Modern Robotics
The journey from basic machines to the advanced robotics developed at the University of Queensland has taken millennia. In antiquity, people crafted mechanisms out of natural materials, such as wood, and metals, creating machines which could control motion or even move on their own. This introduced the first forms of mechanical programming, such as rope winding: a way of sequencing using rope and axles.
Intricate clockwork computers, such as the Antikythera mechanism, were developed as early as the 2nd century BCE. These devices enabled the prediction of the motion of stars, the sun and planets.
By the dawn of the 19th century, mechanical analogue computers could be programmed to calculate complex differential sums, predict tides, and control looms with mechanisms like the “Jacquard Machine”. These systems were developed by early mathematicians such as Ada Lovelace.
Electricity sparked a revolution in computing. Electromechanical computers were developed in the 1930s, followed by electronic computers in the 1940s. By the 1960s, integrated semiconductor circuits made digital computers powerful and portable enough to guide the Apollo missions to the moon.
Today’s computers offer robots the unprecedented ability to process information about their environment cognitively and to respond appropriately. The University of Queensland’s Robotics Design Lab uses integrated computing in conjunction with clever mechanical systems to tackle the biggest challenges in robotics research. One day, our robots might help you at work or in your home!