ROBOTS

A BRIEF HISTORY OF ROBOTS

The word “robot” was coined in 1920 by Josef Capek. His brother, Karel, used the term to refer to a fictional humanoid in the 1920 play R.U.R .

Robots are machines that can carry out actions (or series of actions) automatically. The term encompasses a broad range of devices, but in general, they can:

  • control their actions
  • receive sensory feedback
  • process information.

Robots are typically programmable. They can be guided with control devices that are external or embedded within the robot itself. A robot can be fully autonomous, or it can be completely subservient to its control mechanism.

Over time, robots have become more and more complex. Today’s robots are tasked with jobs that were once performed by humans but are now deemed overly repetitive, dangerous, or occurring in environments that would be hostile to humans, such as outer space or on sea beds.