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Robot

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Robot 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

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First Internet, now bay window at space station (AP)

First Internet, now bay window at space station

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Feb 04, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 1

(AP) -- Life has never been so good off the planet, and it's about to get better.


Robonaut 2: NASA, GM Create Cutting Edge Robotic Technology

Robonaut 2: NASA, GM Create Cutting Edge Robotic Technology

Electronics / Robotics

created Feb 04, 2010 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (13) | comments 7 | with audio podcast

(PhysOrg.com) -- Robonaut is evolving. NASA and General Motors are working together to accelerate development of the next generation of robots and related technologies for use in the automotive and aerospace ...


Evolution of homing

Robots shed more light on evolution (w/ Video)

Electronics / Robotics

created Feb 01, 2010 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (15) | comments 1 | with audio podcast report

(PhysOrg.com) -- Swiss scientists have proposed that if robots could evolve through natural selection the result would be robots that would help each other, cooperate, and be capable of hunting. Their experiments ...


The art of controlling a robot

Technology / Engineering

created Jan 28, 2010 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Robots are used in many different areas, for instance in factories, in space and in health care. To plan and control the motions of a robot is a challenging task, which Uwe Mettin from Umeľ University, Sweden, has analyzed ...


NASA ends effort to free rover from Martian sand

NASA ends effort to free rover from Martian sand

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Jan 26, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (12) | comments 8 | with audio podcast

(PhysOrg.com) -- After six years of unprecedented exploration of the Red Planet, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit no longer will be a fully mobile robot. NASA has designated the once-roving scientific ...


Robots climb up the wall

Robots climb up the wall (w/ Video)

Electronics / Robotics

created Jan 19, 2010 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (14) | comments 3 | with audio podcast weblog

(PhysOrg.com) -- A robotics scientist from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheeba, Israel, has developed four different kinds of robots that climb up walls.


Mahru-Z (R), a robot developed by the Korea Institute of Science and Technology picks up a sandwich in Seoul

S.Korean scientists develop walking robot maid

Electronics / Robotics

created Jan 18, 2010 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (10) | comments 6

South Korean scientists have developed a walking robot maid which can clean a home, dump clothes in a washing machine and even heat food in a microwave.


Organized chaos gets robots going (Update)

Organized chaos gets robots going (Update)

Physics / General Physics

created Jan 17, 2010 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (12) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

(PhysOrg.com) -- Even simple insects can generate quite different movement patterns with their six legs. The animal uses various gaits depending on whether it crawls uphill or downhill, slowly or fast. Scientists ...


A general view of attendees in the lobby at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show

Mint robot puts shine on hardwood floors

Electronics / Robotics

created Jan 10, 2010 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Evolution Robotics is betting that folks with hardwood or tile floors are craving mechanical maids to keep them beautiful.


Engineer-inventor Douglas Hines adjusts the head of his company's "True Companion" sex robot, Roxxxy

Firm unveils X-rated robot (Update)

Electronics / Robotics

created Jan 09, 2010 | popularity 3.5 / 5 (13) | comments 11

Roxxxy the sex robot had a coming out party Saturday in Sin City.


'Ferropaper' is new technology for small motors, robots

'Ferropaper' is new technology for small motors, robots

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

created Jan 05, 2010 | popularity 3.9 / 5 (12) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Purdue University have created a magnetic "ferropaper" that might be used to make low-cost "micromotors" for surgical instruments, tiny tweezers to study cells and miniature ...


Future uncertain for stuck Mars rover

Future uncertain for stuck Mars rover

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Jan 03, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (11) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Mars rover Spirit will mark six years of unprecedented science exploration and inspiration for the American public on Sunday. However, the upcoming Martian winter could end the roving ...


Moving video to 'captcha' robot hackers

Technology / Computer Sciences

created Dec 29, 2009 | popularity 3.3 / 5 (4) | comments 1

We see the popular "captcha" security mechanism often ― wavy letters websites ask us to type into a box. It's used by web pages and newsletter sign-up forms to prevent computer robots from hacking into servers and databases. ...


Cockroaches offer inspiration for running robots

Cockroaches offer inspiration for running robots

Electronics / Robotics

created Dec 28, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (6) | comments 0

The sight of a cockroach scurrying for cover may be nauseating, but the insect is also a biological and engineering marvel, and is providing researchers at Oregon State University with what they call "bioinspiration" ...


The robot may be used to help rescue people trapped in destroyed buildings, Ryu said

Japanese researcher unveils 'hummingbird robot'

Electronics / Robotics

created Dec 28, 2009 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (18) | comments 3

Japanese researchers said Monday they had developed a "hummingbird robot" that can flutter around freely in mid-air with rapid wing movements.