DEFINITION: a machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically, especially one programmable by a computer.

The legend says The legend says King Ajatashatru hid relics belonging to Buddha and used mechanical robots (bhuta vahana yanta), from the kingdom of Rome to protect them.

It was a clock powered by flowing water with a figure pointing to a rotating column.

People continued to try and improve on automated machine. Some of the most famous were created around 1768 and known as the Jaquet- Droz Automata’s after the man that made them.

The most complex was “The Writer.” A small boy sitting at a table.

Using very complex mechanics he could be programmed to write sentences of up to 40 letters. He used a real pen and ink.

The first electric robots were created by William Grey Walter in Britain in Elmer and Elise were designed to try and prove how the human brain worked.

During the 1960’s people started to connect robots to early computers.

They were not like computers today. There took up a whole room and had less computing power than a mobile phone today.

The robot arms followed very basic instructions from the computer and where very limited in what they could do.

But in 1970 Stanford Research Institute created “Shakey.” The first mobile robot capable of working out it’s surroundings.

Using different sensors “Shakey” could detect objects and then work out how to avoid them to reach his target. In 1970 this was cutting edge science. Today we see this technology in children’s toys.

By the 1990’s robots were in use in many car factories on production lines.

Today you can buy robotic vacuum cleaners and lawnmowers and soon there will be self driving cars.

This is Asimo, first created by Honda in 2000 he is one the most advanced humanoid robots in the world.

He can recognize moving objects and analyse his surroundings and walk up and down stairs unaided.

He can recognize sounds, voice commands, faces and even gestures. He can even distinguish between different voices.

This means he can recognize you from your face or voice and know if you want to shake hands!

Asimo is designed to work in a “real world” environment. That means that he can perform the same jobs as us without any special equipment or programming.

And designers also believe that looking human also makes them seem less scary.

While humanoid robots are very versatile, they are very expensive and still have limitations just like us.

So engineers are looking at designing robots that are easier to build and designed to perform specific jobs.

Robots like Robear can help elderly or disabled people in their own homes.

This means less people being stuck in hospital because there is no one to help them at home.

Robots like these could be used to explore for survivors after earthquakes.

They can move through the rubble of collapsed buildings easily. Do you see how their design is based on animals?

These robots are designed to fight fires and rescue injured people.

They can do this without the need to risk other human lives.

Robot cars will make it easier and cheaper for everybody to get around at anytime.

Computers and robots can think and react a lot quicker than we do.

This means a lot less people dying in car accidents.