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docs/modules/1_introduction/1_definition_of_robotics/definition_of_robotics_main.rst

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Definition of Robotics
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In recent years, autonomous navigation technologies have received huge
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attention in many fields.
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Such fields include, autonomous driving[22], drone flight navigation,
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and other transportation systems.
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What is Robotics?
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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Examples of Python in Robotics:
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Robot is a machine that can perform tasks automatically or semi-autonomously.
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Robotics is the study of robots.
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The field of robotics has wide areas of technologies such as mechanical engineering,
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electrical engineering, computer science, and artificial intelligence (AI),
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to create machines that can perform tasks autonomously or semi-autonomously.
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The History of Robots
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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This timeline highlights key milestones in the history of robotics:
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Ancient and Early Concepts (Before 1500s)
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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The idea of **automated machines** has existed for thousands of years. Ancient civilizations imagined mechanical beings:
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- **Ancient Greece (4th Century BC)** – Greek engineer **Hero of Alexandria** designed early **automata** (self-operating machines) powered by water or air.
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- **Chinese and Arabic Automata (9th–13th Century)** – Inventors like **Al-Jazari** created intricate mechanical devices, including water clocks and humanoid robots.
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The Birth of Modern Robotics (1500s–1800s)
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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- **Leonardo da Vinci’s Robot (1495)** – Designed a humanoid knight with mechanical movement.
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- **Jacques de Vaucanson’s Automata (1738)** – Created robotic figures like a mechanical duck that could "eat" and "digest."
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- **Industrial Revolution (18th–19th Century)** – Machines began replacing human labor in factories, setting the foundation for automation.
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The Rise of Industrial Robots (1900s–1950s)
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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- **The Term “Robot” (1921)** – Czech writer **Karel Čapek** introduced the word *“robot”* in his play *R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots)*.
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- **Early Cybernetics (1940s–1950s)** – Scientists like **Norbert Wiener** developed theories of self-regulating machines, influencing modern robotics.
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The Birth of Modern Robotics (1950s–1980s)
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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- **First Industrial Robot (1961)** – *Unimate*, created by **George Devol and Joseph Engelberger**, was the first programmable robot used in a factory.
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- **Rise of AI & Autonomous Robots (1970s–1980s)** – Researchers developed mobile robots like **Shakey** (Stanford, 1966) and AI-based control systems.
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Advanced Robotics and AI Integration (1990s–Present)
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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- **Autonomous Vehicles & Drones** – Self-driving cars and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) became more advanced.
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- **Medical Robotics** – Robots like **da Vinci Surgical System** revolutionized healthcare.
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- **Personal Robots** – Devices like **Roomba** (vacuum robot) and **Sophia** (AI humanoid) became popular.
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- **Collaborative Robots (Cobots)** – Robots started working alongside humans in industries.
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Key Components of Robotics
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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Robotics consists of several essential components:
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#. Sensors – Gather information from the environment (e.g., cameras, LiDAR, gyro, accelerometer, wheel encoders).
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#. Actuators – Enable movement and interaction with the world (e.g., motors, hydraulic systems).
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#. Computers – Process sensor data and make decisions (e.g., micro-controllers, CPUs, GPUs).
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#. Power Supply – Provides energy to run the robot (e.g., batteries, solar power).
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#. Software & Algorithms – Allow the robot to function and make intelligent decisions (e.g., ROS, machine learning models, localization, mapping, path planning, control).
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This project, PythonRobotics, focuses on the software and algorithms part of robotics.
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Applications of Robots
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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Robots come in various forms depending on their purpose:
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#. 🤖 Industrial Robots – Used in manufacturing (e.g., robotic arms in manufacturing factories).
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#. 🏠 Service Robots – Assist in daily life (e.g., vacuum robots, delivery robots).
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#. 🚗 Autonomous Vehicles – Self-driving cars and drones.
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#. 👨‍⚕️ Medical Robots – Assist in surgeries and healthcare.
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#. 🚀 Space & Exploration Robots – Used for planetary exploration (e.g., NASA’s Mars rovers).
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#. 🐶 Humanoid & Social Robots – Designed to interact with humans (e.g., ASIMO, Sophia).
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Autonomous Navigation: Python is used in self-driving cars and other autonomous vehicles for tasks like perception, localization, and path planning.
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Industrial Robotics: Python is employed in manufacturing for robot control, quality inspection, and automation.
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Service Robotics: Python powers robots that perform tasks like cleaning, delivery, and customer service in various environments.
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Research and Education: Python is a popular choice in robotics research and education due to its ease of use and versatility.

docs/modules/1_introduction/2_python_for_robotics/python_for_robotics_main.rst

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A programing language, Python is used for this `PythonRobotics` project
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to achieve the purposes of this project described in the :ref:`What is PythonRobotics?`.
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This section explains the Python itself and features for science computing Robotics.
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This section explains the Python itself and features for science computing and robotics.
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Python for general-purpose programming
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

docs/modules/1_introduction/3_technology_for_robotics/technology_for_robotics_main.rst

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Technology for Robotics
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Autonomous Navigation
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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In recent years, autonomous navigation technologies have received huge
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attention in many fields.
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Such fields include, autonomous driving[22], drone flight navigation,
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and other transportation systems.
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An autonomous navigation system is a system that can move to a goal over long
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periods of time without any external control by an operator.
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The system requires a wide range of technologies:

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