CONTROL SYSTEMS IN MODERN ROBOTICS

off. Companies have switched to a digital control system,
giving them the ability to control multiple processes at the
same time. These central computers provide companies with
the ability to utilize more than one factor in computation
than just one like an older system. Aspects such as heating
and cooling systems, ventilation systems, lighting, etc. can
all be constantly monitored to find the most economical
setting that the company is looking for. By implementing
faster control in smaller spaces, multiple apparatuses do not
have to be implemented into control processes, saving
energy [23].
The faster these control systems are, the more complex
information these systems can have. Their ability to
determine the most efficient solution at a fast pace to
problems given will save time, money and resourses. This
will also help to reduce the large amount of waste disposal
some manufacturing processes posses [23]. Improving the
speed of control will improve human life and save mass
amounts of energy.
Control systems have allowed for reduced waste and
resources in manufacturing processes and thermal control in
buildings, but the control systems themselves are also
representing a reduction in waste. Figure 2 illustrates one of
the first control systems used for controlling an engine’s
speed, which was replaced by a small computer chip.
Changes such as this from analog to digital have made
products more environmentally friendly as they use less
material for their internal systems. This is an oftenoverlooked
benefit of these modern control systems.
POSSIBILITIES FOR THE FUTURE
The control system is an extremely powerful device, giving
users the ability to manipulate robots and make them do
what they want. Through the addition of advanced sensors
giving control systems vital information for making
decisions, robots are able to have legs. With legs, robots like
BigDog have much greater mobility than any robot we have
ever seen before, traveling up slopes, over ice, and through
tough terrain. These advanced sensors and appendages
combined with more powerful computer hardware and
software will make robots of the future more capable,
reliable, and autonomous than ever. Robots like BigDog
show that we are close to having mobile robots that can
handle some of the toughest terrain and recover from slips
and falls without any human intervention, indicating how
close we are to achieving the ultimate science fiction goal:
having a C3PO or iRobot that is capable of inputting
environment data and acting accordingly.
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Issue 7730, p46-48
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank our parents for inspiring our interest
in the field of robotics. Also, we would like to thank our
session co-chair Caitlin Magley and session chair Greg
Wunderley for supporting us during the research process.
University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering
Eleventh Annual Freshman Conference April 9, 2011
8