robot

Home > ... > Science and Technology > Computers and Electrical Engineering > Computers and Computing > ...

Essential reading Compare
side-by-side World Encyclopedia The Concise Oxford Dictionary ... The Columbia Encyclopedia, ...

robot

robot or automaton mechanical device designed to perform the work generally done by a human being. The Czech dramatist Karel Čapek popularized the expression [Czech,=compulsory labor] in his play R. U. R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), produced in Prague in 1921. Modern robotics has produced innumerable devices that replace human personnel, and the term robot is used to designate much of this machinery. It is used frequently in fiction, referring to a self-controlling machine shaped like a human being. While the concept has been the subject of stories since the golem of medieval times, it reached its greatest exposure in popular culture with the work of Isaac Asimov in the 1950s and the motion picture robots Robby in Forbidden Planet (1956) and C-3PO in Star Wars (1977).

Bibliography: See G. Wood, Edison's Eve: A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical Life (2002).

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1E1-robot" title="Facts and information about robot">robot</a>

Give this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"robot." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 8 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"robot." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (December 8, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-robot.html

"robot." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved December 08, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-robot.html

Learn more about citation styles

robot

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

robot mechanism doing the work of a man, automaton. XX. — Czech, f. robota compulsory service.

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O27-robot" title="Facts and information about robot">robot</a>

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

T. F. HOAD. "robot." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 8 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "robot." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (December 8, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-robot.html

T. F. HOAD. "robot." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved December 08, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-robot.html

Learn more about citation styles

robot

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Â© World Encyclopedia 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

robot Automated machine used to carry out various tasks. Robots are often computer-controlled, the most common type having a single arm that can move in any direction. Such robots are used in mass production. See also artificial intelligence (AI); automation

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O142-robot" title="Facts and information about robot">robot</a>

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"robot." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 8 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"robot." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (December 8, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-robot.html

"robot." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved December 08, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-robot.html

Learn more about citation styles

Related entries from encyclopedias, dictionaries and thesauruses

Rate these entries|See all related entries

Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Robots: setting the record straight. Magazine article from: Modern Machine Shop; 11/1/1989
	Robots To Battle Live In Pomona, February 8-9, 2003; Steel Conflict Tournament Pits ``Robots With Attitude'' Against Each Other in Nation's Largest Live Tournament. Business Wire; 1/31/2003
	Robots gear up for sumo wrestling.(Festivals) Newspaper article from: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR); 2/11/2007

Facts and information from other sites

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, and more

	Robots redux: technological improvements are allowing robots to make inroads in assembly applications. (includes related article on robot accessories) Magazine article from: Assembly; 10/1/1997; ; 700+ words ; ...armed, intelligent robots assemble 90 percent...of the assembly robot is equipped with...manufacturer can use a robot with vision and very...increasing use of robots for assembly is the...are proving that robots are up to the challenge...developed a three-robot system to assemble...
	ROBOTS FOR DAILY LIFE\ Newspaper article from: Post-Tribune (IN); 3/2/2008; ; 700+ words ; ...technological power, the robot wave is favored by...mind-set as well. Robots have long been portrayed...more accepting of robots because the native...idea of a humanoid robot with feelings doesn...already an industrial robot powerhouse. More than 370,000 robots worked at factories...
	Robots: setting the record straight. Magazine article from: Modern Machine Shop; 11/1/1989; ; 700+ words ; ...the fictional story and the robot of industry. Robots could better have been portrayed...effective tools. Anatomy Of A Robot Robots consist of four basic components...manipulator is the "arm" of the robot. Robots have a "wrist" attached to...
	ROBOTS TAKE SHOW ON ROAD; MOTOMAN CREATIONS INSPIRE, TEACH Newspaper article from: Dayton Daily News; 11/3/2003; ; 700+ words ; ...lobby. The racing robots have now taken their...on the road. A robot team like the one...design and build robots. Watching a robot work often generates...titled "Chief Robot Geek." He has...declaring, "The robots were cooler than...
	Robots: the once and future technology. Magazine article from: Modern Materials Handling; 5/1/1990; ; 700+ words ; ...mechanical parts of the robots, says Carlisle, who is also president of robot supplier Adept Technology...capabilities to the robot. The mid 1980s saw...vision systems, with robots. "These developments...this problem; is a robot the right approach...suggests considering robots in ...
	Robots Dance, Play at World Robot Expo News Wire article from: AP Online; 6/9/2005; ; 700+ words ; ...the more than 60 robots on display starting...at the Prototype Robot Exhibition _ being...opportunities. The Japan Robot Association, a trade...next-generation robots _ those being developed...but sometime the robot delivers only a mishmash...Corp. Many of the robots were designed ...
	Robots help assembler break the mold: fully integrated with vision systems, flexible robots perform many tasks at a Midwestern auto parts manufacturer.(Robotics)(Cover Story) Magazine article from: Assembly; 2/1/2006; ; 700+ words ; ...Tsuchiya North America. "Robots provide us with tremendous...production on some of these robot cells three shifts a...of an SV3J six-axis robot. A PLC is not required...O signals between the robots control the cycle. Equipped...head, the six-axis robot applies a narrow bead...
	Robots roll into a variety of new roles Newspaper article from: International Herald Tribune; 11/16/2006; ; 700+ words ; ...Europe's largest robot shop, offers a snapshot...of the latest ways robots from around the world...that sophisticated robots are now getting affordable...Damelincourt started his robot career with a Web...wide range of other robot paraphernalia, ranging...books and inflatable robots ...
	Robots reach for their full potential: molders can do more with these versatile device. For years, three-axis linear or Cartesian robots have served molders well for tending injection-molding machines. Still, a question remains: are molders getting optimum returns from their investments in robotic automation?(NORTH AMERICA) Magazine article from: Plastics Engineering; 9/1/2008; ; 700+ words ; ...controllers, even linear robots may be teamed together...Unfortunately, when specifying a robot that is flexible enough...already used to linear robots. Thus Kuka's robots have "intuitive" graphical...to make changes in the robot program. "The software...
	Robots vie for a bigger slice of the assembly pie. (low demand for industrial robots) Magazine article from: Assembly; 5/1/1992; ; 700+ words ; ...projects assembly robots to be the single fastest growing robot category through...a light assembly robot vendor. The precision...accuracy possible with robots is increasingly required...president and ceo at robot vendor Motoman...Japanese use simple robots in a line doing one...