In the past few decades, robots have played a significant role in both industrial and technological advancements. Cloud-integrated industrial robotics provide a vast network of machines to industries. The integration of robotics with cloud computing offers increased computational power for various applications of industrial, communication, healthcare, disaster management, defence systems, and space exploration missions. It also provides reliable and extensive accessibility across a network of devices. In this chapter, the authors delve into the fundamentals of robotics and cloud computing. They introduce the core concepts of robotics and cloud computing, followed by their integration. Subsequently, they explore communication in cloud robotics, encompassing machine-to-machine (M2M) and machine-to-cloud (M2C) communication. They then examine the major applications in industrial robotics and types of robots that leverage cloud robotics technology. They conclude by addressing security issues and challenges in cloud robotics.
Top1. Introduction
In the past few decades, robots have played a significant role in both industrial and technological advancements. Cloud-integrated robotics provides a vast network of machines to industries. The integration of robotics with cloud computing offers us increased computational power for various applications, including communication, healthcare, disaster management, defence systems, space exploration and many more applications. It is also provides reliable and extensive accessibility across a network of devices. Robotics is a technology utilized to mitigate human risk in real-world scenarios. Robots are frequently employed for the transportation of materials, components, or tools from one location to another (Alkhafaji & F. S. M., 2021). They excel in executing tasks with greater speed and precision compared to the average human. Cloud robotics represents the concept of integrating Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud Computing, and industrial wireless networks.
Robots are devices used for the transportation of materials, components, or tools from one place to another. Robotics is an engineering field dedicated to the study and development of robots. The integration of robotics and cloud computing involves a network of robots or machines interconnected via wired or wireless mediums for the exchange of information and data to facilitate coordinated actions (Hu, G. et al., 2012; Edwards, M.,1984).
Robots are programmable multifunctional devices employed for the movement of materials, components, and tools, as well as a wide range of other tasks. However, like any field, robotics is grounded in fundamental principles, with rotation type, workspace, and accuracy serving as some of its essential foundations. There are various types of robots was built for different types of works such as Industrial robots, Domestic robots, Medical and Service robots, Security robots and more.
1.1. Fundamentals of Robotics
Fundamentals in Robotics, also referred as the foundational principles, encompass key factors essential to the field. These fundamentals include rotation type, workspace, and accuracy.Robotics encompasses a wide range of applications, including industrial automation, exploration, security, healthcare, and surveillance.
1.1.1. Rotation Type
Robots are capable of performing various movements, both in terms of their own mobility and in manipulating materials (Yalcin, M., & Patoglu, V., 2012). The movements of robots can be categorized into three distinct types: forward and backward motion, rotation, and upward and downward motion, which are commonly referred to as yaw, pitch, and roll, respectively. Yaw pertains to the upward and downward movement of the robot, pitch involves side-to-side motion, and roll concerns the robot's front-to-back movement.
1.1.2. Workspace
The workspace refers to the area where robots can operate and is primarily defined by the degrees of freedom of the joints in the robot arm (Yalcin, M., & Patoglu, V., 2012). Degrees of freedom can be classified into several types, including the Cylindrical joint (C), Universal joint (U), and the Spherical joint (S).The Cylindrical joint provides a single degree of freedom, allowing the robot to move along the x and y axes. The Universal joint offers more than one degree of freedom, enabling the robot to move along the x and y axes as well as upward and downward. The Spherical joint, on the other hand, boasts three degrees of freedom, resulting in Universal joint motion with the added capability of spinning movements (Hernández, E. et al., 2017) .For instance, consider a robot with two revolute joints, which permits it to move within a range of 180 to 150 degrees.
1.1.3. Accuracy
Accuracy is measured based on the alignment between the programmed task and the task executed by the robot. Let's consider a scenario in which a robot is programmed to connect dots displayed on a screen. If the robot successfully connects nearly all of the dots, it is considered to have achieved a high level of accuracy. However, if the robot only manages to connect half of the dots, its accuracy is deemed to be at an average level. In cases where the robot misses all of the dots on the screen, there is effectively no accuracy at all.