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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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Robot with a Biological Brain: new research provides insights into how the brain works

Robot with a Biological Brain: new research provides insights into how the brain works

Electronics / Robotics

created Aug 13, 2008 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (130) | comments 17

(PhysOrg.com) -- A multidisciplinary team at the University of Reading has developed a robot which is controlled by a biological brain formed from cultured neurons. This cutting edge research is the first ...


Living Safely with Robots, Beyond Asimov's Laws

Living Safely with Robots, Beyond Asimov's Laws

Electronics / Robotics

created Jun 22, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (85) | comments 40

(PhysOrg.com) -- "In 1981, a 37-year-old factory worker named Kenji Urada entered a restricted safety zone at a Kawasaki manufacturing plant to perform some maintenance on a robot. In his haste, he failed ...


A "Child-robot with Biomimetic Body" or CB2,

Japan child robot mimicks infant learning

Electronics / Robotics

created Apr 05, 2009 | popularity 3.9 / 5 (42) | comments 17

The creators of the Child-robot with Biomimetic Body, or CB2, say it's slowly developing social skills by interacting with humans and watching their facial expressions, mimicking a mother-baby relationship.


Success in 'space elevator' competition (AP)

Success in 'space elevator' competition (Update 3)

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Nov 05, 2009 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (37) | comments 54

(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 ...


aiko

Inventor Demonstrates Humanoid Robot's Latest AI Abilities (w/ Video)

Technology / Computer Sciences

created Aug 25, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (31) | comments 26

(PhysOrg.com) -- In August 2007, Le Trung invented Aiko, a Yumecom, or "Dream Computer Robot." Although it took only a month and a half to build Aiko's exterior, the artificial intelligence software has been ...


Robot scientist becomes first machine to discover new scientific knowledge

Electronics / Robotics

created Apr 02, 2009 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (32) | comments 18

Scientists have created a Robot Scientist which the researchers believe is the first machine to have independently discovered new scientific knowledge. The robot, called Adam, is a computer system that fully automates the ...


Researchers Hope to Mass-Produce Robots on a Chip

Researchers Hope to Mass-Produce Tiny Robots

Electronics / Robotics

created Aug 28, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (27) | comments 31

(PhysOrg.com) -- Tiny robots the size of a flea could one day be mass-produced, churned out in swarms and programmed for a variety of applications, such as surveillance, micromanufacturing, medicine, cleaning, ...


irobot blob bot

iRobot Unveils Morphing Blob Robot (w/ Video)

Electronics / Robotics

created Oct 15, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (26) | comments 4

(PhysOrg.com) -- iRobot's latest robot is unique on many levels. The doughy blob moves by inflating and deflating - a new technique its developers call "jamming." As the researchers explain in the video below, ...


Two men and a woman were testing robotic suits designed to give mobility to the injured and disabled

Cyborg-walkers stride toward Japan's robotics future

Electronics / Robotics

created Aug 03, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (22) | comments 11

Three Japanese cyborg look-alikes turned heads on busy Tokyo streets and subway trains Monday as they made their way to a robotics conference on a hot summer's day -- without breaking a sweat.


Robots Detect Behavioral Cues to Follow Humans

Robots Detect Behavioral Cues to Follow Humans

Electronics / Robotics

created Aug 21, 2008 | popularity 4 / 5 (25) | comments 4

Robots can be ironic. Even though they might not have emotions of their own, they can still detect and respond to humans’ emotions. A recent study has shown that, by picking up on human emotional traits, as ...


The Few, the Smart, the Robots

Military use of robots increases

Electronics / Robotics

created Aug 04, 2008 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (21) | comments 0

War casualties are typically kept behind tightly closed doors, but one company keeps the mangled pieces of its first casualty on display. This is no ordinary soldier, though—it is Packbot from iRobot Corporation. ...


Communicating person to person through the power of thought alone

Communicating person to person through the power of thought alone (w/ Video)

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Oct 06, 2009 | popularity 3.6 / 5 (25) | comments 8

New research from the University of Southampton has demonstrated that it is possible for communication from person to person through the power of thought alone.


Honda President Takanobu Ito  displays the prototype model of a personal mobility device called the 'U3-X'

Japan's Honda unveils futuristic unicyle (w/ Video)

Technology / Hi Tech

created Sep 24, 2009 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (18) | comments 12

It looks a bit like a plastic figure of eight, and its Japanese designers say it could revolutionise the way we get around, in total comfort and without breaking a sweat.


A prototype of the X-47B Navy Unmannded Combat Air System (UCAS)

US military embraces robot 'revolution'

Electronics / Robotics

created Aug 13, 2009 | popularity 3.9 / 5 (19) | comments 46

Robots in the sky and on the ground are transforming warfare, and the US military is rushing to recruit the new warriors that never sleep and never bleed.


Eureqa, the robot scientist

Eureqa, the robot scientist (w/ Video)

Technology / Computer Sciences

created Dec 07, 2009 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (15) | comments 2

(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.