Robotics is the technology associated with robots. Although there is no single definition of the term, robots are generally considered to be moving programmable machines that perform tasks automatically without direct manipulation by humans. Therefore, robotics is a broad field that combines elements of mechanics, electronics, and computer engineering and programming. Robots and robotics began as figments of science fiction.

In 1921 Czech writer Karel Capek (1890-1938) introduced the word "robot" in a play called R.U.R (Rossum's Universal Robots). The word is derived from the Czech word "robota," which means drudgery or servitude (forced labor). Robot has become a common term for an automated machine that does the work of a human. The word "robotics" was introduced in a 1942 story about robots by writer Isaac Asimov (1920-1992). The moving and thinking robots of science fiction were well beyond the technologies of the times. The real age of...