Description

This article is from the Robotics FAQ, by Kevin Dowling nivek@cs.cmu.edu with numerous contributions by others.

01 What is the definition of a 'robot'?

"A reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move
material, parts, tools, or specialized devices through various
programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks"

Robot Institute of America, 1979

Obviously, this was a committee-written definition. It's rather dry
and uninspiring. Better ones for 'robotics' might include:

Force through intelligence.
Where AI meet the real world.

Webster says: An automatic device that performs functions normally
ascribed to humans or a machine in the form of a human.

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