The Northy Letter Week 4, January 2022

The Northy Letter Week 4, January 2022

Hello everyone. Here I come again with a recap of what happened last week that you must have missed – the Northy Letter Week 4. Stay with me as a cruise you through.

Monday

It’s still the beginning of the year. Most of us have plans on how we want to spend this year. Some of you want to start a family, learn a new skill, or do something such as stop a bad habit, express yourself more, etc., some also want to start or improve an already existing business. There are various ways to do this, which is why I think you should head on to this lovely article How to Register Your Company with CAC

Apart from your own views and opinion, do you care about others? Learn to communicate more and understand how other people think and feel. This helps you have better relationships with those around you. Don’t know where to start? You can start with this wonderful article written by Precious Alex-Toji5 Actionable Tips to Develop More Empathy.

Have you ever been battling or coping with teamwork? If yes, worry no more as Aisha Jibril has come to your rescue with an amazing article on 10 Tips to Work Better as a Team.

Tuesday

Indeed we are in the 21st century and I must say so many things are still very alien to us. The need to make life more efficient and easy has led to the use of advanced technology to the extent that we now have self-driving cars, maybe flying cars too. Talking about making life easier, robots are now being created to assist in house chores, cooking, and more. That’s apart from doing complex tasks in the industrialized system. All You Need to Know About Robotics will fill you in on Robot Technology.

If you haven’t heard of clean energy, then you must have heard of carbon emissions and greenhouse gases which are depleting the atmosphere due to pollution. Clean energy is a way of producing reusable energy while trying to fix the problem of pollution and the destruction of the atmosphere. To get more on this clean energy you need to read this well-written piece by our tech-savvy Umar Farouk Kabir on What Clean Energy Is All About

And who wouldn’t like to improve on their personal life? Are you looking for something to read that will help you become a better person? Then I got you covered as these are the Eight Books That Changed My Life. I didn’t say so, Aisha Jibril did. I am not much of a reader but I am definitely going to check those books out to experience that change. You should too.

Wednesday

Nature is filled with wonders, beauty, and magical healing powers. Yes! You heard right. Although you might ask, is there a magic wand? Yes, there is. This is because plants can serve that purpose. Plants like Moringa have been used to cure ailments and do other things that improve health. Find out the Benefits of Moringa Plant.

Thursday

Old school Thursday! As usual, it is about the culture, traditions, and heroes of our past. Something is always looking strange. Something is always trying to make us curious. How about names? We hear a new name if not every day but at least once in a while. Some names sound really cool while others are odd. Sometimes due to cultural differences, we spend time practicing its pronunciation. But most times we don’t really know were these names mean. Here is a guide to a few of these names so next time you know the meaning of what you’re saying lest you bite your tongue. 150+ Hausa Names and their Meanings.

Since I was a kid, I loved to dress up. I’m telling you, Cultural Day is the best day of school for me. I always adored cultural attires so much noting their similarities and differences with other cultures. The Hausa Royal Attire is always beautiful. What they represent is mind-blowing. It’s so beautiful that you could tell someone’s rank by the colour of their clothes and the turban is glamorous. I think I’ve said too much. You should read all about it.

Friday

Yes! It is the best day of the week and this is what I have for those who don’t know what Gifts to Give out during Naming Ceremonies. Sometimes, it is hard to pick gifts for other people and naming ceremonies are no exceptions. Just gave out a wonderful article to help you out.

The Harmattan monsters are upon us. Just kidding. Although the weather doesn’t go easy on our skin and our health. Our lips are not left out. The harsh, dusty, and dry wind leaves it dry and chipped. No more. Read how to make your own Homemade Strawberry and Lemon Lip Balm and also Homemade Peppermint Lip Balm with Aisha Zakari as she shares this sweet recipe and never suffer chipped lips again

Saturday

One of the things that allow disrespect by our significant other to take place is when we don’t set boundaries. Should we set them or nay? You can go ahead to find out Why Setting Boundaries in a Relationship Is Important.

Apart from that, if you are going on your first date and you want it to be fun then this article is for you – Fun Things to do on a First Date. I promise you this will help you gain a space in their hearts that’s if you don’t steal it completely.

Sunday

There are lots of recipes I want you to try out. Though you could be working a 9-5 schedule and you are quite busy. If that’s the case, please save this article for one of those experimental days – How to Prepare Kunun Gyada written by Abu Hafsah; I was surprised to know it’s coming from a guy, yes a guy! The drink is very nutritious, delicious, and great for everyone in the family. That’s not all. You could also learn How to Make Beans Porridge (Faten Wake).

That’s a wrap! The Northy Letter with all these interesting reads for you to pick from. Next week, I’ll be back with more. Once something is good, we all want more of it. It will only get better from here. I am excited. I will be expecting you next week.

All You Need to Know about Robotics

All You Need to Know about Robotics

Robotics springs from the root word, ‘robot’. A robot is basically a machine that resembles a human being and is able to copy some or all of human movements. A robot may function automatically or semi-automatically.

Now that you know what a robot is, the next question is ‘what is Robotics?’

Robotics is defined as a branch of engineering that deals with the design, construction, operation, and application of robots.

You may wonder why anyone would sit and write a whole article on robots or robotics. Well, if you aren’t already aware, perhaps it’s time you take some time out to read this article and get enlightened as to the uses and application of robotics in a world that is in a rapid state of technological evolution.

In search of growth and survival, man has developed so many things employing different techniques across history. And one of those techniques is the application of robots to make life easier and safer.

Yes, contrary to the movie ‘the terminator’, robots are actually quite safe and save man from hazardous tasks.

In this article, you will learn about the various applications of robotics that help man achieve higher efficiency.

The History of Robots

The early conception of robots can be traced back all the way to 3000BC when Egyptian water clocks used human figurines to strick the clock bells whenever an hour passes. There are other instances across the face of history where genius men made very good attempts at creating autonomous beings.

In the first century A.D., a man named Petronius Arbiter made a human figurine that could move like a human being. Another man by the name of Giovanni Torriani created a wooden robot that could fetch the Emperor’s daily bread from the store in 1557! By far this is my personal favourite. I mean, can you begin to imagine how much of a visionary this man was to be able to conjure up something like this way back in 1557?

Robotics reached a relative peak in the 1700s; countless ingenious robots were created during this time period. 

In the 19th century, a talking doll by Edison and a steam-powered robot by Canadians planted the first seeds of inspiration for the modern robot and it is safe to say that the advancement in the field of robotics has taken an astronomical leap in the 20th century.

Types of Robots

Generally speaking, there are 5 types of robots:

1. Preprogrammed Robots

These types of robots operate in a controlled facility where they perform simple, monotonous tasks. A simple example is the robotic arms found in car assembly lines. The arm performs the simple functions of welding, engines assembly, and so on.

These arms are used because they can perform these tasks faster and for longer periods of time.

2. Humanoid Robots

These robots, as the name implies, are robots that are designed to look like humans and mimic simple to complex human emotion and behaviour. Humanoid robots can also perform human activities like running, jumping, and carrying objects of varying sizes, even handling delicate goods like glass and eggs.

See Sophia by Hanson Robotics and Atlas by Boston Dynamics.

3. Autonomous Robots

A prime example of an autonomous robot is the Roomba vacuum cleaner, which uses sensors to roam freely throughout a home.

Autonomous robots are unique in the sense that they do not require human supervision to operate. They utilize sensors to take in the world around them and then use fast computers to take the optimal next step based on their data and mission.

4. Teleoperated Robots

Teleoperated robots use a wireless network to enable human control from a safe distance. These robots usually work in extreme geographical conditions, weather, circumstances, etc. An example is the human-controlled submarine bots that are employed to fix broken underwater pipes or landmine-seeking drones deployed on battled fields.

5. Augmenting Robots

These robots serve the purposes of enhancing the human base abilities or replacing capabilities lost by a human. An example of the former is the exosuits used for lifting heavyweights. These suits enhance the base power level of the wearer and gift them with the ability to lift weights that are otherwise impossible for them to lift.

An example of the latter is prosthetic body parts that are used to replace those that are lost.

8 Applications of Robotics

1. Robots in Factories!

Robots can be found everywhere in factories these days, and it's not very hard to see why.

Yes, that’s right. Robots can be found everywhere in factories these days, and it’s not very hard to see why. There is a lot of repetitive action in manufacturing industries, actions such as welding, sealing, packaging, and a lot more. The human mind is prone to distraction, and with distraction comes errors.

Some errors are without heavy risks, as the worst-case scenario might be the loss of a product or a reduction in product quality while other errors are quite costly and could claim lives or body parts. But when you have robots doing these tasks, you do not have to worry about loss of life or product quality reduction. Why? Robots don’t get tired or distracted, also, they don’t die since they aren’t alive in the first place.

This is a win-win situation no matter how you look at it. In fact, it is a win-win-win situation because robots are a lot faster than humans. So, you not only get safety and accuracy but tremendous speed too.

Having these three factors present in any manufacturing industry means that output is maximized.

2. Robots in Farm Fields!

Robots can now be used to enhance farming activities

Have you ever worked on a farm before? If you haven’t then perhaps you could ask someone who has about their experience on the physical effort exerted to maintain production. If you have worked on a farm, and you still do, this will certainly come as a relief for you.

There are many recycled tasks in farming that are both energy and time-consuming. These tasks can be performed more suitable by robots thereby saving both time and energy. These tasks may include seeding, weed control, harvesting, etc. Robots are usually used for harvesting crops which allow farmers to be more efficient. There are different robots for different farming activities and such an example is the Ecorobotix. It is powered by solar energy and can be used to target and spray weeds using a camera system.

3. Robots Doing Household Chores

what is robotics

Robots are specifically designed to reduce human efforts. With the rapid advancement in technology generally, we have seen improved sophistication in machines. Robots are now capable to carry out simple and complex human chores at home. There are a lot of fully automated devices nowadays that provide such convenience at home. We have cooking bots, lawn-mower bots, and the most famous being vacuum bots.

Related: 20 Gadgets That Will Make Your Life Easier

These robots are fitted with what is called artificial intelligence that enables them to partake in machine learning. That way, they are able to develop the capacity to study the nature of their tasks and perform them ever more efficiently.

4. Application of Robotics in the Field of Medicine

The application of robotics has stretched to the medical field

Robotics can also be applied in the field of medicine. With their accuracy and efficiency, robots can a great tool for doctors to have in their hospitals. Robotic equipment being used in a hospital provides a better 3D view. An added advantage is that robots are able to use surgical tools a lot better than human hands. In this day and age, surgeries are increasingly being done by robots specifically designed for such purposes. One good reason is that machines are less disposed to making errors such as slipping of surgical blades from blood-slicked hands.

Another glorious point to mark out is the advent of prosthetics. Utterly damaged limbs that cannot be fixed through surgical means be replaced using artificial limbs created through the field of robotics.

5. Application of Robotics in the Military

Robots are used for combat where humans deem it too dangerous

In most first-world countries, robots are employed in the department of defence. They are used to control the missiles, locate snipers, survey enemy territory using disposable drones and so much more.

Surveillance bots are the most commonly used robots used in the military. They are flexible, robust, and disposable. The cameras are equipped with picks-up thermal signatures and are also fitted with a facial recognition system.

6. Robots Delivering My Products?

The field of robotics is used to deliver products

A robot delivering light goods and services is no longer a thing of fiction. Although there are still a lot of kinks to iron out, online shopping giants such as Amazon are not wasting any time utilizing this piece of technology to improve service quality. Drones are now being employed to deliver lightweight goods and services to consumers.

The advantage is that heavily populated cities with terrible traffic are longer a hindrance seeing as drones do not exactly follow traffic. This results in faster delivery speeds.

7. Automated Transportation

Tesla automated cars is one of the applications of robotics

Automated transportation is another application for robotics. With the development of autonomous self-driving cars like the one from Google and Tesla, there is a significant reduction in danger to the lives of people. To clear up a simple misconception, self-driving robots are not robots that drive cars like chauffeurs or you and I; they are simple cars that are fitted with artificial intelligence that enables them to move according to very accurate calculations carried out by the software.

Related: What the Metaverse Is and Why It Matters to You

8. Robots in Class Rooms!

Robots are now used to teach students in the classrooms

A lot of students suffer from different diseases that stop them from physically attending classes. So, a group of top engineers came up with the idea to use robots as some sort of proxy for the student. The robot is being remotely controlled by the student from his/her sickbed. The eyes of the robots serve as cameras while the limbs are there to aid in communication gestures. The whole essence of this is to create a feeling of closeness between the student and the classroom.

Will Robots Displace The Human Workforce?

This is a very valid question. In the early 20th century, horses were the main means of transportation and were beast largely used on farmlands. Horse employment seemed pretty much indispensable. 50 years later, cars and tractors made short work of these beasts. Do you see where I’m going with this?

While Humans are a thousand times smarter and more adaptable than horses, it is indeed valid to worry about being replaced by robots. As these machines become more nimble, more intelligent, the human race seems more vulnerable. You will be astonished at the feats achieved by modern artificial intelligence. So, this begs the question, “Will robots become smart enough to do away with the human workforce?” Well, yes and no.

As things stand, robots on their own do not have that capability, but if you look at the rate at which we become increasingly dependent on them, and the rate at which you find them in more sectors of human life with each passing year, it is indeed not farfetched.

According to Economist.com, A new working paper concludes that, between 1990 and 2007, each industrial robot added per thousand workers reduced employment in America by nearly six workers.

Conclusion

It is safe to say that there is a major shift in paradigm regarding the way things are being done, and the level of influence technology has in our lives. What used to be a thing of fiction, only seen in movies and cartoons is now very real; in fact, we have interacted with it at some point in time.

The introduction of robots into our daily activities has indeed made life easier and more convenient, and with time, robots will cover even more parts of our lives. Do not be alarmed, but robots are taking over!