Robot

Cosma / Communication / Media / Simulation / Hardware / Robot

One, a robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm; Two, a robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law; Three, a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws. — Isaac Asimov, Laws of Robotics in I, Robot

—————————

Introduction1

Tech Policy Lab, University of Washington, YouTube Channel)
Tech Policy Lab, University of Washington, Official Website)

Dictionary

robot : a mechanism guided by automatic controls — Merriam-Webster   See also OneLook

Robot (FOLDOC: Free Online Dictionary of Computing)

Thesaurus

Roget’s II (Thesaurus.com), Merriam-Webster Thesaurus, Visuwords

Glossary

Learn About Robot: Glossary

Encyclopedia

Robot is a mechanical intelligent agent which can perform tasks on its own, or with guidance. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine which is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous or semi-autonomous and come in those two basic types: those which are used for research into human-like systems, such as ASIMO and TOPIO, as well as those into more defined and specific roles, such as Nano robots and Swarm robots; and helper robots which are used to make or move things or perform menial or dangerous tasks, such as Industrial robots or mobile or servicing robots. 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. — Wikipedia

Robot (Encyclopædia Britannica)

Outline

Outline of Robotics (Wikipedia)

———————–

Adventures

Explore related posts on Cosma

  • Furby Hacking - It’s odd how some toy fads come and go as one hit wonders while others seem to stick around and take on a life of their own. Of course, there’s no question that one of the oddest toys with the longest track record is Hasbro’s Furby. Whether you’re a Furby lover or hater, you have … Continue reading Furby Hacking

———————–

Inspiration

10 Amazing Robot Animals That Will Blow Your Mind (EverythingTop10, YouTube Video)

Robobee (Wyss Institute, Harvard)
Pleurobot (EPFL)
Spot (Boston Dynamics)
Robotic Fish (MIT)
Cheetah 3 (MIT)
Mini Cheetah (MIT)
Bionic Kangaroo (Festo)
TentacleGripper Gripper (Festo)
Miroe (Consequential Robotics)
Aibo (Sony)

Talks about Robots (TED: Ideas Worth Spreading)
Articles about Robots (Big Think)

———————-

Innovation

Robotics (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, YouTube Playlist)

Technology

How Engineering Robots Works (Crash Course Engineering, YouTube Video)

Commerce

Product

Robot (Etsy)
Robot Gifts (Zazzle)

————————–

Preservation

History

A Brief History of Robotics (Sci Show, YouTube Video)

Man-Machine from the Greeks to the Computer (Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Studies of Selected Pivotal Ideas)

Museum

Robotics Exhibit (New Media Museum)
Robots Collection (New Media Museum)

Library

DDC: 629.892 Robots (Library Thing)
Subject: Robots (Library Thing)

Subject: Robots (Open Library)

LCC: TJ 210.2 Robots (UPenn Online Books)

LCC: TJ 210.2 Robots (Library of Congress)
Subject: Robots (Library of Congress)

Subject: Robots (WorldCat)

—————————

Participation

Education

Robotics (Science Trek)

Robotics (PBS Learning Media)

Robots (Crash Course Computer Science, YouTube Video)
How Engineering Robots Works (Crash Course Engineering, YouTube Video)

MERLOT: Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching
OER Commons: Open Educational Resources

Course

ECOMP 5018 Introduction to Educational Robotics 2

Mechanical Engineering 2.12 Introduction to Robotics (Harry Asada and John Leonard, MIT OpenCourseware)

Robotics and Control Systems (MIT OpenCourseWare)

Robotics Courses (edX)

Community

Occupation

Robotics Engineers (CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration)

Organization

International Federation of Robotics
IEEE Robotics & Automation Society

News

Robotics News & Articles (IEEE Spectrum)
Robots (EurekaAlert, AAAS)
Robots (JSTOR)
Robotics (Science Daily)


Recent News from Science Daily …

  • Scientists discover a strange property in rice...
    on June 11, 2026 at 12:29 pm

    Scientists discovered that rice behaves in a highly unusual way: it weakens under rapid compression but stays stronger when pressure is applied slowly. Using this effect, they engineered a new material that reacts differently to gentle movements and sudden impacts. The material can adapt its stiffness automatically, opening the door to safer soft robots and protective equipment that responds instantly to collisions.

  • AI could uncover new physics faster but there’s...
    on June 11, 2026 at 9:16 am

    Scientists found that transfer learning can make the search for new physics in the universe much faster, slashing the need for expensive simulations. Yet the approach can backfire when AI relies too heavily on familiar patterns, potentially missing evidence of something truly new.

  • A classic brain test exposed AI's biggest weakness
    on June 10, 2026 at 10:52 am

    Researchers gave top AI models a classic attention test used in psychology and found a major flaw. While the models could correctly name colors in short lists, their performance deteriorated sharply as the task became longer and more complex. Some leading systems fell from over 90% accuracy to nearly complete failure.

  • AI-designed universal coronavirus vaccine passes...
    on June 5, 2026 at 3:42 pm

    Scientists have successfully tested an AI-designed universal coronavirus vaccine in humans for the first time, finding it to be safe and well tolerated. The vaccine generated immune responses against multiple coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, SARS, and related bat viruses with pandemic potential. By targeting features shared across an entire virus family, it aims to provide protection even as viruses evolve.

  • Scientists are seriously asking if bees and...
    on June 5, 2026 at 5:27 am

    New studies suggest consciousness can't be judged solely by behavior, whether it's a chatbot discussing philosophy or a bee searching for nectar. Researchers are increasingly focusing on the internal mechanisms of brains and computers, concluding that today's AI is likely not conscious while leaving open the possibility for both conscious insects and future machines.

———————-

Expression

Arts

DW Euromaxx (YouTube Channel)
DW Euromaxx (Official Website)

Origin and Develoopment of Robotic Art (Eduardo Kac)
Robotic Art (Wikipedia)

returntotop

——–

Related

Here are links to pages about closely related subjects.

Media

Function Communications Computation Storage Creation Simulation
Analog Mail Device Paper Type, Print Automaton
Electronic Network Calculator Tape Record Elektro
Digital Internet Computer
Hardware Modem Microprocessor Memory Peripheral Robot, XR
Software Service (Web) Program (OS, SS) Database Application AI, VW

Format Multimedia (Video, Animation) Image (Object) Scent, Flavor, Audio (Text) Haptic, “Other

——

Notes

1.   The resources on this page are are organized by a classification scheme developed exclusively for Cosma.

2.   This page was compiled by M. E. Hopper for ECOMP 5018 Introduction to Educational Robotics while serving as a faculty member of Technology in Education at Lesley University. It has been expanded and updated since then.

Related Presentations

Hopper, M. E. (2005, July). Getting Started with Robotics: Clubs, Competitions and Communities [Birds of a Feather Session]. National Educational Computing Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
Hopper, M.E. & LaFountain, D. (2004, June). Robotics in the Classroom [Birds of a Feather Session]. National Educational Computing Conference, New Orleans, LA.