A robot is a mechanical or virtual artificial agent, usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by a computer program or electronic circuitry. Robots can be autonomous or semi-autonomous and range from humanoids such as Honda's Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility (ASIMO) and Tosy's TOSY Ping Pong Playing Robot (TOPIO) to industrial robots, collectively programmed 'swarm' robots, and even microscopic nano robots. By mimicking a lifelike appearance or automating movements, a robot may convey a sense of intelligence or thought of its own.
Robotics is the branch of technology
that deals with the design, construction, operation, and application of robots,[1] as well
as computer systems for their control, sensory feedback, and information
processing. These technologies deal with automated machines that can take the
place of humans in dangerous environments or manufacturing processes, or
resemble humans in appearance, behavior, and/or cognition. Many of today's
robots are inspired by nature contributing to the field of bio-inspired robotics.
As mechanical techniques developed through the
Industrial age, more practical applications were proposed by Nikola
Tesla, who in 1898 designed a radio-controlled boat. Electronics evolved
into the driving force of development with the advent of the first electronic autonomous
robots created by William Grey Walter in Bristol, England in 1948. The first digital and programmable
robot was invented by George Devol in 1954 and was named the Unimate. It was
sold to General Motors in 1961 where it was used to lift
pieces of hot metal from die casting machines at the Inland Fisher Guide Plant
in the West Trenton section of Ewing Township, New Jersey.[2]
Robots have replaced humans[3] in the assistance
of performing those repetitive and dangerous tasks which humans prefer not to
do, or are unable to do due to size limitations, or even those such as in outer
space or at the bottom of the sea where humans could not survive the extreme
environments.
There are concerns about the increasing use of
robots and their role in society. Robots are blamed for rising unemployment as
they replace workers in some functions. The use of robots in military combat
raises ethical concerns. The possibility of robot autonomy and potential
repercussions has been addressed in fiction and may be a realistic concern in
the future.
Source:
Wikipedia
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