Robot
TL;DR A robot is a machine that can sense, decide, and act to perform tasks in the physical world, with modern robots increasingly using AI to operate autonomously.
A robot by Midjourney 7
Robots are machines designed to carry out tasks in the real world, often by combining sensors, computation, and physical movement. While early robots were limited to simple, repetitive actions, advances in computing, electronics, and artificial intelligence have transformed robots into adaptable systems capable of operating with little or no direct human control. Today, robots are present in factories, hospitals, homes, laboratories, and even space, making them among the most visible applications of AI-driven technology.
For most people, a robot is easiest to think of as a machine that can move or act independently to assist humans. Industrial robots assemble cars, warehouse robots move packages, robotic vacuum cleaners clean floors, and surgical robots assist doctors with delicate procedures. Modern robots can see using cameras, feel using sensors, and make decisions using software that enables them to respond to their environment. While they may look intelligent, most robots are still designed for specific tasks and do not think or feel like humans.
From a technical perspective, a robot is a cyber-physical system that integrates sensing, perception, planning, and control. Sensors such as cameras, lidar, force sensors, and encoders provide data about the environment and the robot’s internal state. This data is processed by control algorithms and, increasingly, machine learning models that enable perception, localization, decision-making, and adaptation. Actuators then execute actions through motors or hydraulic systems. Modern robotics increasingly integrates classical control theory with AI techniques, including reinforcement learning, computer vision, and probabilistic reasoning, to achieve autonomy in dynamic environments.
Physical embodiment that allows interaction with the real world
Sensors for perception and environmental awareness
Software for control, decision-making, and coordination
Actuators that enable movement or manipulation
Increasing use of AI for autonomy, learning, and adaptation
ELI5 A robot is like a helpful machine with a body that can look around, decide what to do, and move to get things done. It might clean your floor, build cars, or help doctors, but it only does what it was designed or taught to do.
