Overview

A robot is a machine that can sense, think, and act. It is the physical body of Artificial Intelligence. We used to keep them in cages in factories (to stop them from killing us). Now they are vacuuming our floors, driving our cars, and performing surgery.

Core Idea

The core idea is Autonomy. A machine that can make decisions and interact with the physical world without a human pilot.

Formal Definition

The design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The Loop: Sense (Camera) -> Think (Processor) -> Act (Motor).

Intuition

  • The Hand: The human hand is a miracle of engineering. Building a robot hand that can pick up an egg without crushing it is incredibly hard. (Moravec’s Paradox: Hard things like chess are easy for robots; easy things like walking are hard).

Examples

  • Industrial Robots: Big orange arms welding cars. Fast, strong, dumb.
  • Boston Dynamics: Robots that can do backflips and open doors. (Spot, Atlas).
  • Roomba: The most successful consumer robot. It’s dumb, but it works.

Common Misconceptions

  • They will take all our jobs: They will take tasks, not necessarily jobs. But yes, truck drivers and warehouse workers are at risk.
  • They are like Terminator: Real robots are clumsy and run out of battery in 20 minutes. We are safe for now.
  • Uncanny Valley: When a robot looks almost human but not quite, it looks creepy (like a zombie).
  • Three Laws of Robotics: Asimov’s rules (Don’t harm humans). Good fiction, but hard to code.

Applications

  • Search and Rescue: Sending robots into burning buildings or nuclear reactors (Fukushima) where humans can’t go.

Criticism / Limitations

  • Power: Batteries are heavy and don’t last long. This limits mobile robots.

Further Reading

  • Asimov, Isaac. I, Robot.