Related topics: artificial intelligence
Robot
hideRobot is a virtual or mechanical artificial agent. In practice, it is usually an electro-mechanical system which, by its appearance or movements, conveys a sense that it has intent or agency of its own. The word robot can refer to both physical robots and virtual software agents, but the latter are usually referred to as bots. There is no consensus on which machines qualify as robots, but there is general agreement among experts and the public that robots tend to do some or all of the following: move around, operate a mechanical limb, sense and manipulate their environment, and exhibit intelligent behavior, especially behavior which mimics humans or other animals. In South Africa, robot is an informal and commonly used term for a set of traffic lights.
Stories of artificial helpers and companions and attempts to create them have a long history but fully autonomous machines only appeared in the 20th century. The first digitally operated and programmable robot, the Unimate, was installed in 1961 to lift hot pieces of metal from a die casting machine and stack them. Today, commercial and industrial robots are in widespread use performing jobs more cheaply or with greater accuracy and reliability than humans. They are also employed for jobs which are too dirty, dangerous or dull to be suitable for humans. Robots are widely used in manufacturing, assembly and packing, transport, earth and space exploration, surgery, weaponry, laboratory research, and mass production of consumer and industrial goods.
Modern robots are usually used in tightly controlled environments such as on assembly lines because they have difficulty responding to unexpected interference. Because of this, most humans rarely encounter robots. However, domestic robots for cleaning and maintenance are increasingly common in and around homes in developed countries, particularly in Japan. Robots can also be found in the military.
For more information about Robot, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with robot
Students Hone Engineering Skills in Robotics
15 hours ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Robots have fascinated future engineers for generations. Recently, a group of young students had an opportunity to design and build their own robots using LEGOs, the popular plastic pieces ...
Robot completes first underwater crossing of Atlantic Ocean
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
18 hours ago |
4.1 / 5 (7) |
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Spain on Wednesday handed back to the United States a robot which last week completed the first underwater crossing of the Atlantic Ocean to help monitor climate change by tracking temperatures.
Eureqa, the robot scientist (w/ Video)
Technology / Computer Sciences
Dec 07, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (11) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A new program, Eureqa, takes raw data and formulates scientific laws to suit, and it is available by free download to all scientists.
Scientists, lawyers mull effects of home robots
Dec 05, 2009 |
3.9 / 5 (8) |
9
(AP) -- Eric Horvitz illustrates the potential dilemmas of living with robots by telling the story of how he once got stuck in an elevator at Stanford Hospital with a droid the size of a washing machine.
The goal of robot hockey: to become better engineers (w/ Video)
Nov 26, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- It may be a long time before we see robots shooting pucks and making saves in professional hockey, but second-year mechanical engineering students at the University of Alberta put some pretty ...
Musical robots perform duets (w/ Video)
Nov 26, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (6) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A flute playing robot unveiled by Waseda University last year has been joined by a robot saxophonist in a Classical music duet. The aim of the project was to design robots that could respond ...
Robo-chefs and fashion-bots on show in Tokyo
Nov 26, 2009 |
5 / 5 (5) |
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Forget the Transformers and Astroboy: Japan's latest robots don't save the world -- they cook snacks, play with your kids, model clothes, and search for disaster victims.
Review: A riff on robotics with self-tuning guitar
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
Nov 25, 2009 |
3.8 / 5 (10) |
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(AP) -- New cars have been tuning themselves for the better part of two decades now, so it should feel less impressive that Gibson has built a guitar that can smoothly do the same.
Dentistry, a high-tech version: Robots not far off, doctor says
Nov 24, 2009 |
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Robots may practice dentistry one day, but there will always be humans telling you to open wide, said a teacher on the cutting edge of tooth care.
As robots become more common, Stanford experts consider the legal challenges
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
Nov 23, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (4) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- They already detect and defuse bombs, control traffic patterns and do some basic household chores. And scientists predict that pretty soon, robots will be using artificial intelligence to play a larger role ...
New study to evaluate robots as exercise trainers (w/ Video)
Nov 19, 2009 |
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Maja Mataric', who directs the University of Southern California Center for Robotics and Embedded Systems, will lead an effort to evaluate robots as exercise coaches for adults of all ages, with a particular focus on the ...
Patient's weight not linked to success of fibroid surgery
Nov 19, 2009 |
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Obese patients are no more likely to have post-operative complications than those of average weight when undergoing robotic surgery to remove uterine fibroids, according to a study at Henry Ford Hospital.
iPhone Software That Controls Robot Movements (w/ Video)
Nov 18, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- At the graduate school of media design at Keio University in Tokyo, a project called "Walky" is under developed. Researchers have developed specifically designed software for the iPhone that ...
Underwater robot probes depths for Istanbul quake clues
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 14, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (4) |
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A state-of-the-art underwater robot called BOB may hold the key to protecting millions of people around Turkey's biggest city against a massive earthquake scientists say is all but inevitable.
Robots perform Shakespeare to learn how to save people
Nov 13, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Flying robot fairies are joining human actors in Texas A&M University?s production of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, which runs through Sunday (Nov. 15) in the Rudder Forum.
