A robot is a virtual or mechanical artificial agent. In practice, it is usually an electro-mechanical machine which is guided by computer
or electronic programming, and is thus able to do tasks on its own. Another common characteristic is that by its appearance or movements,
a robot often conveys a sense that it has intent or agency of its own.
The word robot can refer to both physical robots and virtual software agents, but the latter are usually referred to as bots.
There is no consensus on which machines qualify as robots, but there is general agreement among experts and the public that robots tend to do some or
all of the following: move around, operate a mechanical limb, sense and manipulate their environment, and exhibit intelligent behavior,
especially behavior which mimics humans or other animals.There is conflict about whether the term can be applied to remotely operated devices,
as the most common usage implies, or solely to devices which are controlled by their software without human intervention. In South Africa,
robot is an informal and commonly used term for a set of traffic lights.Stories of artificial helpers and companions and
attempts to create them have a long history but fully autonomous machines only appeared in the 20th century.
The first digitally operated and programmable robot, the Unimate, was installed in 1961 to lift hot pieces of metal from a die casting machine and
tack them. Today, commercial and industrial robots are in widespread use performing jobs more cheaply or with greater accuracy and reliability than humans.
They are also employed for jobs which are too dirty, dangerous or dull to be suitable for humans. Robots are widely used in manufacturing, assembly and
packing, transport, earth and space exploration, surgery, weaponry, laboratory research, and mass production of consumer and industrial goods.
A robot is a virtual or mechanical artificial agent. In practice, it is usually an electro-mechanical machine which is guided by computer
