APPLICATIONS OF COMPUTER:
Computer is an electronic device that can store data, and process it and can also be programmed with
any instructions.
Computer is used every where in the world in every field of life. There are many applications of
computer for example. Computer can perform any kind of calculations in no time; where as a human
being would take months and years to do the same calculations. Now a day's computer is used in almost
every day application of life E.g. in
Banking: - Before when there was no computer, every where manual system was followed which was a
very complicated and hard work but now with the coming of computer every thing is in a very
systematic way. Every bank is now using a computerized system because it is very fast and user friendly.
ATM cards are used every where now which let us bank any time we want. PC banking (Personal
Computer banking) let us view our bank balance, request transfers between accounts and pay bills
electronically etc…
Traffic light control: - In traffic light control the computer is being employed to drive the traffic light.
There are some programmed codes like " turn off the red light" or "turn on the red light" to control the
traffic light and to carry out the instructions that follows.
Another most important application of computer in real life is:
Sports: - In sports computers are used wildly in conjunction with video cameras. These are used to
record the motion of all the sports men. 3D programs are used later on to help the trainers see there
movements and could improve there styles of playing.
Schools and Collages: - There are many uses of computer in schools and collages e.g. Every student
details need to be stored so a computer program could help in this way.
Multimedia, animations, graphics and charts could be used to teach the students and many boring
topics can be made interesting using multimedia. Students could access internet for online help and
courses for more information.
Retailing Products: - Products from meats to magazines are packed with zebra-striped bar codes that
can be read by the computer scanners at supermarket checkout stands to determine prices and help
manage inventory. Thus, a detailed receipt of the groceries can be made, which is useful for both the
customer and the retail store, especially for the stock control system. This is referred as POS (Point of
Sale) transaction where a precise account of all the stocks available is recorded and manipulated.
Health and Medicine: - Computers are helping immensely to monitor thee extremely ill in the intensive
care unit and provide cross-sectional views of the body. This eliminates the need for hired nurses to
watch the patient twenty-four hours a day, which is greatly tiring and error prone. Doctors use
computers to assist them in diagnosing certain diseases of the sort. This type of computer is called the
Expert System, which is basically a collection of accumulated expertise in a specific area of field.
Computers are now able to map, in exquisite detail, the structure of the human cold virus - the first step
towards the common cold. Furthermore, computers are used greatly in managing patients, doctors,
wards and medicine records, as well as deal with making appointments, scheduling surgeries and other
likes.
Agriculture: - Farmers use small computers to help with billing, crop information, and cost per acre, feed
combinations, and market price checks. Cattle ranchers can also use computers for information about
livestock breeding and performance.
Training: - It is much cheaper and effective to teach pilots how to fly in a computerized cockpit or
simulators, than is real airplanes. This is because the learning pilots will feel much more relaxed and
confident due to the fact that no life is at risk at that moment. Railway engineers can also be given some
kind of training on how to run a train with the help of a computerized system. Training simulations are
relatively cheaper and are always available on one-to-one basis making way for personal training.
Computers have a large number of applications in variety of fields. Computers have great applications in
the field of Information Technology, Physics, Medical sciences, Artificial intelligence, Robotics,
Information Systems, Economics, Statistics, Financial Management, Nuclear Physics, Businesses, and
Human Resource Management etc. Computers are widely used by the businesses and organizations for
effective management of information and resources in almost all departments. Marketing and
advertising agencies rely on computer databases of customers and various other tools to track the needs
of the customers. Human Resource Management Information Systems help organizations to keep record
about the employees. Computers are used in networks which help individuals in the organizations to
communicate with each other by sharing files and important documents.
Typing and drawing
Weather forecasting
Business Offices and Shops
Media and Entertainment
Travelling and Reservation
Internet
Digital Audio / Video Composition
Astronomy
Games and Educational Programs
Security
Computers in Industry
There are three main areas:
Computer Aided Design (CAD)
Computer Aided Manufacture (CAM)
Robotics
Computers are all around us and avoiding them is virtually impossible. We have been exposed in the
world of computer hype, computer advertisements and computer headlines. We interact with
computers in our daily lives - whether we are at the cinemas, the school, or the public library. The
beginnings of computer literacy are already apparent.
ADVANTAGES OF ROBOTS:
The use of robots is necessary to meet production demands. There are many advantages to
incorporating robots such as, decreasing cost and waste material while speeding production. Robots are
also removing the risks to employees by performing dangerous tasks.
Since the first industrial machine-tending robot was introduced in North America in the 1960s, the
industry has grown to more than 135,000 robots in operation, according to figures from the Robotic
Industries Association (RIA).
Robots are more affordable than just 10 years ago. A six-axis robot with a payload of 5 kg, packaged with
a six-axis manipulator, controller, and software is available for less than $30,000. With competitive
leasing programs offered by some vendors, even small shops can find alternative ways to finance robotic
systems at low monthly payments.
There are several choices of industrial robots with capabilities to meet a wide range of payload, reach,
speed, and flexibility requirements. Servo-controlled industrial robots are used to tend all sorts of
capital equipment, such as press brakes, CNC lathes, mills, machining centers, drills, grinders, EDMs, etc.
They are accurate enough to load three jaw chucks, live tooling, fixture tombstones or pallets, collets,
and press brakes.
Robots can be mounted on the floor, upside down, on a machine tool, or on a floor track. More recently,
a six-axis, overhead, rail-mounted robot (Top loader) has gained popularity for tending multiple
machines from the top. These robots operate as articulated gantries and allow for more efficient use of
floor space and capital.
End-of-Arm-Tooling (EOAT) design is yet another consideration. It is defined by part size, weight,
gripping location, gripping surface quality, throughput, and work holding device interference zones.
Many grippers used for machine tending applications are off-the-shelf pneumatic parallel motion types
with two or three jaws depending on the part's shape at the gripping location. For sheet metal
fabricators wanting to automate a sheet-handling process, the robot gripper is designed with simple
vacuum cups mounted on extruded aluminum frame.
THE ADVANTAGES OF INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS:
Quality:
Robots have the capacity to dramatically improve product quality. Applications are performed with
precision and high repeatability every time. This level of consistency can be hard to achieve any other
way.
Production:
With robots, throughput speeds increase, which directly impacts production. Because robots have the
ability to work at a constant speed without pausing for breaks, sleep, vacations, they have the potential
to produce more than a human worker.
Safety:
Robots increase workplace safety. Workers are moved to supervisory roles, so they no longer have to
perform dangerous applications in hazardous settings.
Savings:
Greater worker safety leads to financial savings. There are fewer healthcare and insurance concerns for
employers. Robots also offer untiring performance which saves valuable time. Their movements are
always exact, so less material is wasted.
THE DISADVANTAGES OF INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS:
Expense:
The initial investment of robots is significant, especially when business owners are limiting their
purchases to new robotic equipment. The cost of automation should be calculated in light of a business'
greater financial budget. Regular maintenance needs can have a financial toll as well.
ROI:
Incorporating industrial robots does not guarantee results. Without planning, companies can have
difficulty achieving their goals.
Expertise:
Employees will require training in programming and interacting with the new robotic equipment. This
normally takes time and financial output.
Safety:
Robots may protect workers from some hazards, but in the meantime, their very presence can create
other safety problems. These new dangers must be taken into consideration.
THE HISTORY AND BENEFITS OF INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS:
Robots have revolutionized the industrial workplace. Thousands of manufacturers rely on the
productivity, high-performance, and savings provided by modern-day industrial automation.
But this six-axis manipulator-style robot, equipped with a controller and teach pendant, took time to
evolve. The modern-day industrial robot is the product of many minds and numerous experiments.
THE INDUSTRIAL ROBOT:
George Charles Devol is often called the father of robotics. He invented the first industrial robot, the
Unimate, in 1954. A few years later, Devol and Joseph F. Engelberger formed the first robot company,
Unimation. In 1960, Unimation was purchased by Condec Corporation. General Motors installed the
Unimate for die casting handling and spot welding in 1961.
Modern industrial robot arms continued to evolve in the 1960's and 70's. In 1963, the six-jointed Rancho
Arm was created to assist handicapped. This was followed by the tentacle arm, designed by Marvin
Minsky in 1968. It was able to lift a person and had 12 joints.
It was the 1969 Stanford Arm that eventually led to commercial arm production. The Stanford Arm was
one of the first electronically powered, computer-controlled arms. By 1974, it reached a level of
sophistication where it could assemble a Model T water pump.
The Stanford Arm was followed by the Silver Arm in 1974. The Silver Arm was created by MIT's David
Silver to perform precise assembly using touch and pressure sensors and a microcomputer. These arms
led to Victor Scheinman, the inventor of the Stanford Arm, to form Vicarm, Inc. in 1974 to manufacture
industrial robotic arms. Scheinman was instrumental in the creation of the PUMA (programmable
universal manipulator for assembly) for Unimation. In 1977, the European robot company ASEA, built
two sizes of industrial robots.
THE BENEFITS OF INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS:
Automation has dramatically altered factories throughout the globe. Modern industrial robots offer
multiple advantages. They have single-handedly transformed products, facilities, and companies. Recent
developments have made industrial robots more user-friendly, affordable, and intelligent than ever
before.
Changing the Product: Robots perform applications with greater accuracy, precision and consistency.
The product quality improves because of these increases.
Changing the Environment: Workers no longer have to endure dull, hazardous or taxing tasks. Robots
handle toxic substances, repetitive and detail-driven jobs, and lift, carry and select products without
tiring or stopping. Robots have prevented many accidents and waste - saving company money. The
introduction of robots has led many workers to learn new tasks such as programming.
Changing the Company: The typical return on investment (ROI) for an industrial robot is substantial and
quick. Robots are tireless - leading to increased productivity and manufacturing cost cuts. Management
control increases as well.
INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS IN THE FUTURE:
The newest developments in industrial robotics are in artificial intelligence. Future industrial robots will
be equipped with advanced learning, vision, and sensory capabilities. Increased application flexibility will
lead to increased productivity. Smarter robots will be able to perform complicated tasks perfectly.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF CAD:
ADVANTAGES:
a. Can be easily erased and changed
b. Can be zoomed in for more detailed sections
c. Can be copied and pasted many times
d. Depending on skill, can be neater
e. Can be quicker
f. Can be sent to elsewhere quickly
g. Can be stored in a safe place
h. Can be checked for measurements by the computer
DISADVANTAGES:
a. If computer problem, all data will be lost
b. If not checked properly, the object created can go very wrong
c. Can be very expensive
d. Can be hard to do and handling needs training
A FEW ADVANTAGES OF 2D CAD:
a. Reduced design timescales.
b. Reuse of designs.
c. Drawing errors can be corrected easily.
d. Drawings can be sent / received via email in seconds.
DISADVANTAGES:
a. Time & cost of implementing the CAD system
b. Time & cost of training people to use the CAD.
c. Time & cost of migrating legacy drawings into CAD format
ADVANTAGES OF 3D CAD:
a. More stylish /complex products can be designed using 3D surfacing.
b. Parametric modeling allows many design iterations to be generated & evaluated quickly.
c. Designs can be analyzed and optimized virtually using finite element analysis.
d. Clearance/interference checks can be mase easily
3D CAD data can be imported directly in to CAM software, further reducing timescales and mistakes
from interpretation of 2D drawings.
PLASMA DISPLAY:
A typical modern plasma screen television. A plasma display panel (PDP) is a type of flat panel display
common to large TV displays (80 cm/30 in or larger). They are called "plasma" displays because the
pixels rely on plasma cells, or what are in essence chambers more commonly known as fluorescent
lamps. A panel typically has millions of tiny cells in compartmentalized space between two panels of
glass. These compartments, or "bulbs" or "cells", hold a mixture of noble gases and a minuscule amount
of mercury. Just as in the fluorescent lamps over an office desk, when the mercury is vaporized and a
voltage is applied across the cell, the gas in the cells form a plasma. (A plasma is a collection of particles
that respond strongly and collectively to electromagnetic fields or electrical charges, taking the form of
gas-like clouds or ion beams.) With flow of electricity (electrons), some of the electrons strike mercury
particles as the electrons move through the plasma, momentarily increasing the energy level of the
molecule until the excess energy is shed. Mercury sheds the energy as ultraviolet (UV) photons. The UV
photons then strike phosphor that is painted on the inside of the cell. When the UV photon strikes a
phosphor molecule, it momentarily raises the energy level of an outer orbit electron in the phosphor
molecule, moving the electron from a stable to an unstable state; the electron then sheds the excess
energy as a photon at a lower energy level than UV light; the lower energy photons are mostly in the
infrared range but about 40% are in the visible light range. Thus the input energy is shed as mostly heat
(infrared) but also as visible light. Depending on the phosphors used, different colors of visible light can
be achieved. Each pixel in a plasma display is made up of three cells comprising the primary colors of
visible light. Varying the voltage of the signals to the cells thus allows different perceived colors.
Plasma displays should not be confused with liquid crystal displays (LCDs), another lightweight flat-
screen display using very different technology. LCDs may use one or two large fluorescent lamps as a
backlight source, but the different colors are controlled by LCD units, which in effect behave as gates
that allow or block the passage of light from the backlight to red, green, or blue paint on the front of the
LCD panel.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS:
A 103" plasma display panel by Panasonic Plasma displays are bright (1,000 lux or higher for the
module), have a wide color gamut, and can be produced in fairly large sizes—up to 150 inches (3.8 m)
diagonally. They have a very low-luminance "dark-room" black level compared to the lighter grey of the
unilluminated parts of an LCD screen (i.e. the blacks are blacker on plasmas and greyer on LCDs). LED-
backlit LCD televisions have been developed to reduce this distinction. The display panel itself is about 6
cm (2.5 inches) thick, generally allowing the device's total thickness (including electronics) to be less
than 10 cm (4 inches). Plasma displays use as much power per square meter as a CRT or an AMLCD
television.[citation needed] Power consumption varies greatly with picture content, with bright scenes
drawing significantly more power than darker ones - this is also true of CRTs. Typical power consumption
is 400 watts for a 50-inch (127 cm) screen. 200 to 310 watts for a 50-inch (127 cm) display when set to
cinema mode. Most screens are set to 'shop' mode by default, which draws at least twice the power
(around 500-700 watts) of a 'home' setting of less extreme brightness. Panasonic has greatly reduced
power consumption ("1/3 of 2007 models") Panasonic claims that PDPs will consume only half the
power of their previous series of plasma sets to achieve the same overall brightness for a given display
size. The lifetime of the latest generation of plasma displays is estimated at 100,000 hours of actual
display time, or 27 years at 10 hours per day. This is the estimated time over which maximum picture
brightness degrades to half the original value.
Plasma display screens are made from glass, which reflects more light than the material used to make an
LCD screen. This causes glare from reflected objects in the viewing area. Companies such as Panasonic
coat their newer plasma screens with an anti-glare filter material. Currently, plasma panels cannot be
economically manufactured in screen sizes smaller than 32 inches. Although a few companies have been
able to make plasma EDTVs this small, even fewer have made 32in plasma HDTVs. With the trend
toward larger and larger displays, the 32in screen size is rapidly disappearing. Though considered bulky
and thick compared to their LCD counterparts, some sets such as Panasonic's Z1 and Samsung's B860
series are as slim as one inch thick making them comparable to LCDs in this respect.
Competing display technologies include CRT, OLED, LCD, DLP, SED, LED, and FED.
PLASMA DISPLAY ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES:
ADVANTAGES:
a. Can be wall mounted.
b. Less bulky than rear-projection televisions.
c. Produces deep blacks allowing for superior contrast ratio.
d. Wider viewing angles than those of LCD; images do not suffer from degradation at high angles unlike
LCDs.
DISADVANTAGES:
a. Heavier screen-door effect when compared to LCD or OLED based TVs.
b. Susceptible to "large area flicker".
c. Generally do not come in smaller sizes than 37 inches.
d. Susceptible to reflection glare in bright rooms.
e. Heavier than LCD due to the requirement of a glass screen to hold the gases.
f. Use more electricity, on average, than an LCD TV.
