Robot

A robot is a machine. Some robots can be programmed by a computer to do jobs on their own. They can look like humans or be built for special tasks. Robots can work by themselves or need some help from people.

Robots come in many shapes and sizes. There are human-like robots such as Honda's Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility (ASIMO). Others are used in factories, hospitals, or fly as small drones. Some robots are very tiny, like nanorobots, and some work together in groups called swarm robots. These robots can move and make choices by themselves.

The study of robots and how to build and control them is called robotics. This started a long time ago with simple machines and has grown with new technology. Today, robots help people by doing jobs that are dangerous, far away, or need to be very exact. There are also questions about how robots might change work and life in the future.

Etymology

The word robot started in the Czech language in 1923. It was made up by a writer named Karel Capek for his play "R.U.R." The word comes from the Czech robotnik, which means 'forced worker'. This word comes from an older word, robota, which means hard or required work. The idea of the word is linked to old languages and ideas about service and work.

Summary

Robots are machines that can be programmed to do tasks on their own. They can follow instructions, sense what is around them, move, and sometimes act like humans or animals. Robots can be real machines or computer programs, though the programs are usually called bots.

Simple machines that look like humans or animals are called automatons or animatronics. Robots that look very much like humans are called androids, sometimes shortened to "droids." When humans are enhanced with artificial machines, they are called cyborgs.

History

Main article: History of robots

Ancient cultures told stories about artificial people. For example, stories from Greek mythology include Galatea, a statue that came to life, and Talos, a bronze guardian of Crete. During classical antiquity, Greek engineers made early machines. Hero of Alexandria created devices that could do tasks automatically, using steam, water, and air power.

Later, other cultures also built moving machines. In China, a water clock made by Su Song in 1066 had figures that rang bells every hour. In the 13th century, Ismail al-Jazari in Mesopotamia built automated fountains and a servant robot that could serve drinks. In the 1700s, Jacques de Vaucanson in France made a mechanical duck that could flap its wings and "eat" food.

In the 20th century, scientists built the first robots. In 1928, a robot named Eric spoke and moved in London. In 1939, another robot called Elektro appeared at a fair in New York, able to walk, talk, and blow up balloons. Later, scientists created robots that could think for themselves. Today, we use robots in factories, space, and many other places.

Future development and trends

Scientists are finding new ways to make robots smarter and more useful. One way is called evolutionary robotics, where robots are tested and the best ones help make even better robots. Another method is developmental robotics, which looks at how a single robot can learn and improve over time. Recently, a robot named RoboHon was created that can also work like a smartphone.

As robots get more advanced, they might one day run on special computer systems made just for them. One example is the Robot Operating System (ROS), an open-source software project led by Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Technical University of Munich, Germany. ROS helps robots move and do tasks like recognizing images. Some companies are also working on their own robot operating systems.

In the future, robots could help with many jobs, like cleaning, painting cars, packing boxes, and even cooking. However, these predictions often happen later than expected.

New functionalities and prototypes

In 2008, Caterpillar Inc. made a dump truck that could drive itself without a driver. By 2015, these trucks were used in mines in Australia by Rio Tinto Coal Australia. Some experts think that most trucks will be self-driving in the future.

A robot named Marge can read newspapers, learn about banks, and decide which restaurants are better.

In 2012, a robot named Baxter was introduced. People could teach Baxter new tasks by guiding its movements with their hands. Baxter could learn quickly and perform many different jobs without needing special computer programming. A smaller robot named Sawyer was added in 2015 for more detailed work.

Scientists have also created early versions of cooking robots that could one day prepare meals on their own.

Etymology

See also: Glossary of robotics

The word robot was first used by the Czech writer Karel Čapek in his 1920 play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots). In the story, robots are machines made to work in a factory. They look like humans but do not have feelings and cannot think for themselves.

Karel Čapek did not create the word robot. He said his brother, Josef Čapek, invented the term. The word comes from the Czech word robota, meaning "work" or "labor." Over time, the word robot in English has changed, but it still means a machine that can do tasks on its own.

The term robotics was later created by the science fiction writer Isaac Asimov. He made up a set of rules called the Three Laws of Robotics. These rules are part of his stories but have become well-known and are often talked about when people discuss robot behavior.

Modern robots

Main articles: Mobile robot and Automated guided vehicle

Main articles: Industrial robot and Manipulator (device)

Main article: Service robot

Main article: Educational robotics

Main article: Self-reconfiguring modular robot

Robots come in many forms for different tasks. Mobile robots can move around, like the ones used in factories to follow markers or use sensors. They are also used at home for cleaning and in many jobs.

Industrial robots are fixed arms used for tasks like packaging and assembling. Service robots help with daily tasks but do not make products. Educational robots help students learn about science, math, and programming. Modular robots can be rearranged to do different jobs. Collaborative robots, or cobots, work safely with humans in factories by stopping if a person gets too close.

Robots in society

Many robots work in Asia, with some in Europe and North America. Japan has the most robots.

As robots get better, people think about how they should act. Some worry that robots might become smarter than humans. There are also concerns about using robots in dangerous jobs.

Robots in factories have caused some worry that they might take jobs away from people. Some companies use more robots instead of workers, which has led to discussions about new laws to help workers.

Contemporary uses

See also: List of robots

There are two main types of robots. These are general-purpose autonomous robots and dedicated robots. Robots can be made to do one specific job very well or many jobs less well. Some robots can be reprogrammed to act differently, but their bodies can limit what they can do. For example, a factory robot arm might cut, weld, or glue. A pick-and-place robot is made only to put parts on printed circuit boards.

General-purpose autonomous robots

Main article: Autonomous robot

General-purpose autonomous robots can do many things by themselves. They can move around, charge their own power, and work with doors, elevators, and other objects. They can recognize people or items, talk, watch the environment, and do helpful jobs like picking up supplies. Some of these robots look like humans, called humanoid robots. However, they are still limited in how they can move and explore new places.

Factory robots

Car production

Many automobile factories use robots. A typical factory has lots of industrial robots on fully automated production lines. One robot might work for every ten human workers. On these lines, a vehicle chassis moves along a conveyor. It gets welded, glued, painted, and finally put together by robots at different stations.

Packaging

Industrial robots are often used to pack and organize products. They can quickly take things like drink cartons from a conveyor belt and put them into boxes. They can also load and unload machines.

Electronics

Most printed circuit boards (PCBs) are made by pick-and-place robots. These are usually SCARA manipulators. These robots pick up tiny electronic components and place them on PCBs very precisely. They work much faster and more reliably than humans.

Automated guided vehicles (AGVs)

Mobile robots that follow markers, wires, or use vision and lasers move goods in places like warehouses, ports, or hospitals.

Dirty, dangerous, dull, or inaccessible tasks

See also: Dirty, dangerous and demeaning

Robots are often used for jobs that might be boring, dangerous, or hard to reach. Examples include domestic cleaning, marking sports fields, exploring inside a volcano, or looking at other planets. They are also used in surgeries that need very careful movements.

Space probes

Almost every unmanned space probe sent out has been a robot, starting from the 1960s. These robots can fly through space and even land on other worlds, like the Voyager probes and the Galileo probes.

Telerobots

Teleoperated robots, or telerobots, are controlled by a human from far away. They are used when it’s too dangerous, far away, or hard for a person to reach. These robots can do tasks like surgery in tight spaces or defusing bombs.

Automated fruit harvesting machines

Robots are used to automate picking fruit in orchards. They offer a cheaper way than human workers.

Domestic robots

Domestic robots are simple machines for home jobs like vacuum cleaning, floor washing, and lawn mowing. An example is the Roomba.

Military robots

Main article: Military robot

Military robots include ground robots and unmanned aircraft. They can do many different jobs, including combat. Some of these robots can make decisions by themselves during missions.

Mining robots

Mining robots help with problems in the mining industry. They can drive trucks, operate drills, and move materials without needing a human operator.

Healthcare

Robots in healthcare help both individuals and systems. They can assist people with diseases or disabilities at home and help in pharmacies and hospitals.

Home automation for the elderly and disabled

Further information: Disability robot

Robots help elderly or disabled people with daily tasks, like preparing meals. As more people get older, robots are being introduced to help where human care is limited.

Pharmacies

Main article: Pharmacy automation

Robots in pharmacies help fill prescriptions quickly and accurately. They can store many medications and give them into labeled containers for patients.

Research robots

See also: Robotics research

Researchers are making new types of robots in labs around the world. These robots try out different designs and ways to make them, aiming to solve real-world problems in the future.

Bionic and biomimetic robots

Further information: Biomimetics, Bionics

Some robots are designed based on animals. For example, BionicKangaroo copies how kangaroos move.

Nanorobots

Further information: Nanorobotics

Nanorobotics involves making very tiny robots, sometimes as small as molecules. These could do tasks at a microscopic level, but they are still mostly being studied.

Reconfigurable robots

Main article: Self-reconfiguring modular robot

Some robots can change their shape to fit different tasks. Current examples are simple cubes that can move relative to each other, though they are not as advanced as in science fiction.

Robotic, mobile laboratory operators

Further information: Laboratory robotics

In 2020, scientists made a mobile robot that can help with experiments. This robot can use instruments, work almost nonstop, and decide its next actions based on results. This frees up human researchers for creative thinking.

Soft-bodied robots

Robots made from soft materials like silicone can bend and flex like animals. These are used in medicine, care giving, search and rescue, food handling, and scientific exploration.

Swarm robots

Main article: Swarm robotics

Inspired by animal groups like ants and bees, researchers study groups of small robots working together. These swarms can do tasks like searching or cleaning. Each robot is simple but works together as a complex system.

Robots in popular culture

See also: List of fictional robots and androids and Droid (Star Wars)

Literature

Robots, androids, and cyborgs are popular in science fiction stories. One early example is in Homer’s Iliad, where the god Hephaestus makes mechanical helpers. The word “robot” comes from Karel Čapek’s play R.U.R. in 1920. Isaac Asimov wrote many robot stories and made up the Three Laws of Robotics to guide robot behavior.

Robot competitions

Robots are also in fun competitions. Shows like Robot Wars and BattleBots have robots fighting each other. Other contests, like the FIRST Robotics Competition, help students learn about robotics in a friendly way.

Films

See also: Category:Films about robots

Many movies have robots, including R2-D2 and C-3PO from the Star Wars films.

Problems depicted in popular culture

Stories sometimes show what could happen if robots become too powerful or look too much like humans. Some people worry that robots might try to take over or that humans might feel uneasy around very human-like robots. Movies and books use these ideas to create exciting tales and get us thinking about the future of technology.