Editing Autonomous robot (section)

=== Self-maintenance ===
<!-- [[Image:PeopleGuide.jpg|left|thumb|Exteroceptive sensors: 1. blue laser rangefinder senses up to 360 distance readings in a 180-degree slice; 2. 24 round golden ultrasonic sensors sample range readings in a 15-degree cone; 3. ten touch panels along the bottom detect shoes and other low-lying objects. 4. break beams between the lower and upper segments sense tables and other mid-level obstacles.]] -->

The first requirement for complete physical autonomy is the ability for a robot to take care of itself. Many of the battery-powered robots on the market today can find and connect to a charging station, and some toys like Sony's ''[[Aibo]]'' are capable of self-docking to charge their batteries.

Self-maintenance is based on "[[proprioception]]", or sensing one's own internal status. In the battery charging example, the robot can tell proprioceptively that its batteries are low, and it then seeks the charger. Another common proprioceptive sensor is for heat monitoring. Increased proprioception will be required for robots to work autonomously near people and in harsh environments. Common proprioceptive sensors include thermal, optical, and haptic sensing, as well as the [[Hall effect]] (electric).

[[Image:MobileEyesIntel.jpg|right|thumb|Robot GUI display showing battery voltage and other proprioceptive data in lower right-hand corner. The display is for user information only. Autonomous robots monitor and respond to [[Proprioception|proprioceptive]] sensors without human intervention to keep themselves safe and operating properly.]]