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Origin of the word " robot"':The 1920 play " Rossum ’s Universal Robots , " by Karel Čapek

The first golem : Unimate , created in 1954 by American George Devol

Robot feeding baby in a kitchen, mother in background

(Image credit: Keumars Afifi-Sabet)

The large humanoid robot : Mononofu , a humanoid vehicle that is27.75 foundation ( 8.46 meters ) magniloquent

The smallest humanoid automaton : Mitsuya Tatsuhiko ’s midget android robot , which mensurate just2.27 in ( 57.676 millimeters)tall

The most potent golem : Titan , a robot sleeve that can lift 2,220 pounds ( 1,000 kg )

A humanoid robot is on display during 2024 World Robot Conference at Beijing Etrong International Exhibition & Convention Center.

(Image credit: Keumars Afifi-Sabet)

Robots are machines that can mechanically perform both simple and complex actions . They are often program by a computing equipment , but there ’s no individual definition of a golem . Robots let in a wide variety of machine , such as the giant arm used to make railroad car , automatic vacuum cleaners , humanoid machines that look like people and do backflips , and robotic dogs .

As technology develops and gets more powerful , we ’re seeing more advanced robots . In fact , some robots powered byartificial intelligence(AI ) can have normal conversation .

Robots have been around for decades , and you ’re likely reading this clause on a figurer or a speech sound that may have been set up by a automaton .

A photo of a robot with a colorful body and a cartoon-like face

(Image credit: Keumars Afifi-Sabet)

5 fun facts about robots

Everything you need to know about robots

What are robots?

At warmness , robots are programmable machines . Some are round-eyed , while others are powered by advanced AI systems that can reply jolly of course to questions from human and pack out job on their own .

Most experts say there arenine types of robot :

Industrial robotsare used in manufacturing and assembly lines and are programmed to carry out specific tasks .

An image of a robotic sea turtle

(Image credit: Keumars Afifi-Sabet)

Collaborative robotswork with humans , in labor like manufacturing or testing .

Service robotshelp deport things like medicine or do customer service .

wandering robotscan navigate space to ravish thing in warehouses or to move supplies .

A photo of a quadruped robot

(Image credit: Keumars Afifi-Sabet)

Autonomous roving robotsare similar but can navigate more intelligently and can quickly adjust to difficult environments .

Nanobotsare diminutive , microscopic robots that areused mostly in inquiry . But in theory , and in someexperimental operations , they are able to move around inside the human body to cede medicine or perform discourse in specific parts of the physical structure .

Humanoid robotshave a roughly human dead body shape and can mimic human movements . One representative of this can include another type of robot : educational robotsthat are used to help learning in classrooms .

A photo of a bartending robot

(Image credit: Keumars Afifi-Sabet)

last , there aremedical robotsthat can help execute OR , do distant audience , or aid care for patient .

What’s the most advanced robot?

Amecamay be the existence ’s most human - like golem . Designed by Engineered Arts , Ameca has a " skeleton " powered by air pressure but uses a squishy stuff for its homo - corresponding font . This allows Ameca to smile , frown or use other facial aspect when answering questions . Ameca can talk to people in a natural - sounding way of life and do apparent movement in response .

Other ripe robots admit Hanson Robotics ' Sophia , which can oblige naturalistic conversation with the great unwashed . Boston Dynamics ' Atlas robot also has telling ability : The two - legged automaton can run , jump and even perform backflips . Atlas is designed to sail difficult terrain so it can perform search - and - rescue procedure or complete construction tasks .

What’s the most famous robot?

One of the most famed genuine - world robots is arguably Sophia . Sophia has been interviewed on television and was made a citizen of Saudi Arabia . Other famous robots admit Spot , the Boston Dynamics weenie feeling - alike , and SoftBank ’s Pepper , a chirpy robot assistant with a friendly face and a chest - mounted screen that works as a hotel concierge . And Robonaut 2 , design by NASA and General Motors , is the first humanoid robot to introduce space ; the astrobot worked as an assistant on the International Space Station .

R2 - D2 , the astromech droid from the " Star Wars " flick , may be one of the most famous golem in fiction . This little droid emitted iconic bleeps and whistle in a galax , far , far away and was joined by the every bit famous humanoid golem C3 - PO .

What is AI in robotics?

AI is often used to aid automaton " learn " how to do their tasks . A robot does n’t involve AI to exist , but AI can make robots smart and more sovereign .

AI is what gives robots their " vision " to sense what ’s around them .

A applied science called generative AI allows robots to respond to different enquiry and request . model of these AI include Google Gemini and ChatGPT that can react to dubiousness like " can you make me a picture of a press the moon ? " and create that image for you .

An animation showing dozens of robots walking naturally across a white background

Robotics bring home the bacon the body for a robot , while AI allow the head . However , most automaton do n’t useAI yet , but rather traditional computer computer programing to tell the robot how to interact with its environment .

Can robots replace human workers?

golem have already replaced humanity in some manufacturing plant . For illustration , automaton top executive assembly line for making cars and other products . As more automaton are used to ramp up affair , millions of people could lose their manufacturing jobs .

At the same time , when more tasks become automatic , that usuallyleads to raw job . For example , robot need software program developer to make computer code to execute the automaton and technician to maintain them . Overall , many experts say the benefit of using robots overbalance the damage . robot are being designed to do dangerous tasks , like searching for citizenry after seism , or to help make life easier for humans by collecting their grocery store , cleaning their home , or helping take care of sick hoi polloi .

Robot pictures

Discover more about robots

— 8 of the weirdest robots in the world in good order now

— 12 polar moments in the chronicle of robotics , from Isaac Asimov to ego - driving car

— The 7 most disturbing humanoid robots

The Protoclone robot.

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A �face-on� view of the Neo Gamma robot.

Illustration of the circular robots melting from a cube formation. Shows these robots can behave like a liquid.

A photo of a humanoid robot captured during a side flip.

Still images of the human-like robot sitting on grass.

a photo of a robot with humanlike muscles and thin, white skin

Digital rendition of a four legged robot with a human on its back.

person using binoculars to look at the stars

a child in a yellow rain jacket holds up a jar with a plant

a close-up of an electric vehicle�s charging port

Mosaic of Saturn taken by NASA�s Cassini spacecraft on November 20, 2017. Source -NASA & JPL-Caltech & Space Science Institute

a close-up of a chimpanzee�s face

a firefighter walks through a burnt town

A woman exercising on a rowing machine while observing her workout stats on an adjacent monitor