Robots are programmable machines capable of moving around in and interacting with their physical environment. The word robot was popularized by Karel Capek (1890–1938) in his play R.U.R., where he used it to refer to a race of manufactured humanoid slaves; robots are machines that can do the work of humans. It is debatable whether merely remote-controlled devices should count as robots, although many devices popularly thought of as robots are of this nature. Similarly, computer programs such as virtual "autonomous agents" and web "'bots" are not, strictly speaking, robots as they lack the ability to manipulate the physical world.

The term robotics was coined by Isaac Asimov and refers to the study and use of robots. Research into robotics began in the 1940s, alongside research into cybernetics and computers. The first commercial robots were produced for industrial applications in manufacturing in the...