies and on TV?

Robot Artist

Sit for your portrait by a robot artist. Many robots are just mechanical arms that follow instructions. What robot arms do depends on their software and the type of hands or end effectors, they have.

This robot has an artistic streak. After the TV camera takes your picture, a computer figures out what the robot should draw. When your portrait is complete, the robot will give it to you.

Robot Design Basics

Designers choose the right parts to fit a robot's job. A robot usually does just one job, and does it very well. That single task defines how the robot moves, its shape, and what parts it needs.

Robots work for us in many ways. They assemble cars and VCRs, or explore volcanoes and the surface of Mars. They serve as security guards and assistant surgeons. Robots even do precise and dangerous jobs, like disposing of bombs and mines or inspecting nuclear reactors. Each type of robot has the parts it needs to do its own job.

Use this program to select a job, then build a robot that has the right parts to do it.

Robotic Co-workers

Steel-collar workers perform many duties. Robots are already common on
factory assembly lines. As designers make them cheaper, smaller, and more
versatile, robots are taking on more jobs once done by people.

Robots work faster and longer than people. We give them dangerous and boring
jobs, and they don't complain. They don't take breaks or vacations, and they
rarely make mistakes.