Robotics facts for kids

A robot in action on Mars.

Robotics is a part of Engineering and Science. It has to do with the creation and building of robots, as well as computer programming. It is interdisciplinary, using mechanical, electrical and other kinds of engineering. Robots are sometimes used to do things that humans cannot, like finding and destroying bombs, or going places that are too hot, small, dangerous or distant for humans. Some robots look like humans, but most just look like machines.

Robotics comes from the word robot, which in turn comes from the Slavic word robota. Robota means labor, or work. Karel Čapek invented the word robot to use in a play. This play was called R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots). The word robotics was first used by Isaac Asimov in his story "Liar!" published in 1941.

Images for kids

The Shadow robot hand system
Mechanical construction
A level of programming
Atlas Robot a humanoid robot designed to aid emergency services in search and rescue operations
The InSight lander with solar panels deployed in a cleanroom
A robotic leg powered by air muscles
KUKA industrial robot operating in a foundry
Baxter, a modern and versatile industrial robot developed by Rodney Brooks
Segway in the Robot museum in Nagoya
TALON military robots used by the United States Army
Two robot snakes. Left one has 64 motors (with 2 degrees of freedom per segment), the right one 10.
Capuchin, a climbing robot
Robotic Fish: iSplash-II
The autonomous sailboat robot Vaimos
Radar, GPS, and lidar, are all combined to provide proper navigation and obstacle avoidance (vehicle developed for 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge)
Kismet can produce a range of facial expressions.
Puppet Magnus, a robot-manipulated marionette with complex control systems.
TOPIO, a humanoid robot, played ping pong at Tokyo IREX 2009.
A robot technician builds small all-terrain robots. (Courtesy: MobileRobots Inc)