Robot Builders
What is a machine that performs complicated tasks automatically?
robot
What type of model is built and can be touched, like a model of the Solar System?
physical model
What were the only sources of light before gas and electricity?
candles or oil lamps
What are all the sensors and motors in the control system contained within?
circuits
Which planet is the robotic explorer shown in Photo B currently exploring?
Mars
What type of people, besides engineers, use robots for jobs that are too difficult or dangerous for humans?
factory workers
What is an abstract model of the Solar System usually displayed on?
computer screen
Near the end of which century were the first power stations built?
the 1800s (or 19th century)
What is the job of the sensors on a self-driving car?
to detect what is around the car
What are two parts of the Earth where robot explorers could be used instead of humans?
the sea/ocean and the poles
What are two different environments (besides factories) where robots can perform tasks, as mentioned in the text?
the home and the town (or hospitals/care homes and Mars)
What is an analogy?
a model in which you compare something complicated with an everyday thing that is easier to understand
Name one of the two examples given of everyday things people do without using electrical equipment.
making tea and toast, or washing and drying clothes
According to the flowchart, what is the action a human driver takes after deciding to slow down when seeing an obstacle?
pressing the brake pedal
What is one of the three examples of problems that scientists want to solve when designing a robot to examine rocks on Mars?
Which sensor should the robot use? How can it decide if the rock is the right color; or how will the pictures be sent back to the scientists on Earth
What subject, in addition to electronics, must a robotics engineer study to get a degree?
computer science or mechanical engineering
What does an orrery help people understand about the planets?
how they move around the Sun
What was the original purpose for the electricity produced when power stations were first built?
lighting
What components receive the electrical signals from the control system to make the robot move?
motors
What are two things (besides assembly) that robots are used for in factories?
making cars and other machines
What is the name of the robot designed to lift patients in hospitals and care homes?
Robear
What is Dan using when he uses balls of different sizes to model the Earth and the Moon?
physical model
What is a specific disadvantage of using electricity for washing and drying clothes?
you cannot do them without using electrical equipment
What must engineers do to the computer after designing the control system for a robot?
program the computer
Name two specific subjects (like electronics) that robotics engineers need a degree in to design robots.
computer science and mechanical engineering