IsiThununu

Isithununu siyinguxa- ehleleliseka ngesiCikizi- ekwazi ukugununda uchunge lwemisebenzi eyinkimbinkimbi ngokuhleleleka. Isithununu singalawulwa ngesiLekeleli esingaphandle kwaso, noma silawulwe isiLekeleli esifakwe ngaphakathi kuso. Izithununu zingakhiwa zifane nommomo womuntu, kodwa iningi lezithununu ziyizinguxa zokwenza imisebenzi, eziklanyelwe ukugxila kwezikwenzayo, kunokuba ezinombalazi oncomekayo.
Izithununu zingaba ngezihlelekiwe noma ezihlelelekwe kancane futhi zihluka kusuka kwezisamuntu ezifana nesakwaHonda esibizwa uASIMO noma esakwa-TOSY esibizwa TOPIO, kuya kuzithununu zezimboni, izithununu zokuhlinza, izithununu ezisiza iziguli, izithununu zokwelapha izinja, izithununu eziwuswebezane oluhleleliswe ndawonye, izindongoyi kanye nezithununu ezincane kakhulu. Ngokulingisa ummomo wento ephilayo noma iminyakazo eyinhleleleko, isithununu singadlulisa umuzwa wokuba nobuhlakani noma imicabango ngokwaso. Izinto ezinenhleleleko zilindeleke ukuba zande esikhathini esizayo, lapho izithununu zasendlini kanye nezimoto ezinehleleleko kuzoba yizo eziholayo.

Isigaba sezobuchwepheshe esibhekene nokuklanywa, ukwakhiwa, ukugidinga, nokusebenza kwezithununu, kanye nezinhlelo zesiCikizi zokuzilawula, ukubika kweziNzwi, kanye nokucubungula ukwaziswa sibizwa ngokuthi ezeziThununu. Lobubuchwepheshe bubhekene nezinguxa ezihlelelekiwe nezingathatha isikhundla sabantu ezimweni eziyingozi noma ezinqubweni zokukhiqiza, noma zifuze abantu ngommomo, ukucondoza, noma ukuqonda. Iningi lezithununu zanamuhla zivele ngenxa yokunikela kwemvelo emkhakheni wezobuthununu obu-bio-inspired. Lezi zithununu sezidale isigaba esisha sezobuthununu: ezobuthununu ezithambile.

Kusuka ngesikhathi sempucuko yasendulo, bekunemibiko yezilekeleli ezihlelelekelwe ukuhlelwa ozisebenzisayo kanye nezihlelelekwa ezifuze abantu noma ezinye izilwane, ngokuyinhloko eziklanyelwe ukunandisa. Njengoba ubunyoninco bezinguba buthuthuka ngesikhathi seminyaka yezimboni, kwavela izinsebenziso zokwenza ezifana nezinguxa ezihlelelekiwe, izilawuli buqamama nezilawuli buqamama ezingenantambo.

Igama elithi "isithununu" liqhamuka kwelesizulu elisho 'umuntu uyisigqila, obukelwa phansi, ongathathwa njengomuntu.'

Isithununu sokuqala sesimanje sezezibhangqiwe futhi esihlelelisekayo saqanjwa nguGeorge Devol ngowe-1954.

Izithununu sezithathe isikhundla sabantu ekwenzeni imisebenzi ephindaphindayo neyingozi leyo abantu abangayithandi, noma leyo abahluleka ukuyenza ngenxa yemikhawulo yobungako, noma eyenzelwa ezimweni ezibucayi njengasemkhathini noma ekujuleni kolwandle. Kunezikhalazo mayelana nokwanda kokusetshenizswa kwezithununu nendima yazo emphakathini. Kugxekwa izithununu ngokukhuphuka kokungaqashwa kwezobuchwepheshe njengoba zithathele abantu imisebenzi. Ukusetshenziswa kwezithununu empini nakho kuphakamisa izikhalazo zemicondozo. Amathuba wokuzimela nezishayo ezingase zibe khona sekuye kwaphathwa ezinganekweni futhi kungaba izikhalazo zangempela ngomuso.

 Isifinyezo 

Igama elithi isithununu lingabhekisela kukho kokubili izithununu ezingokoqobo nezenzi zendwalazo yamahlelokusebenza, kodwa lezi zakamuva zivame ukubizwa ngokuthi iziThunu .  Akukho ukuvumelana ngokuthi iziphi izinguxa ezifaneleka ukuba izithununu kodwa kunokuvumelwano jikelele phakathi kwezingcweti, kanye nomphakathi, ukuthi izithununu zithambekele ekubeni namanye noma wonke amakhono nemisebenzi elandelayo: ukwamukela ukuhleleliswa kwamazuba, ukucubungula imininingo noma imibono ebonakalayo ngamazuba, ukugidinga ngokuhleleleka ngokwezinga elithile, ukuhambahamba, ukugidinga  izingxenye zazo ezibonakalayo noma izinqubo ezibonakalayo, zizwa futhi zithonye indawo ezikuyo, futhi zibonise ukucondoza kobuhlakani, ikakhulukazi ukucondoza okulingisa abantu noma ezinye izilwane.   Okuhlobene nesicabango sesithununu umkhakha womchazampilo womdidiyelo, ocwaninga izinto ezinemvelo eqhathaniswa kakhulu nezinto eziphilayo kunezinguxa.

 uMlando 
Isu lesihlelelekwa (automata) lidabuka ezinganekwaneni zamasiko ahlukahlukene emhlabeni jikelele. Abangcikishi nabaqambi bezimpucuzeko zasendulo, kuhlanganisa nelaseShayina lasendulo, Ancient Greece, and Ptolemaic Egypt, bazama ukwakha izinguxa ezilawulayo, ezinye ezafuze izilwane nabantu. Izincaziso zokuqala zesihlelelekwa zihlanganisa amajuba ambulu ka-Arkhitas,Noct. Att. L. 10 amajuba ambulu ka-Mozi nawaka-Lu Ban,Needham, Volume 2, 54. kanye nesihlelelekwa "esikhulumayo" sika-Hero wase-Alexandria.

 Intuthukiso yangomuso nezibunge zangomuso

Sekuvele izinhlobonhlobo zobunyoninco bokuthuthukisa inzululwazi yezezithununu kanye nazo izithununu. Enye indlelasu ebizwa ngokuthi ezeziThununu zomthubeko (evolutionary robotics), lapho kwenziwa imigcanso ngamanani ezithununu ezihlukene. Ukuze lezo eziqhogoye kahle zisetshenziswe njengonongo lukukhanda "izizukulwane" esilandelayo sezithununu. Enye indlelasu ibizwa ngokuthi intuthukiso yezezithununu, elandela izinguquko nentuthuko eyenzeka kwisithununu esisodwa lapho kubukwa izinsebenzo zaso zokuxazula izinkinga nezinye. Olunye uhlobo olusha lwesithununu olusanda kungeniswa nolusebenza kokubili njengoMakhalipha nesithununu sibizwa RoboHon.

 IziThununu zanamuhla 

 IsiThununu esiluntinti 

IziThununu eziluntinti zinekhono lokuntinta zizungeze indawo ezikuyo ngoba azixhonyiwe endaweni eyodwa. Isibonelo sesithununu esiluntinti esaziwayo nesisebenza kakhulu namuhla yileso "sesithuthi esihlelelekiwe esiqondiswayo" (AVG). Lesi sithuthi siyisithununu esiluntinti nesilandela izimpawu noma izintambo ezisemgandayeni, noma sisebenzise iziNzwi noma iziCwazi.

 IsiThununu sezimboni 


Izithununu zezimboni zivame ukuba nenguxangalo (jointed arm) kanye nesinwe (end effector) ezinamathiswe ebusweni obugxilile. Uhlobo olwaziwa kakhulu lwesinwe lubizwa isibambingqi (gripper).

Inhlangano yamaZwe yokuVamisa  (International Organization for Standardization) ngaphansi kwesigaba ISO 8373 ichasisa isithununu sezimboni kanje:

"yingalo elawulwa ngokwehleleleko, ehleleliseka busha, yezinjongo zonke, eyisilumbi esihlelelisekayo emachoshweni ayo, efakwe yagxila endaweni noma elintinti ukuze isetshenziswe enhlelelekweni yezemboni."

Lencasiselo isetshenziswa nayiNhlangano yamaZwe yezeziThununun (International Federation of Robotics) uXhoxho loCwaningo lwezeziThununu lwaseYurophu (EURON) nezinye izinhlangano zamazwe ngamazwe zokuvamisa.

Imithombo