Is the robotics part of AI? Is AI a part of robotics? What is the difference between these two? We answer this fundamental question. So in this article, let's understand what is the difference between robotics and AI.
Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are very different from each other. Both do different things. However, people often mix them both.
A lot of people wonder robotics is a subset of artificial intelligence. Others wonder they are doing the same thing.
Since the first edition of this article, which we published back, the question has become even more confusing. The increase in the use of the term "robot" in recent years has meant that any type of automation has made robotics and AI more skeptical of fitting together (more on this at the end of the article).
So let's understand what is the difference between these two.
Firstly, robotics and artificial intelligence are not the same things. In fact, the two areas are almost completely different and both work differently.
A Venn diagram of the two fields would look like this:
As you can see, a region is small where two regions overlap: artificially intelligent robots. It is within this overlap that people sometimes confuse the two concepts.
To understand how these three words relate to each other, let's look at each of them individually.
Robotics is a branch of technology. Robots are programmable machines that are usually capable of completing a series of tasks autonomously or semi-autonomously.
In my opinion, there are three important factors that make a robot:
I say that robots are "usually" autonomous because some robots are not. For example, telerobots are controlled entirely by a human operator, but telerobotics is still classified as a branch of robotics. This is an example where the definition of robotics is not very clear.
It is amazing that experts are hard to agree on actually becoming "robots". Some people say that a robot needs to be able to "think" and make decisions. However, there is no definition of "robot thinking". The need for a robot to "think" suggests that it has some level of artificial intelligence but many non-intelligent robots exist which suggests that thinking may not be a requirement of a robot.
However you choose to define a robot, robotics involves the design, manufacture, and programming of physical robots capable of interacting with the physical world. Only a very small part of robotics involves artificial intelligence.
A simple collaborative robot (cobot) is a perfect example of a non-intelligent robot.
For example, you can easily program a cobot to take an object and place it somewhere else. The cobot will pick and hold objects in the same way until you turn them off. This is an autonomous function because the robot does not require any human input after being programmed. The task does not require any intelligence because Cobot will never change what he is doing.
Most industrial robots are non-intelligent.
Artificial intelligence is the branch of computer science. It involves developing computer programs to accomplish tasks that would otherwise require human intelligence. AI algorithms can deal with learning, perception, problem-solving, language-understanding, and/or logical reasoning.
Artificial Intelligence is used in many ways within the modern world. For example, AI algorithms are used in Google searches, Amazon's recommendation engine, and GPS route finder. Most Artificial intelligence programs are not used to control robots.
When AI is used to control robots, AI algorithms are only part of larger robot systems, including sensors, actuators, and non-AI programming.
Often - but not always - Artificial Intelligence involves some level of machine learning, where input is responded to in a "standard" to a particular input using known inputs and outputs in a certain way. We discuss here machine learning in our article Robot Vision vs. Computer Vision: What's the Difference?
The main aspect that distinguishes AI from more traditional programming is the term "intelligence." Non-AI programs only complete a defined sequence of instructions. AI programs mimic some level of human intelligence.
One of the most common examples of pure AI can be found in games. A classic example of this is chess, wherein 1997 AI Deep Blue defeated world champion, Gary Kasparov.
Another recent example is, in 2016, Lee Sedol defeated the world champion Go player. The pieces of the game were moved by a human who saw the robot move on a screen.
Most robots are not artificially intelligent. Until recently, all industrial robots can only be programmed to carry out a repetitive series of movements that, as we have discussed, do not require artificial intelligence. However, non-intelligent robots are quite limited in their functions.
AI algorithm is necessary when you want to allow robots to perform more complex tasks.
A warehousing robot can use a path-finding algorithm to navigate around a warehouse. The drone can use indigenous navigation when it is about to run out of battery. A self-driving car can use a combination of AI algorithms to detect and avoid potential hazards on the road. All these are examples of artificially intelligent robots.
Imagine that you wanted to add a camera to your cobot. Robot vision falls under the category of "perception" and usually requires AI algorithms.
Say that you wanted Cobot to locate the object that was picking it up and place it in a different location depending on the type of object. This will include training a special vision program to identify different types of objects. One way to do this is to use an AI algorithm called template matching, which we discuss in our article about how template matching works in robot vision.
In general, most artificially intelligent robots only use AI in a particular aspect of their operation. In our example, AI is only used in object detection. The robot's movements are not actually controlled by AI (although the output of the object detector affects its movements).
In robotics, the construction of robots is physical while AI includes programming intelligence.
However, there is one area where everything is complicated since I first wrote this article: Software Robots.
1. Search engine "bots" - aka "web crawler". They roam the Internet, scan websites, and classify them for search.
2. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) - These have somewhat hijacked the term "robot" over the years, as I explained in this article.
3. Chatbots - These are programs that pop up on websites that talk to you with a set of pre-written responses.
4. Software bots are not physical robots that they exist only within a computer. Therefore, they are not real robots.
Some advanced software robots may also include AI algorithms. However, software robots are not part of robotics.
I hope you like the article and understand the difference between Artificial Intelligence(AI) and Robotics. If you have any queries related topic please ask in the comment section Thank you.
Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are very different from each other. Both do different things. However, people often mix them both.
A lot of people wonder robotics is a subset of artificial intelligence. Others wonder they are doing the same thing.
Since the first edition of this article, which we published back, the question has become even more confusing. The increase in the use of the term "robot" in recent years has meant that any type of automation has made robotics and AI more skeptical of fitting together (more on this at the end of the article).
So let's understand what is the difference between these two.
Are Robotics and Artificial Intelligence the same thing?
Firstly, robotics and artificial intelligence are not the same things. In fact, the two areas are almost completely different and both work differently.
A Venn diagram of the two fields would look like this:
As you can see, a region is small where two regions overlap: artificially intelligent robots. It is within this overlap that people sometimes confuse the two concepts.
To understand how these three words relate to each other, let's look at each of them individually.
What is robotics?
Robotics is a branch of technology. Robots are programmable machines that are usually capable of completing a series of tasks autonomously or semi-autonomously.
In my opinion, there are three important factors that make a robot:
- Robotics deals with a physical robot and interact with the physical world through sensors and actuators.
- Robots are programmable.
- Robots are usually autonomous or semi-autonomous.
I say that robots are "usually" autonomous because some robots are not. For example, telerobots are controlled entirely by a human operator, but telerobotics is still classified as a branch of robotics. This is an example where the definition of robotics is not very clear.
It is amazing that experts are hard to agree on actually becoming "robots". Some people say that a robot needs to be able to "think" and make decisions. However, there is no definition of "robot thinking". The need for a robot to "think" suggests that it has some level of artificial intelligence but many non-intelligent robots exist which suggests that thinking may not be a requirement of a robot.
However you choose to define a robot, robotics involves the design, manufacture, and programming of physical robots capable of interacting with the physical world. Only a very small part of robotics involves artificial intelligence.
Example of a robot: basic cobot
A simple collaborative robot (cobot) is a perfect example of a non-intelligent robot.
For example, you can easily program a cobot to take an object and place it somewhere else. The cobot will pick and hold objects in the same way until you turn them off. This is an autonomous function because the robot does not require any human input after being programmed. The task does not require any intelligence because Cobot will never change what he is doing.
Most industrial robots are non-intelligent.
What is artificial intelligence?
Artificial intelligence is the branch of computer science. It involves developing computer programs to accomplish tasks that would otherwise require human intelligence. AI algorithms can deal with learning, perception, problem-solving, language-understanding, and/or logical reasoning.
Artificial Intelligence is used in many ways within the modern world. For example, AI algorithms are used in Google searches, Amazon's recommendation engine, and GPS route finder. Most Artificial intelligence programs are not used to control robots.
When AI is used to control robots, AI algorithms are only part of larger robot systems, including sensors, actuators, and non-AI programming.
Often - but not always - Artificial Intelligence involves some level of machine learning, where input is responded to in a "standard" to a particular input using known inputs and outputs in a certain way. We discuss here machine learning in our article Robot Vision vs. Computer Vision: What's the Difference?
The main aspect that distinguishes AI from more traditional programming is the term "intelligence." Non-AI programs only complete a defined sequence of instructions. AI programs mimic some level of human intelligence.
Example of pure AI: AlphaGo
One of the most common examples of pure AI can be found in games. A classic example of this is chess, wherein 1997 AI Deep Blue defeated world champion, Gary Kasparov.
Another recent example is, in 2016, Lee Sedol defeated the world champion Go player. The pieces of the game were moved by a human who saw the robot move on a screen.
What are artificially intelligent robots?
Artificially intelligent robots are the bridge between robotics and Artificial Intelligence. These are robots that are controlled by AI programs.Most robots are not artificially intelligent. Until recently, all industrial robots can only be programmed to carry out a repetitive series of movements that, as we have discussed, do not require artificial intelligence. However, non-intelligent robots are quite limited in their functions.
AI algorithm is necessary when you want to allow robots to perform more complex tasks.
A warehousing robot can use a path-finding algorithm to navigate around a warehouse. The drone can use indigenous navigation when it is about to run out of battery. A self-driving car can use a combination of AI algorithms to detect and avoid potential hazards on the road. All these are examples of artificially intelligent robots.
Example: artificially intelligent cobot
You can expand the capabilities of a collaborative robot by using AI.Imagine that you wanted to add a camera to your cobot. Robot vision falls under the category of "perception" and usually requires AI algorithms.
Say that you wanted Cobot to locate the object that was picking it up and place it in a different location depending on the type of object. This will include training a special vision program to identify different types of objects. One way to do this is to use an AI algorithm called template matching, which we discuss in our article about how template matching works in robot vision.
In general, most artificially intelligent robots only use AI in a particular aspect of their operation. In our example, AI is only used in object detection. The robot's movements are not actually controlled by AI (although the output of the object detector affects its movements).
Where it all gets messed up…
As you can see, robotics and artificial intelligence are actually two different things.In robotics, the construction of robots is physical while AI includes programming intelligence.
However, there is one area where everything is complicated since I first wrote this article: Software Robots.
Why Software Robots Are Not Robots
The term "software robot" refers to a type of computer program that operates autonomously to accomplish a virtual task. examples include:1. Search engine "bots" - aka "web crawler". They roam the Internet, scan websites, and classify them for search.
2. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) - These have somewhat hijacked the term "robot" over the years, as I explained in this article.
3. Chatbots - These are programs that pop up on websites that talk to you with a set of pre-written responses.
4. Software bots are not physical robots that they exist only within a computer. Therefore, they are not real robots.
Some advanced software robots may also include AI algorithms. However, software robots are not part of robotics.
I hope you like the article and understand the difference between Artificial Intelligence(AI) and Robotics. If you have any queries related topic please ask in the comment section Thank you.
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