NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Robots are machines that are controlled by computers. The computer stores instructions that tell the robot exactly what must be done to complete a job. Robots do such jobs as drilling, painting, and putting together automobile parts. They are especially useful for jobs that are too boring, hard, or dangerous for people. The word robot comes from the Czech word robota, which means boring work.

Image to left: Robots weld car bodies at a manufacturing plant in Wixom. Michigan ranks as the leading U.S. automobile manufacturer. Credit: Ford Motor Company

Most robots are not the humanlike machines that appear in science-fiction stories. Most robots are machines that stay in one place and have one arm. They use that single arm to lift objects and operate tools.

How to cite this article: To cite this article, World Book recommends the following format: "Robot." The World Book Student Discovery Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book, Inc., 2005.

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