A robot is a machine. But it is not just any machine. It is a
special kind of machine. It is a machine that moves. It follows
instructions. The instructions come from a computer. Because it is a
machine, it does not make mistakes. And it does not get tired. And it
never complains. Unless you tell it to!
Robots are all around us. Some robots are used to make
things. For example, robots can help make cars. Some robots are
used to explore dangerous places. For example, robots can help
explore volcanoes. Some robots are used to clean things. These
robots can help vacuum your house. Some robots can even
recognize words. They can be used to help answer telephone calls.
Some robots look like humans. But most robots do not. Most robots
just look like machines.
Long ago, people imagined robots. Over 2,000 years ago, a famous poet imagined robots. The
poet’s name was Homer. His robots were made of gold. They cleaned things and they made things. But
they were not real. They were imaginary. Nobody was able to make a real robot. The first real robot was
made in 1961. It was called Unimate. It was used to help make cars. It looked like a giant arm.
In the future, we will have even more robots. They will do things that we can’t do. Or they will do
things that we don’t want to do. Or they will do things that are too dangerous for us. Robots will help us
fight fires. They will help us fight wars. They will help us fight sickness. They will help us discover things.
They will help make life better