From auto pilots, to washing machines and ATMs, we humans do like to automate things! Tune into this automatic episode of SCOPE to find out why and how we do it! Check out how factories automate their production lines, catch up with a robot that can solve the rubik's cube and meet Robonaut, the robotic astronaut!
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Dr Rob takes us through exactly what automation is and why things get automated. From everyday objects like washing machines to the mars rover and everything in between- automation is all around us.
EXPERIMENT: ROBOT WORKSHOP
Robots can be programmed to do some pretty amazing things, but to become a roboticist you need to learn the basics first. Marie Boden from the University of Queensland takes a group of students through the paces of robot development with some pretty cool results.
GOLDEN CIRCLE DRINKS
You can find these drinks in your lunch box but did you know there is an amazing automated process which creates them? Anna Reid from Golden Circle takes us behind the scenes into the drinks factory and shows us the very cool machines that make it all happen.
RUBIKS ROBOT
The Rubiks Cube can be pretty tricky to solve, but there is a robot called Ruby who finds it extremely easy. Robotics engineer, Richard Bain from Swinburne University of Technology, introduces us to Ruby who is one of the fastest Rubiks solvers around and shows us exactly how she does it.
ROBOT HELICOPTER
The robot helicopter was developed to fly up tall structures and be our eyes in the sky. Professor Peter Corke from QUT shows us exactly how this small robot could be a big help in the future.
AUTOMATIC PLANTS
Growing plants doesn't sounds like something that you would expect to be automated. Plant Physiologist, Trevor Garnett from the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics, introduces us to the plant accelerator and how he is using it to learn how certain plants use nitrogen. |
