Chapter 1 WHAT IS ROBOTICS A tiny object the width of a human hair motors through a mouse's stomach acid It uses bubbles to push itself forward Then it delivers medicine to heal sores in the mouse's stomach This tiny object is a robot This illustration shows a tiny robot attaching to a red blood cell
Big and Small Robots Robots are machines that can sense and react to the world around them Humans build and program robots Humans control some robots Others can perform tasks on their own Some robots look a lot like people Others are simply giant arms used in factories Tiny robots called nanorobots can move in very small spaces Many robots do work that is too dangerous or difficult for people to do A robot that looks like a person is called a humanoid robot
Robot Makers People who make robots are roboticists They design robots using computers Roboticists create a robot's brain the central computer that tells it what to do Roboticists figure out how the brain will control the rest of the robot with electrical signals Roboticists also design parts such as sensors so the robot can see and touch things A roboticist may have to try several different designs before finding one that works
Science Fact or Science fiction Robots can walk just like humans That's false but roboticists are working on it Walking on two legs may seem simple to us but it requires a lot of coordination Most robots on two legs lose their balance and fall over But a robot named Cassie is almost there This robot can walk and stay balanced on two legs even on uneven ground One company is working on a robot that can walk in disaster areas filled with broken objects and rough ground
