Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer                      
Find and read an article about a new robot or one under development. Discuss as many of the following points as applicable. (If you omit any points please tell why!)  Be as specific as possible.
1.    What is its main purpose? Is its purpose for industry, private use, military, education, or another? Explain.
2.    How many degrees of freedom does the robot have? What are they? Is the robot holonomic? Redundant?
3.    Discuss the actuators/effectors: how many are there, what type (wheels, legs, grippers, etc.), what are their functions?
4.    Discuss the sensors:  what type(s), what are they used for?
5.    What type of control architecture is used? Why? (you may guess but explain your choice)
6.    What is the advantage of a robot over a machine (or human) in this application?
7.    What additional hardware and/or software is needed, if any, to make the robot (more) effective?
8.    Discuss its stability (dynamic vs. static) if applicable.
9.    What challenges do the creators face, i.e. what presents the most difficulty to the creator? (e.g. hardware, control, sensing, stability,  or something else)
10.    Does it have mass market appeal/potential? Explain. 
Please use an article from a newspaper, magazine, or other source. The article should be dated any time after Jan 2013. Print the article (if online) including its source and date, or cut out the article from a current periodical. Submit the article together with your project.
If any of these questions are not answered/discussed in your article, use your knowledge of robotics to make an educated guess, stating that the answer is your thoughts rather than what is stated in the article. It doesn’t matter if your answer is not correct, as long as you justify it!
Most questions will require 2 - 3 sentences. Please don’t exceed that unless absolutely necessary.
Please don’t use a robot we discussed in class: Big Dog, any of the DARPA vehicles, or Roomba. Otherwise you can use almost any other robot.
Include a title with the name of the robot if it has one. You may answer the questions in question/answer format (in full sentences) or in an essay. If you are writing an essay include notation indicating where the questions are answered. Be sure to answer all questions. Be specific but brief. Homework must be typed! No handwritten assignments will be accepted. Be sure to submit the article together with your assignment.