Thomas Alva Edison

"Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration."– Thomas Alva Edison, Harper's Monthly (September 1932)
Born
February 11, 1847(1847-02-11)Milan, Ohio
Died
October 18, 1931 (aged 84)West Orange, New Jersey
Occupation
inventor, scientist, businessman
Religion
Deist
Spouse(s)
Mary Stilwell (m. 1871–1884) «start: (1871)–end+1: (1885)»"Marriage: Mary Stilwell to Thomas Edison" Location: (linkback:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison)Mina Edison (m. 1886–1931) «start: (1886)–end+1: (1932)»"Marriage: Mina Edison to Thomas Edison" Location: (linkback:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison)
Children
Marion Estelle Edison (1873–1965)Thomas Alva Edison Jr. (1876–1935)William Leslie Edison (1878–1937)Madeleine Edison (1888–1979)Charles Edison (1890–1969)Theodore Miller Edison (1898–1992)
Parents
Samuel Ogden Edison, Jr. (1804–1896)Nancy Matthews Elliott (1810–1871)
Relatives
Lewis Miller (father-in-law

Thomas Edison

Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor, scientist and businessman who developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. Dubbed "The Wizard of Menlo Park" (now Edison, New Jersey) by a newspaper reporter, he was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of mass production and large teamwork to the process of invention, and therefore is often credited with the creation of the first industrial research laboratory.
Edison is considered one of the most prolific inventors in history, holding 1,093 U.S. patents in his name, as well as many patents in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. He is credited with numerous inventions that contributed to mass communication and, in particular, telecommunications. His advanced work in these fields was an outgrowth of his early career as a telegraph operator. Edison originated the concept and implementation of electric-power generation and distribution to homes, businesses, and factories – a crucial development in the modern industrialized world. His first power station was on Manhattan Island, New York.(February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor, scientist and businessman who developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. Dubbed "The Wizard of Menlo Park" (now Edison, New Jersey) by a newspaper reporter, he was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of mass production and large teamwork to the process of invention, and therefore is often credited with the creation of the first industrial research laboratory.
Edison is considered one of the most prolific inventors in history, holding 1,093 U.S. patents in his name, as well as many patents in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. He is credited with numerous inventions that contributed to mass communication and, in particular, telecommunications. His advanced work in these fields was an outgrowth of his early career as a telegraph operator. Edison originated the concept and implementation of electric-power generation and distribution to homes, businesses, and factories – a crucial development in the modern industrialized world. His first power station was on Manhattan Island, New York.

Joseph F. Engelberger

Joseph F. Engelberger (born in New York City, July 26, 1925) is an engineer and entrepreneur who is often credited with being the "Father of Robotics".[1][2] Along with the inventor of the industrial robot, George Devol, Engelberger developed the first industrial robot in the United States, the Unimate, in the 1950s. Later he worked as entrepreneur and vocal advocate of robotic technology beyond the manufacturing plant in a variety of fields, including service industries, health care, and space exploration.
[edit] Biography
In 1956, Devol and Engelberger founded Unimation Inc., which was the world's first robotics company. Two years earlier Devol had already secured the patents for the robot technology in the company's Unimate robot. They installed their first industrial robots at General Motors in 1961. Over the next two decades, the Japanese took the lead by investing heavily in robots to replace people performing certain tasks. In Japan, Engelberger is widely hailed as a key player in the postwar ascendancy of Japanese manufacturing quality and efficiency.[citation needed]
In 1966, Engelberger and a Unimate robot appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. In the segment, the robot poured a beer, sank a golf putt, and directed the band.
The Robotics Industries Association annually presents the Joseph F. Engelberger Awards to "persons who have contributed outstandingly to the furtherance of the science and practice of robotics." The 2000 World Automation Congress was dedicated to Engelberger, who delivered the keynote address.
An early proponent of increased investment in robotic systems, Engelberger published articles and gave Congressional testimony on the value of using automation in space long before successes of the NASA's Mars landers, Galileo, and other unmanned space science missions.
Engelberger's 1980 book, Robotics in Practice, has been translated into six languages. This was followed by Robotics in Service (1989).
Engelberger was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1984. Additional honors include the Progress Award of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, the Leonardo da Vinci Award of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the 1982 American Machinist Award, the McKechnie Award from the University of Liverpool, the Egleston Medal from Columbia University, the 1997 Beckman Award for pioneering and original research in the field of automation, and the 1997 Japan Prize, the highest Japanese technology honor, for the establishment of the robot industry.
Engelberger received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Columbia University, in 1946 and 1949, respectively. Between 1946 and 1956, he was an engineer with Manning, Maxwell and Moore. In 1957, he founded Consolidated Controls Corporation. In 1962 he founded Unimation Inc., and served as chief executive until it was acquired by Westinghouse in 1982. In 1984, he founded Transitions Research Corporation which became HelpMate Robotics Inc. HelpMate was acquired by Cardinal Health in 1997. In his more recent work, Engelberger has focussed on mobile, sensate robots can work with human mentors in service activities. The HelpMate, a robotic hospital courier, is the most widely known and has been installed in over dozens of hospitals around the world. Engelberger has been active in the promotion and development of robots for use in elder care.

Isaac asimov

Isaac Asimov (born Isaac Yudovich Ozimov, Russian: Исаак Юдович Озимов; c. January 2, 1920[1] – April 6, 1992), was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited about 500 books and over 9,000 letters and postcards.[2] His works have been published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey Decimal System (the sole exception being the 100s: philosophy and psychology).[3]
Isaac Asimov is widely considered a master of the science-fiction genre and, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, he was considered one of the "Big Three" science-fiction writers during his lifetime.[4] Asimov's most famous work is the Foundation Series;[5] his other major series are the Galactic Empire series and the Robot series, both of which he later tied into the same fictional universe as the Foundation Series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those pioneered by Robert A. Heinlein and previously produced by Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson.[6] He penned numerous short stories, among them "Nightfall", which in 1964 was voted by the Science Fiction Writers of America the best short science fiction story of all time, an accolade that many still find persuasive. Asimov wrote the Lucky Starr series of juvenile science-fiction novels using the pen name Paul French.
The prolific Asimov also wrote mysteries and fantasy, as well as much non-fiction. Most of his popularized science books explain scientific concepts in a historical way, going as far back as possible to a time when the science in question was at its simplest stage. He often provides nationalities, birth dates, and death dates for the scientists he mentions, as well as etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Examples include his Guide to Science, the three volume set Understanding Physics, Asimov's Chronology of Science and Discovery, as well as numerous works on astronomy, mathematics, the Bible, William Shakespeare's works and, of course, chemistry subjects.
Asimov was a long-time member and Vice President of Mensa International, albeit reluctantly; he described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs",[7] but he also stated that the only two people he had ever met who he would admit were more intelligent than himself were Marvin Minsky and Carl Sagan.[8] He took more joy in being president of the American Humanist Association.[9] The asteroid 5020 Asimov, a crater on the planet Mars,[10] the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, a Brooklyn, New York e

Components of robots

The structure of a robot is usually mostly mechanical and can be called a kinematic chain (its functionality being similar to the skeleton of the human body). The chain is formed of links (its bones), actuators (its muscles), and joints which can allow one or more degrees of freedom. Most contemporary robots use open serial chains in which each link connects the one before to the one after it. These robots are called serial robots and often resemble the human arm. Some robots, such as the Stewart platform, use a closed parallel kinematical chain. Other structures, such as those that mimic the mechanical structure of humans, various animals, and insects, are comparatively rare. However, the development and use of such structures in robots is an active area of research (e.g. biomechanics). Robots used as manipulators have an end effector mounted on the last link. This end effector can be anything from a welding device to a mechanical hand used to manipulate the environment.

robots

Robotics is the engineering science and technology of robots, and their design, manufacture, application, and structural disposition. Robotics is related to electronics, mechanics, and software. The word robot was introduced to the public by Czech writer Karel Čapek in his play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), published in 1920. The term "robotics" was coined by Isaac Asimov in his 1941 science fiction short-story "Liar!"