Module 9
	Transportation and travel: beyond human capabilities
Extra materials 2

1.	Industrial robots
1.1.	Read the text and answer the questions:
a)	What sensor and end effector can you see in pictures 1, 2 and 3?
b)	What production process is depicted in picture 2?
c)	What kinds of actuators are mentioned in the text?

How Do Computers Control Robots and Production Lines?
	
actuator -  исполнительный механизм
	
Sensors	Sensors (inputs to the computer) detect what is happening on the production line, and send data to the computer so that it can decide what to do. Examples of sensors would be:
•	Switches / buttons - detect if something is touching them
•	Pressure sensors - detect if something is pressing down on them
•	Light sensors - detect if something is present (blocks the light)
•	Temperature sensors - detect if items are hot/cool enough
•	Liquid level sensors - detect how much liquid there is in a container
•	Cameras - detect the shape / colour of object	

Fig. 1	
Process

Valve – 
клапан	The control software running on the computer is the process. It takes the data from the sensors, checks if anything needs to be done, then turns on/off various actuators to make things happen. For example, in a soft-drink factory, the production line involves filling bottles with fluid (the drink).
1.	The computer would make sure that a bottle was in place (using data from a pressure sensor, a light sensor, or a camera) and then turn on the fluid control valve.
2.	The data from a fluid level sensor would be checked to see if the bottle was full. When it was full, the computer would turn off the fluid control valve.
3.	These steps would then be repeated for the next bottle, and so on.
In a typical production line, there will be hundreds of sensors and dozens of actuators, all connected to computers (often a large network of computers)	

Fig. 2	
Actuators

	Actuators (outputs from the computer) are the devices that make things happen on the production line: robots picking things up, conveyor belts moving, etc.

Examples of actuators would be:
•	Motors - used to make almost everything move, from the joints of robot arms, to the motion of conveyor belts.
•	Valves - to turn on/off the flow of paint, 
•	Relays (electrically operated switches) - turn on/off devices like welders	
Fig. 3	

1.2.	Speak about different kinds of
a)	Sensors
b)	Actuators
used in production lines.
1.3.	Read the text and speak about advantages and disadvantages of using robots in industry.
Present your own viewpoint or make up a dialogue with a partner.

Why Use Computer-Controlled Robots? 
The robots used in factories are very expensive. Many of the larger ones can cost as much as $500,000. And some factories have dozens of robots. So why would a factory owner spend so much money on these expensive machines? There are a number of reasons why robots are used (on the left).
And there are some downsides to the use of robots in factories (on the right).
•	Robots can work 24 hours a day, every day, with no breaks
•	Robots don't need to be paid a wage (so money is saved)
•	Robots are extremely accurate compared to humans, so product quality is high
•	Robots can perform tasks quicker than humans, so more products can be made
•	Factories with robots don't need to be heated or even have the lights on, and they don't need food (so lower day-to-day costs)
•	Robots can work in very dangerous / unhealthy conditions (e.g. with dangerous chemicals)
•	Robots don't get bored / hate their job!	•	Robots cannot easily adapt to unusual conditions like a human can (e.g. if an item on the line is not in the correct place, a human worker would notice and correct it) 
•	People are made unemployed because robots are doing their jobs (however some new jobs are created - looking after the robots - and some employees can be retrained)
•	People are deskilled (this means that, because the robots are doing the complex, skilled tasks that the people used to do, the people are left doing simple, boring jobs)
•	The robots are very expensive, and it can take several years to pay for them (paying with the savings made by not paying any wages)