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 built a memory chip that breaks the...
    on May 3, 2026 at 7:08 am

    A new kind of memory device may finally solve the problem of overheating and battery drain in electronics. By shrinking components to an extreme scale and redesigning their structure, researchers found a way to reduce energy loss instead of increasing it. The result is a tiny memory unit that improves as it gets smaller—something once thought impossible. This could pave the way for ultra-efficient smartphones, wearables, and AI systems.

  • Powerful AI finds 100+ hidden planets in NASA...
    on May 3, 2026 at 4:56 am

    Astronomers have unleashed a powerful new AI tool called RAVEN to comb through data from NASA’s TESS mission—and it’s paying off in a big way. By analyzing millions of stars, the system has confirmed over 100 exoplanets, including 31 brand-new worlds, and identified thousands more promising candidates. What makes this especially exciting is the discovery of rare and extreme planets, like those that whip around their stars in less than a day and others lurking in the mysterious […]

  • This AI knew the answers but didn’t understand...
    on April 30, 2026 at 6:44 am

    For decades, psychologists have debated whether the human mind can be explained by one unified theory or must be broken into separate parts like memory and attention. A recent AI model called Centaur seemed to offer a breakthrough, claiming it could mimic human thinking across 160 different cognitive tasks. But new research is challenging that bold claim, suggesting the model isn’t truly “thinking” at all—it’s just memorizing patterns.

  • AI just discovered new physics in the fourth...
    on April 23, 2026 at 1:38 pm

    Physicists have taken a major step toward using AI not just to analyze data, but to uncover entirely new laws of nature. By combining a specially designed neural network with precise 3D tracking of particles in a dusty plasma—a strange “fourth state of matter” found from space to wildfires—the team revealed hidden patterns in how particles interact. Their model captured complex, one-way (non-reciprocal) forces with over 99% accuracy and even overturned long-held assumptions about how […]

  • This new brain-like chip could slash AI energy...
    on April 23, 2026 at 6:01 am

    A breakthrough in brain-inspired computing could make today’s energy-hungry AI systems far more efficient. Researchers have engineered a new nanoelectronic device using a modified form of hafnium oxide that mimics how neurons process and store information at the same time. Unlike conventional chips that waste energy moving data back and forth, this device operates with ultra-low power—potentially slashing energy use by up to 70%.

———————-

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.