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.
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News tagged with robot
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 |
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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 |
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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.
A motley collection of boneworms (w/ Video)
Nov 10, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- It sounds like a classic horror story -- eyeless, mouthless worms lurk in the dark, settling onto dead animals and sending out green "roots" to devour their bones. In fact, such worms do exist ...
Scientists to develop 'swarms' of miniature robotic ocean explorers (w/ Video)
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 10, 2009 |
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In an effort to plug gaps of knowledge about key ocean processes, scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have been awarded nearly $1 million from the National Science Foundation ...
Samsung launches a new vacuuming robot
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
Nov 06, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Samsung Electronics has launched its latest autonomous robot vacuum cleaner, the Tango, which is capable of vacuuming hardwood floors, carpets, and even beds without human assistance.
Success in 'space elevator' competition (Update 3)
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 05, 2009 |
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(AP) -- A robot powered by a ground-based laser beam climbed a long cable dangling from a helicopter on Wednesday to qualify for prize money in a $2 million competition to test the potential reality of the ...
UCI robot to aid brain research
Nov 04, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A robot powered by a computerized model of a rodent brain will help researchers from UC Irvine and UC San Diego understand how people recognize and adapt to change.
Robots primed for 'are you being served' role in Arabic
Nov 03, 2009 |
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A laboratory in the UAE has built what it says is the world's first Arabic-speaking robot which could soon go into mass production to serve as staff in shopping malls.
AIDA Robot Aims To Change The Way We Interact With Our Car (w/ Video)
Technology / Computer Sciences
Nov 01, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- MIT researchers and designers are developing the Affective Intelligent Driving Agent (AIDA) - a new in-car personal robot that aims to change the way we interact with our car. The project ...
Amnesia-Like Behavior Returns on Spirit
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Oct 31, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Until Oct. 24, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover had gone more than six months without an episode of amnesia-like symptoms like those that appeared on four occasions earlier this year.
Underground mission to Mars
Oct 29, 2009 |
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The Netherlands is home to around 120,000 kilometres of underground gas pipelines. Researcher Edwin Dertien of Dutch University of Twente is working on a robot which can inspect the gas pipelines independently. ...
Robot Armada Might Scale New Worlds
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Oct 28, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- An armada of robots may one day fly above the mountain tops of Saturn's moon Titan, cross its vast dunes and sail in its liquid lakes.
