: a machine that resembles a living creature in being capable of moving independently (as by walking or rolling on wheels) and performing complex actions (such as grasping and moving objects)
When the next space launch heads for Mars, on board will be dozens of tiny mobile robots that will fan out across the Martian landscape, exploring every nook and cranny. Michael Bowker
often: such a machine built to resemble a human being or animal in appearance and behavior
While science fiction robots have been capable of independent thought, emotions, even a little cooking and sewing, scientists are finding that endowing a mechanical being with even the most basic human functions is a monumental challenge. Greg Freiherr
As a sign of the times, paleontologists themselves have taken to … designing dinosaur robots and displays … Malcolm W. Browne
In 1920, Czech writer Karel Čapek published a play titled R.U.R. Those initials stood for "Rossum's Universal Robots," which was the name of a fictional company that manufactured human-like machines designed to perform hard, dull, dangerous work for people. The machines in the play eventually grew to resent their jobs and rebelled—with disastrous results for humans. During the writing of his play, Čapek consulted with his brother, the painter and writer Josef Čapek, who suggested the name robot for these machines, from the Czech word robota, which means "forced labor." Robot made its way into our language in 1922 when R.U.R. was translated into English.
Example Sentences
The cars are assembled by robots.
Recent Examples on the WebBut the songs burst forth with all that feeling and sincerity, from a pudgy body that affects a robot-like stance, and Williams, the pop poet, emerges through the pixie-like exterior.San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Sep. 2022 The slim robot vacuum has smart navigation to map out efficient cleaning paths — including hard-to-reach areas like under furniture. Isabel Garcia, Peoplemag, 8 Sep. 2022 This is a great price on our favorite robot vacuum. Louryn Strampe, WIRED, 3 Sep. 2022 In addition to the popular robot vacuum, Amazon is also buying iRobot's trove of data, which includes digital maps of users' homes. Grayson Quay, The Week, 6 Aug. 2022 If your least favorite household chore is keeping your floors clean, now's a great time to offload the time-consuming task to a robot vacuum that's backed by thousands of Amazon shoppers. Isabel Garcia, PEOPLE.com, 26 July 2022 This robot vacuum from Roborock is our favorite overall. Eric Ravenscraft, Wired, 23 July 2022 The girl, who came to the U.S. from Chile with her mother, had dreams big and small — to become a robot-designing engineer and someday attend a Lakers game, her parents said.NBC News, 28 Dec. 2021 Cruise responded to the incident by putting its robot cars on a tighter leash until their software was updated.WIRED, 3 Sep. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Czech, from robota compulsory labor; akin to Old High German arabeit trouble, Latin orbus orphaned — more at orphan