Ultra-Robotics: from theoretical foundations to applications

Abstract

The past century has seen how robotics revolutionized the industries, creating great prosperities in the world by increasing efficiencies and productivities. However, at the beginning of the 21st century, globalization of the world economy and the rapid development of new technologies including information technology, nanotechnology, and biomedical technology have presented the robotics with new challenges and opportunities. Ultra-robotics is a new technology to enable the development of ultra-automation that can break the traditional dimensionality limitations of automation, thus bringing it to unprecedented ultra environments such as remote and nano environments. The development of information technology has created a new cyber infrastructure. Robots are the essential tools to interface cyber infrastructure with physical world, which is the key to the successful development and applications of cyber infrastructure. Furthermore, nanotechnology, which enables us to build devices and systems at enormously smaller scales than in the past are bringing fundamental changes to disciplines including engineering, chemistry, medicine, biology and physics. At present, one of the main challenges in nanotechnology is to develop efficient nano manufacturing methods which can efficiently make devices and systems in nano scales. The research in the area of ultra-robotics is important in the development of nano manufacturing technology due to the fact that most physical magnitudes characterizing nano scale systems significantly differ from those existing in macro, meso, and micro systems. New challenges and difficulties in ultra-robotic technology arise from modeling, analysis, and design to sensing, actuation, control, and system integration. Furthermore, ultra-robotics has great potential as a critical enabling technology in drug discovery for pharmaceutical industry. Over the past decade, the global pharmaceutical industry has been facing daunting challenges in scientific and technological innovations as a consequence of the increasing cost in the drug discovery process, the unmet medical needs and government regulations. It is evident that scientific innovations and development of new technologies to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the drug discovery are essential to meet such challenges. In this talk the recent development in ultra-robotics will be presented with emphasis on applications in cyber-enabled robotics, industrial automation, nano manufacturing and biomedicine. The theoretical foundations, implementation schemes and application examples for ultra-robotics will be discussed. The talk will conclude with discussions on challenges and opportunities in the field of ultra-robotics and ultra-automation.