LESSON 42

ROBOTICS AND ROBOT GENERATIONS [2]

Task 1. Read and translate the text:

Задание 1. Прочитайте и переведите текст:

Robotics is the art and science of the creation and use of robots, i. e., in other words, robot technology. Today practically all sectors of the economy and industry are looking forward to introducing industrial robots. But robot building is not simple and certainly not cheap. If every sector begins to build its own robots, it will be impossible to avoid unnecessary duplication of research and development, and large sums will be wasted. Therefore the need is to concentrate all efforts in robot technology in one pair of hands, in a powerful intersectoral scientific and technical organization. Only in this way it is possible to ensure the maximum standardization of production of industrial robots and multipurpose automatic manipulators. There are two rational ways in the field of robotics.

The first one is to build standardized modules - unified elements on the basis of which t will be easy to assemble, in defferent combinations, robots for the most varied purposes. The second way is to create an intersectoral exchange fund of robots so that research and development of designers in different technical fields should be within the reach of all interested organizations and enterprises.

The robots are divided into three generations: programmed, adaptive and intellectual. Characteristic of the first generation – the programmed robots - is that their control system acts according to a rigid oft-repeated programme all the time. But the programmed robots are easily returned to various action programmes.

The adaptive robots, robots of the second generation, have been ready worked out and will be widely applied in production at the close of this and the beginning of the next decade. Their fundamental difference from the first robot generation is the appearance of artificial sensors, which give the adaptive robots the ability to see, to hear and feel. The possibilities of them are im-measurably greater than the robots of the first generation.

The third generation - intellectual robots - will be able to perform intricate selective operations, and carry out practically autonomous work not depending on the operator. Robots with artificial intelligence will be ableto identify objects in a pile, select the objects in the appropriate sequence and assemble them into a unit. And then we shall be able to speak, about a robot revolution in the economy, about a many-fold increase of labour productivity, and the advent of a new age of industrial production — the age fully automated enterprises and, maybe, whole branches of industry.

Task 2. Answer the following questions:

Задание 2. Ответьте на следующие вопросы:

1. What is Robotics?

2. How is it possible to ensure the maximum standardization of industrial robots production?

3. What are two rational ways in the field of robotics according to the text?

4. What 3 generations are the robots divided into?

5. Can you characterize them?

Task 3. Find the English equivalents for the words and word — combinations given below in the text:

Задание 3. Найдите эквиваленты следующих слов в тексте:

Создание, сложный, ветвь, прикладной, последовательность, появление, гарантировать, труд, цель, искусственный, собирать, согласно, избегать, предприятие.

Task 4. Translate the following words and word — combinations into Russian:

Задание 4. Прочтите следующие слова и словосочетания и переведите их на русский язык:

Artificial, object, labour productivity, advent, branch, duplication, multipurpose, rational ways, divide into, ability, intricate, purpose, unify, pile.

Task 5. Make the sentences interrogative:

Задание 5. Поставьте следующие предложения в вопросительную форму:

1. Robots with artificial intelligence will be ableto identify objects in a pile, select the objects in the appropriate sequence and assemble them into a unit.

2. The robots are divided into three generations.

3. Robotics is the art and science of the creation and use of robots.

4. There are two rational ways in the field of robotics.

5. Today practically all sectors of the economy and industry are looking forward¹ to introducing industrial robots.